Kajanus

Fredrik Pacius (1809–1891), Robert Kajanus (1856–1933) and Jean Sibelius (1865–1957) remain three of the most influential figures in Finnish classical music history. Pacius laid the foundation and set Finland on a path towards a developed musical culture. Kajanus founded the orchestra which today is known as the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra and was a leading figure of Finland’s musical scene for fifty years. Sibelius took Finnish music to new heights and has been widely regarded as Finland's greatest composer.

Robert Kajanus (1856–1933) is likely to be known primarily as a conductor rather than as a composer. He thus joins a list of other illustrious maestros whose conducting careers eclipsed their creative activities. Wilhelm Furtwängler, Jean Martinon, Paul Kletzki, Antal Dorati, and currently Esa-Pekka Salonen are just a few of the names that come to mind. Kajanus is recognized today chiefly as one of the early champions of Sibelius, and his recordings of most of Sibelius’s symphonies, though a bit hard to come by, can still be had.

The years spanned by this seven-disc Warner Classics collection coincide with the peak years of Jean Sibelius' popularity. At that time, he was widely regarded in Western countries as the greatest living composer, though he had essentially stopped producing major works after the mid-1920s, when he wrote the Symphony No. 7 in C major, the incidental music to The Tempest, and Tapiola.

From the middle of the nineteenth century there was a blossoming of nationalism within the creative arts – very notably in music – in Finland that reflected the political mood in the country. From an international perspective, the dominant stature of Sibelius can often overshadow the wide-ranging works of his peers – something that this album goes some way to redressing. Robert Kajanus was the leading figure in Finnish music before Sibelius became established. His Overtura sinfonica is a late work, from 1926, which epitomises his style.

From the middle of the nineteenth century there was a blossoming of nationalism within the creative arts – very notably in music – in Finland that reflected the political mood in the country. From an international perspective, the dominant stature of Sibelius can often overshadow the wide-ranging works of his peers – something that this album goes some way to redressing. Robert Kajanus was the leading figure in Finnish music before Sibelius became established. His Overtura sinfonica is a late work, from 1926, which epitomises his style. Armas Järnefelt was a friend and fellow student of Sibelius, and eventually became his brother-in-law.

Formed in London in 1967, Eclection was a truly international group, featuring Norwegian born Georg Kajanus (known then as Georg Hultgreen) on guitars and vocals, Australians Kerrilee Male (vocals) and Trevor Lucas (vocals, bass), Canadian Michael Rosen (guitars, vocals) and Briton Gerry Conway (drums). Eclection signed with Jac Holzman’s Elektra label and made their first public appearance supporting Tom Paxton at the Royal Festival Hall in 1967. Influenced strongly by artists such as Bob Dylan, The Mamas & Papas, The Byrds & Fred Neil, the group took both folk and rock influences to create their own unique sound (often drawing comparisons to Jefferson Airplane). Blessed by the superb vocalist Kerrilee Male, Eclection also gained a prominent supporter in DJ John Peel…

GEORG KAJANUS is a Norwegian composer, singer/songwriter and lyricist best known for writing the hits “Glass Of Champagne” and “Girls Girls Girls” for his band SAILOR. After the break-up of Sailor, Georg came up with the idea of forming a group that would use events as lyrical source, which he then decided to call DATA. Added to that he was dying to work with female vocalists for a change. Having released their debut album “Opera Electronica” in 1981 to great acclaim the band went back in the studio for the follow up and “2-Time” was released in 1983. Georg has digitally remastered the album and added as bonus tracks “Living Inside Me” (Razormaid mix), which was very popular in the 80’s club scene in USA, and a 2017 remix of “Romy Haag” by legendary Dutch remixer/producer MATT POP.

British orchestras and their audiences have long held a special affinity for the orchestral works of Jean Sibelius, and the Hallé's venerable tradition of playing his music continues in this superb recording of the Symphony No. 5 in E flat major, the Symphony No. 7 in C major, and the symphonic poem En Saga. Mark Elder's straightforward interpretations are clear-headed and meticulous yet intensely passionate, and the orchestra responds to his direction by digging deep and playing with a commitment that is nearly perceptible. These symphonies and En Saga are representative of Sibelius' mature style, so their deliberate pacing and steady unfolding of motives into organic developments over long time spans require attentive listening, but the clarity of Elder's readings makes the progress of the music easy to follow. Add to this the exceptional reproduction, which brings out every detail with crispness, and presents the Hallé's warm and rich sonorities with credible presence, and the end result is a nearly ideal presentation of Sibelius' music.