Mustonen Sibelius

As Bohuslav Martinu gradually becomes better known in the west, his appealing chamber music is increasingly being performed and recorded, as it should be. This SACD of the three cello sonatas joins a respectable number of recordings that are available, though these exceptional performances by Steven Isserlis and Olli Mustonen are sure to give this album a higher profile in the marketplace.

Bohuslav Martinů produced a huge catalogue of chamber music for a variety of instruments. The cello seems to have occupied a special place in his heart, however, and the three cello sonatas were probably of great significance to him; each of them has an entirely distinct character and appears to owe something to extra-musical events. The most dramatic of the three, the First Sonata was written in Paris in May 1939, shortly after Martinů’s Czech homeland had fallen to the Nazis. Having fled Paris in 1940, Martinů composed Sonata No.2 shortly after reaching safety in the USA, and the work celebrates the rhythms and the verve of the new world. Although written in memory of a deceased friend, the Third Sonata is still more celebratory: even the slow movement is pastoral rather than tragic, while the finale – or at least its ending – ‘would hardly be out of place at a rodeo’, as Steven Isserlis writes in his own liner notes to this disc.

There are two points concerning the piano music of Sibelius that I feel need to be kept in mind. One is that the piano was not a natural instrument for Sibelius to communicate his musical thoughts. The other is that his ability to write appealing music extended to his piano compositions. Merging the two points results in attractive music that does not reflect the masterful orchestral works and symphonies that Sibelius composed. Sibelius wrote most of his piano music in response to financial requirements, while his strongest concentration was saved for his large-scale works. The variable quality of the piano music is apparent in any recorded program, ranging from disjointed and rambling pieces to music of dramatic substance and pieces that delight and sparkle. However, you will not find any hidden masterpieces, as the works do not plumb deep emotional issues or offer the structural coherence found in the works of outstanding composers for the piano.

The surrounding nature always formed an integral source of inspiration for Finland’s ‘national composer’ Jean Sibelius. In his youth the composer imagined birds as various instruments of the orchestra, but also in his mature compositions the element of nature is very much present. When Sibelius moved to his home, Ainola, in 1904 – a place where he was to live and compose until his death in 1957 – his only request was a view to the lake nearby. As Sibelius’ biographer wrote: “When Sibelius first left Helsinki, Järvenpää [where Ainola is located] was to a large extent untouched countryside. Foals and sheep almost nosed their way into the house, and from time to time an elk majestically bestrode the grounds.” This peaceful environment inspired Sibelius to write the main part of his catalogue of works.

Jean Sibelius & Magnus Lindberg - Violin Concertos
Lisa Batiashvili, violin / Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra - Sakari Oramo
EAC+LOG+CUE | FLAC: 262 MB | Full Artwork: 143 MB | 5% Recovery Info
Label/Cat#: Sony Classical # 88697129362 | Country/Year: Germany 2007
Genre: Classical | Style: Romantic, 21st Century, Violin

…In 2001 Batiashvili appeared in a recording premiere of the Olli Mustonen Concerto for 3 violins, with fellow violinists Jaakko Kuusisto and Pekka Kuusisto, on the Ondine label. Over the next few years her career blossomed with major concert dates across Europe and the U.S. In August 2006 she premiered the Lindberg Concerto at Avery Fisher Hall, with the Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra, Louis Langrée conducting. Batiashvili signed a recording contract with Sony in 2007 and went on to record the Beethoven Violin Concerto for that label and a disc of works by Mozart and Britten. In 2008 Batiashvili gave the premiere in London of the Kancheli double concerto Broken Chant, for violin, oboe, and orchestra, with her husband François Leleux and the BBC Symphony Orchestra…

No one knows quite when tango was established in Finland, but the style has a long history there – still little known to outsiders – and combines rhythmic interest and yearning melody with a distinctively Nordic melancholy. In this ingeniously curated programme, two Finnish tangos from the 1950s and a tango-based work by Finnish classical composer Aulis Sallinen are woven into a bold tapestry of music from the Eastern Baltic seaboard. Longing, sadness, and a heightened sense of nature infuse all of these works, which also reveal intriguing stylistic connections: the rocking accompaniment of Sibelius’ 'Einsames Lied' seems to prefigure the ‘Baltic minimalism’ of Vasks, Pärt and Zita Bružaité, while Olli Mustonen’s 'Toccata' alternates rhythmic verve with a rich vein of reflective memory. These original compositions are complemented by Robert McFall’s own sensitive arrangements, for a core McFall’s lineup of five strings and piano, and the programme culminates in a truly unique version of Sibelius’s famous 'Finlandia' Hymn.

With a household that pulsates to the glorious tones of the cello (Isserlis’s son is also a cellist) there’s clearly much material for this volume. The booklet notes manifest an obvious autobiographical vein – Isserlis’s predilection for Romantic Schumanesque items never far from the surface. There are some contemporary compositions, however, including attractive works by Gavin Bryars and Olli Mustonen, as well as imaginative contributions from both Hough and Isserlis. Alongside some lesser-known gems such as the poetic Lulu waltz by Sibelius, we have some well-worn chestnuts by Squire, Bridge, Carse and the fiery and bravura-styled Requiebros by Cassado.