Sibelius Chamber Music

This installment of EMI's "Best…Album in the World…Ever" series features classical pieces that emphasize the cello, performed by various combos and soloists and spanning history. It includes the music of Bach (Cello Suite No. 2 - Prelude), Gabriel Fauré (Sicilienne), Tchaikovsky (Nocturne), Chopin (Cello Sonata in G Minor - Largo), and Brahms (Feldeinsamkeit); as well as the spiritual "Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen" and Glenn Miller's "Moonlight Serenade." Performers include cellist phenom Han-Na Chang, the 12 Cellists of the Berlin Philharmonic, and the late Jacqueline du Pré.

Renowned for his rich production in the field of orchestral music, Kalevi Aho is also a prolific composer for chamber forces. On this disc, three works spanning two decades have been combined.

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.

In 2007, the 50th anniversary of Sibelius’s death, BIS begins the release of a 13-volume edition of all the music that the great master ever created – from the symphonies and tone poems to chamber works and songs. As well as the published works, the edition includes rare original versions and world première recordings of works from his youth – material which to a large extent is unique to BIS. The edition – a grand total of some 65 discs – contains previously released as well as new material, in volumes of 4-6 discs sorted by genre.

In 2007, the 50th anniversary of Sibelius’s death, BIS begins the release of a 13-volume edition of all the music that the great master ever created – from the symphonies and tone poems to chamber works and songs. As well as the published works, the edition includes rare original versions and world première recordings of works from his youth – material which to a large extent is unique to BIS. The edition – a grand total of some 65 discs – contains previously released as well as new material, in volumes of 4-6 discs sorted by genre.

This Sibelius-Kavakos recording when it was originally released in 1991 was voted: "Best Concerto Recording 1991" (GRAMOPHONE Award), "Record of the year 1991" (The U.K. Sibelius Society), "Pick of the year " (Classic CD, the U.K.), Records of the year 1991 ( Helsingin Sanomat).