VA - The Sibelius Edition Vol. 09: Chamber Music II (2009) [5CD Box Set]

In spite of the fact that Sibelius’ chamber music is far less well-known than his orchestral works, it forms a large and important part of his production. In terms of numbers of discs it makes up a fourth of the complete recorded edition being brought out on BIS. Already released are the complete quartets and piano trios [BIS-CD-1903/05] and the works for violin and piano [BIS-CD-1915/17]; the present set focuses on his chamber music for other instrumental combinations and includes a number of world première recordings and previously unreleased material. A substantial chapter is the music for cello (solo and with piano accompaniment), much of which was written for Sibelius’ brother Christian. It is here performed by Torleif Thedéen, with the support of Folke Gräsbeck on the piano. There are also a number of duos and trios for strings, including the brief Vattendroppar (Water Drops) for violin and cello pizzicato, which is often claimed to be Sibelius’ earliest surviving composition, dated to around 1875. Another, more sizeable, rarity is the music to the play Ödlan (The Lizard), scored for string ensemble. Composed in 1909, half way between the Third and Fourth Symphonies, it was once described by Sibelius as ‘one of the most exquisite works that I have written’. This volume also includes Sibelius only work for viola and piano (‘Rondo in D minor’), as well as the world première recordings of two pieces for solo kantele, the traditional Finnish plucked-string instrument which appears in the Kalevala, the Finnish national epos that served as such an inspiration to Sibelius. Another group of works with a specifically Finnish background, are the pieces for ‘torviseitsikko’, a particular combination of seven brass instruments and percussion. These are here performed by members of the eminent German ensemble brasspartout. A varied programme then on this ninth instalment of the acclaimed Sibelius Edition, about which a reviewer in Fanfare has already predicted that it ‘will certainly be considered a landmark in the history of recording’.


Tracks:


Disc 1
01 Vattendroppar (Water Drops), JS216 (c.1875) 0'45
02 Luftslott (Castles in the Air), Duo, JS65 (c.1881) 4'34
03 Andantino in C major, JS40 (c.1884) 2'46
04 Andante molto in F minor, JS36 (1887) 5'21
05 Serenata, JS169 (1887) 6'53

Jean Sibelius
Menuetto and Allegro, JS128 (1887) 8'45
06 Menuetto – Adagio molto – Coda 3'22
07 Allegro 5'23

08 Tempo di valse in G minor, JS193 (1887) 4'11
09 [Duo] in E minor, JS68 (1887) 2'18
10 [Theme and Variations] in D minor, JS196 (1887) 12'55
11 [Lento] in E flat minor, JS76 (1887–88) 1'46
12 Moderato in F major (1885–89) 4'33
13 [Mazurka] in G minor (1887–89) 1'17



Disc 2
01 [Andante] in B minor, JS91 (1888) 2'40
02 [Andantino] in B minor, JS92 (1888–89) 5'29
03 Andante molto in B minor (1888–89) 3'13
04 Andante – Allegro, JS31 (1888–89) 8'49
05 Canon in G minor, JS50 (1889) 2'00
06 Andantino in A major (1889) 2'15

Jean Sibelius
Suite in A major, JS186 (1889) 11'39
07 I. Prélude 2'13
08 II. Andante con moto 3'21
09 III. Menuetto 4'10
10 V. Gigue 1'55


Jean Sibelius
Fantasia, JS79 (1889) 16'54
11 I. Moderato – Vivo – Tempo I – Presto – Tempo I 4'10
12 II. Tempo di valse 1'49
13 III. Alla polacca 4'20
14 IV. Alla Marcia – attacca – 4'40
15 V. Leggiero 1'55

16 Adagio in F sharp minor, JS15 (1889) 0'49
17 Tempo di valse (‘Lulu Waltz’) in F sharp minor, JS194 (1889) 0'54



Disc 3
01 Overture in F minor, JS146 (1889) 8'18
02 Allegro, JS25 (1889) 4'26

Jean Sibelius
Andantino and Minuet, JS45 (1890–91) 4'49
03 Andantino 3'11
04 Menuetto 1'38

05 Vivace (1890) 4'18

Jean Sibelius
Piano Quintet in G minor, JS 159 (1890) 38'32
06 I. Grave – Allegro 10'53
07 II. Intermezzo 5'19
08 III. Andante 9'20
09 IV. Scherzo 3'20
10 V. Moderato – Vivace 9'40



Disc 4
01 [Minuet] in F major (1891) 3'08
02 Förspel (Preludium), JS83 (1891) 3'55
03 Duo, JS66 (1891–92) 5'10
04 Melodram ur ”Svartsjukans nätter”, JS125 (1893) 14'51

Jean Sibelius
Trio in G minor, JS210 (1893–94) 12'01
05 I. Lento 7'59
06 II. Allegro (fragment) 0'52
07 III. [no tempo marking] (fragment) 3'10

08 Rondo in D minor, JS162 (1893) 6'05
09 Canon in D minor (1895–98) 0'36
10 Moderato, JS130 (1896–98) 3'45
11 Dolcissimo, JS63 (1896–98) 2'14
12 [Waltz] (Kehtolaulu / Lullaby), JS222 (1899) 1'11
13 Tiera, JS200 (1899) 4'19
14 [March] (1897–99) 0'59



Disc 5
01 Malinconia, Op.20 (1900) 12'18

Jean Sibelius
Ödlan (The Lizard), Op.8 (1909) 16'55
02 Scene No.1 2'43
03 Scene No.2 14'12


Jean Sibelius
Two Serious Melodies, Op.77 8'42
04 I. Cantique (Laetare anima mea) (1914) 5'02
05 II. Devotion (Ab imo pectore) (1915) 3'40


Jean Sibelius
Four Pieces, Op.78 11'41
06 I. Impromptu (1915) 1'47
07 II. Romance in F major (1915) 3'04
08 III. Religioso (1917) 4'54
09 IV. Rigaudon (1915) 1'56


Jean Sibelius
from [Theme and Variations] in D minor, JS 196 (1887)
10 Variation IV with alternative version of bar 81 0'42

11 [Mazurka] in G minor (1887–89) 1'15

Personnel:

Piano Grasbeck (Gräsbeck), Folke
Pontinen (Pöntinen), Roland
Cello Laakso, Joel
Thedéen, Torleif
Turunen, Taneli
Violin Kuusisto, Jaakko
Lasonpalo, Jyrki
Vikman, Laura
Viola Gribajcevic, Anna Kreetta
Imai, Nobuko
Brass ensemble brass partout
Conductor Baumer (Bäumer), Hermann
Bäumer, Hermann
Kuusisto, Jaakko
Ensemble brass partout
Kantele Lehtonen-Gräsbeck, Suvi
Recitation Poysti (Pöysti), Lasse
Mezzo-soprano Groop, Monica
Double bass Munter, Eero