Karelian Rhapsody, Op. 15 / Kalevala Suite, Op. 23 / Sea Pictures

'The performances under Petri Sakari are very good indeed, and the recording has a good perspective and a wide dynamic range.'
Penguin Guide

This disc, which includes Klami's best-known work the Kalevala Suite, is welcomed back to the catalogue and made available at mid-price for the first time.

Petri Sakari is a well-known supporter of Scandinavian music.
The works of Uuno Klami form one of the high points in the post-Sibelius history of Finnish orchestral music. Having studied in Paris he assimilated the strongest stylistic influences from Ravel, Stravinsky and the new Spanish composers becoming a master of orchestral colour with endless imaginative and inspired passages.

The Karelian Rhapsody, one of the composer's most performed works, is imbued with Finnish folk music heritage but within wider context. Kalevala Suite took 14 years to compose and is considered his most important work. Initially planned as a ballet score, it is a work that most evidently demonstrates Klami's debt to Stravinsky, whilst also recalling Sibelius through its orchestration and thematic treatment. The scoring is marked by transparency, a sense of colour and virtuoso writing, and Klami's excellent orchestral technique enabled him to throw new light on national themes and folk melodies that many earlier composers had used less convincingly.

This collection is performed idiomatically by the Iceland Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Petri Sakari, and makes a welcome return to the catalogue.