Sibelius: In the Stream of Life [Songs]
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JEAN SIBELIUS
Sibelius: In the Stream of Life [Songs]
Gerald Finley (bass-baritone) / Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, Edward Gardner
[ Chandos SACD / Hybrid SACD ]
Release Date: Monday 30 January 2017
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The exceptional collaboration and friendship between the late Einojuhani Rautavaara and the internationally acclaimed bass-baritone Gerald Finley culminates in this unique album of orchestral songs by Sibelius, on which the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra is conducted by Edward Gardner.
The album offers orchestrations, by Sibelius and others, of songs which Sibelius originally wrote for voice and piano, and includes the premiere recording of In the Stream of Life, seven songs orchestrated by Rautavaara for his friend. Throughout, the poetry perfectly reflects the instinctively felt relation between Finnish nature and Sibelius's music.
As Finley reveals: 'the recording of [In the Stream of Life] became a very personal project when the sessions took place only a few weeks after [Rautavaara's] death, in the same week as his funeral... and I am so thankful that a final addition was made possible when in the last months of his life [Rautavaara] agreed to orchestrate "Hjärtats morgon" and include it in the group.'
"Finley sings them all with his usual finesse and careful shading, reserving his full power for the few genuinely climactic moments...The subtle, respectful orchestrations wrap around his voice like a glove...Gardner and his orchestra include very fine performances of three orchestral works." The Guardian, 4th January 2017 ****
"This haunting disc is as much a tribute to the Canadian singer's close friendship with the late Finnish composer Einojuhani Rautavaara as it is a declaration of love for Sibelius's songs...Dark and brooding, they are a fitting memorial." Sunday Times
"these new versions perfectly capture and amplify the spirit of Sibelius's songs. Gerald Finley, a close friend of Rautavaara, makes an ideal case for the new settings, and his approach to the Swedish language of the texts is flowing and lyrical." Classical Ear
"The measured beauty of Gerald Finley's singing in subdued songs conjures impressive wintry vistas" Financial Times
"I can't recall a high-profile disc of orchestrally accompanied Sibelius songs since that of Soile Isokoski and you have to look back to the mid-Nineties for a similar miscellany featuring a male soloist. An impressive if idiosyncratic programme" Gramophone Awards 2017 Nomination - Solo Vocal
Tracks:
Pohjola's Daughter, Op. 49
In the Stream of Life
Seven Songs orch. E. Rautavaara. Premiere recording
Koskenlaskijan morsiamet (The Rapids-Rider's Brides), Op. 33
Romance in C major for strings, Op. 42
Hymn to Thaïs (Text: Arthur H. Borgström)
Demanten på marssnön, Op. 36 No. 6 (Wecksell)
Hertig Magnus, Op. 57 No. 6
The Oceanides, Op. 73
På verandan på vid havet, Op. 38 No. 2 (Viktor Runeberg)
I natten, Op. 38 No. 3
Kom nu hit, Död, Op. 60 No. 1 (Bertel Gripenberg after Shakespeare)
