Sibelius / Prokofiev 1 - Violin Concertos

"The opening of the Sibelius is remarkable, the Oslo strings at a mere whisper as Jansen quietly steals in. She quickly becomes more impassioned and her complete engagement inspires a similar commitment from the orchestra, who offer a fulsome statement of the melody at 2'50". Sample Jansen's commanding virtuosity in the "veloce" passage, beginning at 1'55".

The difficult cadenza is brilliantly dispatched, and the coloring of the woodwinds in this first movement (indeed, throughout the entire concerto) has a lovely Nordic coloring. Listen to how the clarinets and oboes establish an ambiguously forlorn atmosphere to open the second movement, which is then transformed by the solo violin's lyrically ardent melody. There is a special intimacy to the give and take between the orchestra and soloist, here and throughout the performance." Classic Review

"Jansen's first concerto recording in nine years is worth the wait, not least thanks to her obvious rapport with the conductor Klaus Mäkelä and his Oslo Philharmonic. In the Sibelius, her playing has an old-school expansiveness that makes itself felt immediately..Throughout, Mäkelä shapes the orchestra's part into something truly symphonic in scope - there are passages that almost sound like Tchaikovsky." Guardian Five Stars