Following his Alpha recording of sonatas by Prokofiev, Ravel and Strauss, the violinist Tobias Feldmann now turns to the concerto form, performing the two major works of the Finnish repertoire for the instrument: the violin concertos of Jean Sibelius and Einojuhani Rautavaara. Premiered in Helsinki in 1904, the Sibelius Concerto proved to be exceptionally difficult technically for the soloist. Sibelius revised his score, but subsequently composed for violin and orchestra only in shorter forms, the serenade and the humoresque. It was not until nearly seventy years later that a Finnish composer wrote another large-scale work for violin and orchestra, with the Concerto of Rautavaara, which in all respects equals the degree of virtuosity demanded by the earlier work.

The Czech Bohuslav Martinů and the Finn Einojuhani Rautavaara may not seem to have much in common, but both have adopted an attitude free of musical puritanism, constantly finding new sources of inspiration which they explored without taboos. Explaining the heterogeneity of his musical language over the years, Rautavaara stated that, as a Finn, he stands ‘between East and West, between the tundra and Europe, between Lutheran and Orthodox faith’. Premiered in 1999, his Piano Concerto No. 3 has managed to join the small group of late twentieth-century concertos that are now part of the repertoire. Its subtitle, ‘Gift of Dreams’, seems to describe perfectly the character of the music in the first two movements, before a finale that exhibits a more driven, anxious manner.

This marvelous disc contains what unquestionably is the finest available performance of Cantus Arcticus, Rautavaara's most popular piece. (…) Excellent sonics, warm and well-balanced (in the concerto).

This CD features one of the most frequently performed Finnish orchestral works of all time, Cantus Arcticus - Concerto for Birds and Orchestra by Einojuhani Rautavaara, which is coupled with Symphonies Nos. 4 and 5. This release is the second volume in a cycle featuring the complete symphonies by Finnish composer Einojuhani Rautavaara. The recordings were made in Leipzig in 1989/1990, with the Leipzig Radio Symphony Orchestra led by its then Chief Conductor Max Pommer, and originally released in July 1990.

Like fellow Finn Jean Sibelius, Einojuhani Rautavaara (b. 1928) creates gorgeous music indebted to nature–works that ebb and flow rather than crescendo. But that's where the comparison ends. Rautavaara's works continue to grow and evolve, evoking spirituality, Impressionism, and nonclassical elements; the culmination of which can all be found on the Vladimir Ashkenazy-commissioned Gift of Dreams". From its atmospheric opening to the pounding, bluesy chords that follow, Rautavaara has created something truly original here. A Rhapsody in Blue for the 21st century? You decide. Conducting from the piano, Ashkenazy leads the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra through this and Autumn Gardens, a short symphonic work evoking the melancholy beauty of fall and its many colors. This is a very special disc, the premier of two truly great works that you'll be hearing about for a very long time. Essential.

Good music for the harp doesn't exactly grow on trees, and it would be small compliment to say that of all concertos for harp and orchestra, this one is the finest (…). The performance here makes the strongest possible case for this masterpiece, which deserves the widest possible circulation in concert. Ondine's Rautavaara series has revealed to music lovers one marvelous work after another, and with each new release Rautavaara's stature as one of the greatest composers working today only increases.

Conductor Robert Trevino’s fourth album release on Ondine is focused on the late works of composer Einojuhani Rautavaara (1928–2016), one of Finland’s most celebrated composers after Sibelius and known worldwide for his Neo-Romantic, even mystic compositions. Together with violinist Simone Lamsma and the Malmö Symphony Orchestra the artists are presenting four final orchestral works by the celebrated composer. Two of the works are world première recordings.

Paris is Hilary Hahn’s comeback project after her one-year sabbatical. Now Hilary is back with her first album on Deutsche Grammophon in five years.

Only 20 years old, Johan Dalene has already been hailed as ‘a musician of special sensibilities’ (Gramophone) in possession of ‘a rare fire’ (Diapason), and his début disc, with the concertos of Tchaikovsky and Barber, was described as ‘one of the finest violin débuts of the last decade’ in the BBC Music Magazine.