Sibelius: In the Stream of Life
Edward Gardner, Conductor
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.’
with The Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra
January 2017
Chandos
Tracklisting
Sibelius: Pohjola’s Daughter, Op. 49
Sibelius: In the Stream of Life (Arr. E. Rautavaara)
No. 1. Die stille Stadt (The Quiet Town), Op. 50, No. 5
No. 2. Jägargossen (The Young Sportsman), Op. 13, No. 7
No. 3. Hjärtats morgon (The Heart’s Morning), Op. 13, No. 3
Sibelius: Koskenlaskijan morsiamet (The Rapid-Rider’s Brides), Op. 33 (version for voice and orchestra)
Sibelius: Romance in C major for strings, Op. 42
Sibelius: Hymn to Thaïs, the Unforgettable, JS 97 (arr. J. Jalas for voice and orchestra)
Excerpt,
6 Songs, Op. 36: No. 6. Demanten på marssnön (The Diamond on the March Snow) (arr. I. Hellman for voice and orchestra)
Sibelius: Eight Songs, Op. 57 (Text: Ernst Josephson)
8 Songs, Op. 57: No. 6. Hertig Magnus (Baron Magnus) (arr. P. Helasvuo for voice and orchestra)
Sibelius: The Oceanides, Op. 73
Excerpt,
No. 2. På verandan vid havet (On a balcony by the sea)
No. 3. I natten (In the Night)
Sibelius: 2 Songs from Shakespeare’s ‘Twelfth Night’, Op. 60
Twelfth Night, Op. 60: No. 1. Kom nu hit, död (Come Away, Death) (version for voice and orchestra)