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SIBELIUS

 

Kullervo

Peter Mattei (baritone)

Monica Groop (mezzo-soprano)

Gentlemen of the London Symphony Chorus

London Symphony Orchestra/ Sir Colin Davis
 

A high density DSD recording, live at the Barbican Centre on 18 September 2005 and 9 October 2005
 

Although he withdrew it a year after its successful premiere, Sibelius's early Kullervo symphony is laced with the creativity that would characterise his later works, coupled with a tragic tale from harmonia mundi - february 2006 Finnish folklore. Kullervo recounts the story of its eponymous hero. After a lonely childhood, Kullervo grows up to become a determined warrior. He seduces a girl only to discover she is his long-lost sister and in remorse throws himself on his sword. Despite the tragedy, the work evokes the beauty of the Finnish countryside is an orchestral tour-de-force, offering stunning cameos for its soloists and chorus.
 

Sir Colin Davis has long been a champion of Kullervo and his revelatory performances in London and New York during 2005 were greeted with critical acclaim. The new recording joins his celebrated LSO Live recordings of Sibelius' Symphonies and promises to mark an exceptional start to 2006 for LSO Live.
 

Sung in Finnish. 28 page booklet with notes in English, French and German plus complete text in English.
 

"a blistering performance … Groop was heart-rending in her description of her abandonment as a child, and Sibelius's orchestration was fabulously imaginative, with a passage of shimmering woodwind trills depicting the sounds of the forest. Mattei's horrified response was equally powerful,
accompanied by shattering dissonances in the orchestra." The Guardian
 

LSO Live LSO0074