Chief conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra since 2013, Finnish conductor Sakari Oramo has a special affinity with the music of his compatriot Sibelius which this recording admirably demonstrates. Sibelius ever-popular LemminkÃ¤inen Suite is coupled here with Spring Song, and the lesser-known Suite from Belshazzars Feast. Sibelius composed the LemminkÃ¤inen Suite (also called the Four Legends, or Four Legends from the Kalevala), Op. 22, in the 1890s. Originally conceived as a mythological opera, Veneen luominen (The Building of the Boat), the suite is based on the character LemminkÃ¤inen from the Finnish epic, the Kalevala. Sibelius music for Belshazzars Feast was originally composed as incidental music for a play (by Hjalmar ProcopÃ©), in 1906. First performed in the Swedish Theatre in Helsinki in November of that year, conducted by the composer. The following year, Sibelius extracted four of the eight movements to form the more widely known orchestral suite we hear in this recording.

Tracklist:

Lemminkäinen Suite, Op. 22 "4 Legends": No. 1, Lemminkäinen And The Maidens Of The Island
Lemminkäinen Suite, Op. 22 "4 Legends": No. 3, Lemminkäinen In Tuonela
Lemminkäinen Suite, Op. 22 "4 Legends": No. 2, The Swan Of Tuonela
Lemminkäinen Suite, Op. 22 "4 Legends": No. 4, Lemminkäinen's Return
Spring Song, Op. 16
Belshazzar's Feast Suite, Op. 51: I. Oriental March
Belshazzar's Feast Suite, Op. 51: II. Solitude
Belshazzar's Feast Suite, Op. 51: III. Nocturne
Belshazzar's Feast Suite, Op. 51: IV. Khadra's Dance

UPC: 095115213629
Label: Chandos
Release Date: 6.7.19
Format: CD

Sibelius / Bbc Symphony Orchestra / Oramo - Lemminkainen Suite (CD)