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Cover: Erkki Melartin – Traumsgesicht, Op. 70 · Marjatta for soprano and orchestra, Op. 79 · Music from the ballet The Blue Pearl, Op. 160

Erkki Melartin

Traumsgesicht, Op. 70

Marjatta for soprano and orchestra, Op. 79 · Music from the ballet The Blue Pearl, Op. 160

Soile Isokoski, soprano
Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra
Hannu Lintu, conductor

ODE 1283-2 · CD · June 2016

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Track listing

10 tracks · 56:22

Listen to samples on selected tracks.

Erkki Melartin

  1. 1 Traumgesicht, Op. 70 16:37
  2. 2 Marjatta, Op. 79 for soprano and orchestra 13:35
  3. Music from the ballet The Blue Pearl, Op. 160 26:10
  4. 3 II Entrée avec pantomime 4:00
  5. 4 XI Danse de Nénuphares 5:23
  6. 5 VIII Scène (Tempête) 2:32
  7. 6 XIV Pas de deux 3:07
  8. 7 XVI Variation II 2:05
  9. 8 XVII Coda 1:26
  10. 9 XX Poissons à voile 3:46
  11. 10 XVI Finale (II acte), tempo di mazurka 3:51

About this recording

This Ondine release features world prèmiere recordings of three orchestral works by Erkki Melartin (1875–1937), one of the most influential Finnish composers – and symphonists – of the early 20th century. This programme is performed by the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra under their chief-conductor Hannu Lintu.

Traumgesicht is an Impressionistic large-scale symphonic poem written for Alexander Siloti in 1910. In later years Melartin considered it as one of his most important works. Traumgesicht differs from the National Romantic image generally associated with Melartin. It could be described as progressive: the composer was obviously up to date with recent trends, since influences from composers such as Richard Strauss, Debussy, Rimsky-Korsakov and Scriabin may be detected.The work lied unperformed for 81 years until Hannu Lintu brought it back to light by conducting it in Helsinki in 2013.

Marjatta (1914), A Legend from Kalevala, is based on the Finnish national epic and bears hints to Sibelius’ Luonnotar and Melartin’s Aino opera. Both Sibelius’ Luonnotar and Melartin’s Marjatta were written for the same singer, Aino Ackté, in mind. Luonnotar and Marjatta can with good reason be regarded as parallel works or siblings, even though they are very dissimilar in musical style. The solo part of the work is here sung by the celebrated soprano Soile Isokoski.

Music for the ballet The Blue Pearl, completed in 1930, was one of the last major works written by Melartin and, surprisingly, the first full-length ballet written in Finland. Although the ballet music was popular in its own time the work gradually fell into oblivion. Conductor Hannu Lintu has adapted the music of the ballet into a 8-movement concert suite.

The recent recordings by the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra under Hannu Lintu on Ondine have been a fruitful collaboration gathering excellent reviews in the international press.

Features

Sleeve notes in English and Finnish

Lyrics in Finnish with English translation

The artists

Soile Isokoski

Soile Isokoski is recognized as one of the world's finest lyric sopranos. After graduating from the Sibelius Academy, she gave her début recital in Helsinki in 1986 and subsequently won a number of important international singing competitions. She made her début at the Finnish National Opera as Mimì in Puccini's La Bohème and has since delighted audiences and critics alike at opera houses in Vienna, Berlin, Munich, Hamburg, London, Milan and Paris, at The Metropolitan Opera and at music festivals in Salzburg, Savonlinna, Edinburgh and Orange.

Full biography

Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra

The Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra (FRSO) is the orchestra of the Finnish Broadcasting Company (Yle), and its mission is to produce and promote Finnish musical culture.

Full biography

Hannu Lintu

Hannu Lintu is one of Finland's most sought-after conductors and is rapidly creating a major international career. He has been Artistic Director and Chief Conductor of the Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra 2009-2013, and also Principal Guest Conductor of the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra in Dublin. Before assuming the new role of Chief Conductor of the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra from 2013 to 2021, he was the orchestra's Chief Guest Conductor in 2012. Hannu Lintu was previously Chief Conductor of the Turku Philharmonic Orchestra and Artistic Director of the Helsingborg Symphony Orchestra. He is a regular guest conductor with the Avanti! Chamber Orchestra in Finland and was Artistic Director of the orchestra's Summer Sounds festival in 2005. In November 2022, the Gulbenkian Orchestra announced the appointment of Lintu as its next chief conductor.

Full biography

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