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Cover: Einojuhani Rautavaara – String Quintet "Unknown Heavens" · String Quartets Nos. 1 & 2

Einojuhani Rautavaara

String Quintet "Unknown Heavens"

String Quartets Nos. 1 & 2

Jean Sibelius Quartet
Jan-Erik Gustafsson, cello

ODE 909-2 · CD · August 1998

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Track listing

11 tracks · 60:45

Einojuhani Rautavaara

  1. String Quintet (1997) "Unknown Heavens" 25:28
  2. 1 I 8:40
  3. 2 II 6:04
  4. 3 III 5:18
  5. 4 IV 5:09
  6. String Quartet No. 1 (1952) 11:12
  7. 5 I. Presto 2:58
  8. 6 II. Andante 5:23
  9. 7 III. Vivace assai (Alla giga) 2:40
  10. String Quartet No. 2 (1958) 24:51
  11. 8 I. Moderato 6:00
  12. 9 II. Allegro 3:42
  13. 10 III. Adagio 8:28
  14. 11 IV. Animato 6:23

Features

Booklet with liner notes written by the composer, in English, German, French and Finnish

The artists

Jean Sibelius Quartet

The Jean Sibelius Quartet - Yoshiko Arai and Jukka Pohjola (violins), Teemu Kupiainen (viola) and Seppo Kimanen (cello) - was formed in 1980 and granted the right by the Sibelius estate to use the name of the Master of Ainola. The following year already brought invitations to appear at several Finnish and Swedish music festivals. Since making its international breakthrough at the West Berlin Music Festival in 1983, it has visited most parts of Europe, India, China, South Korea, Chile, Japan and the United States. The Quartet was awarded a three-year grant by the Finnish state in 1985. In 1991 the Quartet won the prize of the Chilean music critics for the best performance by an international ensemble in Chile, and in 1998 the award of the international critics at the Cracow Contemporary Music Days.

Full biography

Jan-Erik Gustafsson

Cellist Jan-Erik Gustafsson began his studies with Markku Luolajan-Mikkola at the West Helsinki Music Institute. He studied further with Mikhail Homitser and Frans Helmerson at the Edberg-Musikinstitut in Stockholm, completing his soloist diploma examination in 1992.

Full biography

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