Sibelius & Rautavaara: Violin Concertos

Following his Alpha recording of sonatas by Prokofiev, Ravel and Strauss, the violinist Tobias Feldmann now turns to the concerto form, performing the two major works of the Finnish repertoire for the instrument: the violin concertos of Jean Sibelius and Einojuhani Rautavaara. Premiered in Helsinki in 1904, the Sibelius Concerto proved to be exceptionally difficult technically for the soloist.

Sibelius revised his score, but subsequently composed for violin and orchestra only in shorter forms, the serenade and the humoresque. It was not until nearly seventy years later that a Finnish composer wrote another large-scale work for violin and orchestra, with the Concerto of Rautavaara, which in all respects equals the degree of virtuosity demanded by the earlier work.

“Over the years I’ve fallen deeply in love with the both of these magical works …” Tobias has told The Violin Channel.

“Written by two of Finland’s most celebrated composers some 70 years apart, for me they both depict, in an equally magical way, the overwhelming beauty of the northern landscape …” he has said. (Tobias Feldmann)

“The first time I experienced the music of Rautavaara I was 12 years old playing in a youth orchestra … I was immediately fascinated by the lyricism and innovation – and when I found out he also composed a violin concerto, I couldn’t wait to explore it.” (Tobias Feldmann)

“Putting Finnish violin concertos side by side is a nice idea, but when one is Sibelius’s blazing masterpiece, the juxtaposition is bound to be invidious. Einojuhani Rautavaara’s two-part work (1977) is a colourful late-tonal excursion inspired by his alma mater, Manhattan obverse of the Finnish landscape. As in the Sibelius, cadenzas are integral, but the soloist is asked to improvise. The lustrous-toned Feldmann does so convincingly.” (The Sunday Times)

Tobias Feldmann, violin
Orchestre Philharmonique Royal de Liège
Jean-Jacques Kantorow, conductor