Erkki Melartin (1875-1937), a Late-Romantic Finnish Symphonist

[kyjo]

Hopefully it will be the first release of a new complete cycle, and featuring Ari Rasilainen who conducted the glorious Atterberg cycle on this label. To be released on 19 June:

Now THAT is marvelous news!! Thank you for altering us, Cesar! The Ondine recordings with the Tampere PO under Leonard Grin have served us pretty well for a while, but it's time we heard some new interpretations of these marvelous works. Rasilainen's natural feeling for the late-romantic opulence of Atterberg certainly bodes well for his Melartin interpretations, though of course Melartin's 5th and 6th Symphonies show him striking out in somewhat more modern directions than the previous ones in the cycle. I would hope that these new recordings will be using the "corrected" editions of the scores which restore music that was sometimes excised in the old editions used for the Ondine recordings. Oh, and beautiful cover art, too!

[vandermolen]

Now THAT is marvelous news!! Thank you for altering us, Cesar! The Ondine recordings with the Tampere PO under Leonard Grin have served us pretty well for a while, but it's time we heard some new interpretations of these marvelous works. Rasilainen's natural feeling for the late-romantic opulence of Atterberg certainly bodes well for his Melartin interpretations, though of course Melartin's 5th and 6th Symphonies show him striking out in somewhat more modern directions than the previous ones in the cycle. I would hope that these new recordings will be using the "corrected" editions of the scores which restore music that was sometimes excised in the old editions used for the Ondine recordings. Oh, and beautiful cover art, too!

Great cover art as well (as you pointed out!)

[calyptorhynchus]

I have just downloaded the new CPO recording of the 5th & 6th and the booklet English text makes no reference to whether the performance is following a revised critical edition. However the narrative of Melartin composing and premiering the two symphonies seems to suggest that he wasn't forced to make changes to the works, so perhaps there aren't different versions of these two works?

The booklet notes are very good btw and give a blow-by-blow account of the two works, so I shall enjoy listening along with these. I hope the performances are good too.

[Brian]

The cover art is of course by the wonderful Akseli Gallen-Kallela.

[Symphonic Addict]

Just listened to the new CPO release and it's thoroughly phenomenal, a complete hit. Melartin's idiom is so straightforward that it's relatively easy to follow the narrative in both pieces. Elements of heroism and fantasy permeate both scores. Just great, epic, beautiful, memorable music, confidently performed. Something fascinating I detected was the fine and exquisite writing for woodwinds and brass and they gleam in all their splendour in this superb recording. Needless to mention that it's one of my favorite recordings of this year. Hoping that the same forces will record the remaining symphonies.

My only caveats regarding the works themselves are the somewhat abrupt ending of the 5th and the short slow movement of the 6th which had more potential to be more developed.

[relm1]

I loved the new recording very much too!  I never heard either of them but they are really good.  I wanted to keep going so heard Symphony No. 1 after and found it very Brucknerian.  I'm hopping this is the start of a cycle.  It would be nice to know if they used the revised scores.  I assume they did if it's a new recording.