Leevi Madetoja - Orchestral Works Vol. 3 (Arvo Volmer)

Information

Composer: Leevi Madetoja

• (01) Okon Fuoko Suite, Op. 58
• (07) Symphonic Suite, Op. 4
• (11) Barcarola, Op. 67, No. 2

Oulu Symphony Orchestra
Arvo Volmer, conductor

Date: 2000
Label: Alba

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Review

ARTISTIC QUALITY: 8 / SOUND QUALITY: 9

This third volume of orchestral music by Leevi Madetoja includes a couple of CD premieres, first among them the very substantial Symphonic Suite for Orchestra Op. 4. Its individual movements are quite attractive on their own, but when played consecutively they make for a very long haul (more than 33 minutes). It really wasn’t a very good idea to follow an Elegy with an extended Nocturne and then a Pastoral. The result lacks contrast and the attention begins to wander long before the finale. Still, it’s very pretty music in a cool but recognizably Romantic sort of way, as is the gentle Barcarola Op. 67/2 that follows. The most interesting work on the disc is the suite from the ballet Okon Fuoko, and although it has received many previous recordings, this one is as good as any. It would be very nice to hear the complete ballet, however. Excellent recorded sound and committed performances make a very good case for some neglected music, but it would be pointless to assert that these pieces represent the best way to get to know this worthy composer. If you’re new to Madetoja, by all means sample this series, but start with the Second or Third Symphonies, masterpieces both.

-- David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday

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Leevi Madetoja (17 February 1887, Oulu – 6 October 1947, Helsinki) was a Finnish composer, music critic, conductor, and teacher. He is generally considered to be among the most significant Finnish composers to emerge after Jean Sibelius, with whom he studied. The core of Madetoja's oeuvre consists of a set of three symphonies, two operas, an Elegia for strings, the suite The Garden of Death for solo piano, and the Japanisme ballet-pantomime Okon Fuoko. Acclaimed during his lifetime, Madetoja is today seldom heard outside the Nordic countries, although his music has in recent decades enjoyed a renaissance.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leevi_Madetoja

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Arvo Volmer (born November 4, 1962 in Tallinn) is an Estonian conductor. Volmer was principal conductor of the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra from 1993 to 2001. From 2004 to 2013 he was Chief Conductor and Music Director of the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra. Since September 2014 he has been the Chief Conductor of the Orchestra Haydn di Bolzano e Trento. Volmer has also been guest conductor of many orchestras, especially in Scandinavia. Among his recordings are the complete orchestral works of Leevi Madetoja and the complete symphonies of Eduard Tubin and Jean Sibelius.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arvo_Volmer
https://www.arvovolmer.com/

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