Sibelius: Violin Concerto, Serenades, Humoresques, Suite

Jean Sibelius (born Johan Julius Christian Sibelius) studied violin in his youth and seriously considered a career as a professional violinist for much of his studies. After graduating from the Helsinki Conservatory in 1890, he went to Vienna to continue his studies and even applied (unsuccessfully) for a position with the Vienna Philharmonic. It is therefore not surprising that the instrument played an important role in his compositional output. Perhaps surprising is that he composed only one violin concerto, which may be due to the difficulty of conceiving the work. The premiere received mixed reviews and led to a major revision of the score. It was not until Jascha Heifetz began performing the concerto regularly in the 1930s that it earned its place in the standard repertoire. Although there was no second concerto, Sibelius' numerous other works for violin and orchestra are no mere miniatures, as the recordings on this album impressively prove. The internationally acclaimed virtuoso James Ehnes is accompanied here by the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Edward Gardner.