Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Hannu Lintu - Sibelius - Lemminkäinen Legends / Pohjola's Daughter (2015) FLAC

With 2015 marking his 150th birthday, conductor Hannu Lintu and the Finnish Radio Symphony offer a full program of classic orchestral works by Jean Sibelius, including the large and fascinating orchestral work in four movements based on the Finnish Kalevala epic, Lemminkainen. Written prior to his First Symphony, it is also noteworthy that Lemminkainen lacks nothing of a symphony, and includes some of his boldest and most dramatic scoring. Pohjolas Daughter (Pohjolan tytar), completed in 1906, is among Sibelius final orchestral pieces directly linked to the Kalevala epic.
"This is, in short, perfectly idiomatic Sibelius playing and conducting from a team that really knows its stuff. The SACD sonics support the interpretations at every point, never drawing attention to the engineering at the expense of the interpretations, and providing an ideal ambience within which to enjoy them. Simply excellent." -- David Hurwitz