Trio Hegel - Reger, Sibelius: Complete String Trios (2018)

“For my part, I must say that my music is not folkloristic; I have never used Finnish folk motifs for my own ends. I have composed much that is in the style of folk melodies, but the notes themselves have always come from my own imagination, or rather from my ardent Finnish heart…” (Sibelius in an interview with Alberto Gasco, La Tribuna, Rome, 1923)

For almost one century Sibelius was recognized as the finest symphonist of the 20-Century alongside Nielsen and few other authors. His seven symphonies, the symphonic poems, and the violin concert created an image of a composer able to develop only large-scale works as the German Anton Bruckner and the Italian Giuseppe Verdi. Except for the string quartet “Voces Intimae” (1909), just a bunch of chamber works were knows by musicians, most of the part of his chamber music was one of the most neglected areas of his musical production. With the rediscovery of the stage music and the reappearance of the original manuscript, the music world assisted to a radical change: a real Sibelius Renaissance. In 1982, the composer’s family donated to the Helsinki University Library all Sibelius’ s archive and thanks to the scholar Kari Kilpelainen’s official catalog, the process of rediscovery finally started. All works were formerly unpublished and unknown, including works by the young composer as well as forgotten compositions from his mature period. Suddenly, performers from all over the world discovered how Sibelius was an excellent chamber music composer, not inferior to anyone else of his time. -- EDMONDO FILIPPINI