Search - Jean Sibelius, Folke Grasbeck :: Sibelius: Complete Youth Production for Violin and Piano, Volume 1

Excellent romantic chamber music!

Sren Thomsen | Århus Denmark | 07/13/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Though mainly known as an orchestral composer Jean Sibelius spent his student years writing quite a few excellent works for chamber ensemble. On this disc we have the world premiere recordings of some of the pieces he wrote for violin and piano in his youth - and this is nothing like the the style of composition Sibelius developed in his later years. This is romantic, melodic music written in the style of the great romantic masters Brahms, Schubert etc. As such, it might not appeal to those who mainly like Sibelius' orchestral works; and there is certainly little new here as far as the genre is concerned - but for die-hard Sibelius fans this is a great opportunity to experience the early stages of what was later to develope into one of the supreme musical minds of the 20th century - or any century for that matter. The performances are great; spirited and well balanced. And the music will certainly appeal to the casual listener. But, as I said - in the end, perhaps only a CD which die-hard Sibelius fans would be willing to spend their money on: There is so much other music in this genre which is just as good - and cheaper."