Lea Birringer - Sibelius, Szymanowski, Järnefelt

Lea Birringer - Sibelius, Szymanowski, Järnefelt

RCD1193 (Rubicon Classics, CD)

FIRST RELEASE (25 April 2025)

Playing time: 56'40"
Tracks: 8
Booklet pages: 7
℗ 2025 Lea Birringer
© 2025 Rubicon Classics
Main country of recording: Germany
Country of manufacture: European Union
Reviewer: Geoff Pearce
Review of Lea Birringer - Sibelius, Szymanowski, Järnefelt published on 25 March 2025

Lea Birringer, violin
Staatorchester Rheinische Philharmonie
Benjamin Shwartz, conductor

Jean Sibelius:

Violin Concerto in D minor, Op 47
1 Allegro moderato
2 Adagio di molto
3 Allegro, ma non tanto

Armas Järnefelt:

4 Berceuse in G minor

Karol Szymanowski:

Violin Concerto No 2, Op 61

5 Moderato molto tranquillo
6 Andantino sostenuto
7 Allegramente molto energico
8 Andantino molto tranquillo

The atmospheric opening of Sibelius' violin concerto transports the listener directly to the wide open, forested landscape of Finland. While it signalled farewell to Sibelius' dream of becoming a virtuoso violinist, the concerto remains a supreme challenge to performers today. Though simpler, the Berceuse by Sibelius' brother-in-law, Armas Järnefelt (1869–1958) is equally touching and sentimental. Inspired by the sight of his two year old daughter sleeping, it was written in 1904, around the time when Sibelius' Violin Concerto was originally completed. Karol Szymanowski called his second violin concerto 'horribly sentimental', emblematic of the lush romantic style influenced by Richard Strauss, Stravinsky’s early ballets and of course, Polish traditional music particularly that of the Gorals in the highlands of Southern Poland. Lea Birringer's impressive musicality has been acknowledged in numerous prizes and awards, including winning the Johannes Brahms International Violin Competition and a Rodolfo Lipizer Prize.

Recorded 23-26 July 2024 by Südwestrundfunk at Rhein-Mosel-Halle, Koblenz, Germany.

 

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