Melartin: Orchestral Works Soile Isokoski

• 1Traumgesicht, Op. 7016:37
• 2Marjatta (Kalevala), Op. 7913:35
• 3I. Entrée avec pantomime04:00
• 4II. Danse de Nénuphares05:23
• 5III. Scène: Tempête02:32
• 6IV. Pas de deux03:07
• 7V. Variation 202:05
• 8VI. Coda01:26
• 9VII. Poissons à voile03:46
• 10VIII. Act II: Finale: Tempo di mazurka03:51
• Total Runtime56:22

Info for Melartin: Orchestral Works

World prèmiere recordings of three orchestral works by Erkki Melartin (1875-1937), one of the most influential Finnish composers and symphonists of the early 20th century. Traumgesicht is an Impressionistic symphonic poem written in 1910. Later Melartin considered it as one of his most important works. The work lied unperformed for 81 years until Hannu Lintu brought it back to light by conducting it in Helsinki in 2013. Marjatta (1914), ''A Legend from Kalevala'', is based on the Finnish national epic and bears hints to Sibelius Luonnotar - both works were originally written for the same singer. The solo part of the work is here sung by the celebrated soprano Soile Isokoski. Music for the ballet The Blue Pearl, completed in 1930, was one of the last major works written by Melartin and, surprisingly, the first full-length ballet written in Finland. Although the ballet music was popular in its own time the work gradually fell into oblivion. Conductor Hannu Lintu has adapted the music of the ballet into a 8-movement concert suite.

Soile Isokoski, soprano
Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra
Hannu Lintu, conductor

Soile Isokoski
is recognized as one of the world's finest lyric sopranos and regularly appears on the most renowned stages and concert halls. After graduating from the Sibelius Academy, she gave her début recital in Helsinki in 1986 and subsequently won a number of important international singing competitions. She made her début at the Finnish National Opera as Mimì in Puccini's La Bohème and has since delighted audiences and critics alike at opera houses in Vienna, Berlin, Munich, Hamburg, London, Milan and Paris, at The Metropolitan Opera and at music festivals in Salzburg, Savonlinna, Edinburgh and Orange.

Soile Isokoski has worked with numerous distinguished conductors such as Jukka-Pekka Saraste, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Seiji Ozawa, John Eliot Gardiner, Sir Colin Davis, Zubin Mehta, Daniel Barenboim, Sir Simon Rattle, Bernhard Haitink, Riccardo Muti, Claudio Abbado, Valery Gergiev and James Levine. Her recent opera roles include Die Marschallin (Der Rosenkavalier), Eva (Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg), Donna Elvira (Don Giovanni), Alice (Falstaff), Margarethe (Faust), Rachel (La Juive), the Countess (Le nozze di Figaro), Desdemona (Otello), Liù (Turandot), Elsa (Lohengrin), Fiordiligi (Così fan tutte) and Ariadne (Ariadne auf Naxos). She has an extensive concert repertoire, and she regularly gives recitals with her permanent accompanist Marita Viitasalo.

Soile Isokoski's recording, for Ondine, of Luonnotar and other orchestral songs by Sibelius with the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra under Leif Segerstam won the 2007 BBC Music Magazine Award ‘Disc of the Year', in addition to a MIDEM Classical Award (ODE 1080-5). Her rendition of Four Last Songs and other orchestral songs by Richard Strauss with the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra under Marek Janowski received a Gramophone Award in 2002 (ODE 982-2). Her 2006 Christmas album Jouluyö, juhlayö, featuring also the YL Male Voice Choir, became a gold-winning best-seller in Finland (ODE 1088-2).

In honour of her notable contribution to Finnish music, Soile Isokoski was awarded with the Pro-Finlandia medal in 2002. In September 2008, she received in Vienna the honorary title of 'Österreichische Kammersängerin'.

This album contains no booklet.