
Jean Sibelius
Cantata for the Conferment Ceremony of 1894
Coronation Cantata
Academic March
Andante festivo
Finlandia

Jaakko Kortekangas, baritone
Finnish Philharmonic Chorus
Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra
Leif Segerstam, conductor

Choral
Vocal

Booklet with extensive liner notes in English, German, French, Swedish and Finnish, and the sung texts in the original Finnish and in English
CD
Released:
November 1999
Catalogue No.:
ODE 936-2
EAN/UPC Code:
0761195093627


Under the circumstances any recording that opens up two major works of Sibelius would be welcomed. But this can be firmly recommended on all accounts.
Carl Bauman, American Record Guide, July 2000
Soile Isokoski and Jaakko Kortekangas are excellent soioists and the performances generally are admirable. Segerstam gives a very convincing account of Finlandia and the other two pieces.
Robert Layton, BBC Music Magazine, March 2000, Performance**** / Sound****
This recording contains five works Jean Sibelius wrote on commission for festive events, including his famous Finlanda, Andante festivo and Academic March, as well as world première recordings of two academic cantatas, performed by the Finnish Philharmonic Choir and the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra under the direction of Leif Segerstam.
As acting music teacher of the Helsinki University, Sibelius was commissioned to write and conduct the Cantata for the Conferment Ceremony 1894, to a festive poem by Kasimir Leino. Its second movement contains soloist roles performed by soprano Soile Isokoski and baritone Jaakko Kortekangas.
Sibelius's second cantata, to a text by Paavo Cajander, had not been heard since its first performance at the Finnish celebration in honour of the coronation of Nicholas II (as Tsar of Russia and Grand Duke of Finland) in 1896.