Sibelius: Violin Concerto, Op. 47, Serenades, Humoresque

The fact that a prestigious international violin competition bears Jean Sibelius’ name is an indication of how important the instrument was to the Finnish composer. He began his musical life as a violinist and nursed teenage dreams of becoming a concert soloist. His Violin Concerto in D Minor, Op. 47 is the only concerto he composed and is established as one of the greatest and most difficult works in the violin repertoire. Almost symphonic in its structure, the piece evokes—as so many of Sibelius’ works do—the landscapes of Finland in all their harsh, chilly beauty. Anne-Sophie Mutter’s interpretation is rendered with absolute precision, betraying no hint of the technical challenges that lurk in the score. In this collaboration with her future husband, André Previn, and the Staatskapelle Dresden orchestra, we are also treated to some of Sibelius’ smaller-scale works for violin and orchestra, the lyrical Two Serenades and charming first “Humoresque”.