Einar Englund

Einar Englund was Finland's most prominent symphonist of the generation after Sibelius. He wrote music in many genres and was also active as a jazz musician. Englund scored a breakthrough in 1941 with his Piano Quintet, but his growing career was interrupted by war, where he suffered a hand injury. He recovered sufficiently to perform as a jazz pianist in the 1940s and '50s. Jazz became one of his influences; others included Bartók and Stravinsky. He was the music critic of the daily newspaper Hufvudstadsbladet. The experience of war was reflected in much of Englund's music, most directly in the Symphony No. 1 ("War Symphony"). He abandoned symphonic composition for some years, disillusioned by the dominance of the 12-tone procedure, returning to the style in 1971. He wrote chamber music and composed some 20 film scores. More than 40 of Englund's works are represented on recordings.