Rautavaara: Symphony No. 8 "The Journey"; Harp Concerto - Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, Leif Segerstam,

Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra
Leif Segerstam, conductor
Marielle Nordmann, harp

This fifth release in a cycle of Einojuhani Rautavaara's complete symphonies couples the Finnish composer's latest symphonic work, The Journey, with the concerto for harp and orchestra, which features soloist Marielle Nordmann. Leif Segerstam conducts the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra.

The harp concerto was written for the Minnesota Orchestra in 2000, immediately after the eighth symphony. The Symphony No. 8 was commissioned by Wolfgang Sawallisch and The Philadelphia Orchestra and premiered during the orchestra's centenary celebrations. Its title, The Journey, refers to a borrowed motif in the slow movement, which in an earlier opera is sung to the words: "This journey goes on... whose is it? - Of one who wanders from the end of the journey? ... beyond time?..."

The dark, luminous beauty of this Finnish composer's music has won him a growing audience in the United States. These two recent works show him at his wrenching best.
Allan Kozinn, The New York Times, December 23, 2001, Top 10 Classical CDs of the Year

Einojuhani Rautavaara (1928-2016)
Concerto for Harp and Orchestra (2000)23:11
1I. Pesante9:59

2II. Adagietto5:17

3III. Solenne7:54


Symphony No. 8 "The Journey" (1999)29:09
4I. Adagio assai11:30

5II. Feroce3:04

6III. Tranquillo6:00

7IV. Con grandezza8:35