He has among other postions, worked as chief conductor of the royal opera in stockholm, helsinki philharmonic orchestra and professor of orchestra conducting at the sibelius academy. He is currently the emeritus chief conductor of helsinki philharmonic orchestra. Sibelius, j kullervo helsinki philharmonic, segerstam. Sibelius, j violin concerto in d minor symphony no. Turku philharmonic orchestra, leif segerstam sibelius. Leif selim segerstam born 2 march 1944 in vaasa, ostrobothnia is a finnish conductor, composer, violinist and violist, especially known for his 285 symphonies, along with his other. Leif segerstam bio, albums, pictures naxos classical music.
Leif segerstam s new account of the third symphony is a great improvement on his earlier recording with the danish national radio orchestra in the early 1990s chandos which suffered from a disruptive. Segerstam er uddannet ved sibeliusakademiet i helsingfors og juilliard i new york. Helsinki philharmonic orchestra, jean sibelius, leif. The problem with leif segerstams first recording of sibelius symphonies no. Kullervo soile isokoski, tommi hakala, yl male voice choir, helsinki.
Fine as those versions are, i have to say that in the final analysis leif segerstam has them all beat. Jul 30, 2017 helsinki philharmonic orchestra, leif segerstam sibelius. This is the fourth of a six volume set that explores jean sibelius s orchestral works beyond the higher profile symphonies, violin concerto and tone poems. In the first movement segerstam executes a seamless transition between its two big halves, wisely refusing to speed up too soon, and he achieves a brilliantly energetic coda. Leif segerstam born march 2, 1944 in vaasa is a finnish conductor and composer. Segerstam and his team have now prepared us for the keystone of sibelius dramatic arch. Danish national radio symphony orchestra leif segerstam. He studied at the sibelius academy, helsinki and the juilliard school. Leif segerstam conductor patrick garvey management.
Contrary to what some might imagine with an idiosyncratic conducter like segerstam, these are not radical reshapings of familiar works, but solidly conceived, vibrant, and masterfully paced performances. Sibelius, jean, leif segerstam, helsinki philharmonic. A true musical polymath, leif segerstam studied violin, piano, composition, and conducting at the sibelius academy and continued at the juilliard school. A fivemovement symphonycumsymphonic poemcumoratoriocumopera, kullervo may have seemed unwieldy in its time, but starting with paavo berglunds premiere recording in 1985, the work has taken its rightful place in the canon as the progenitor.
Finnish conductor leif segerstam is an acclaimed sibelius interpreter, having been awarded the annual finnish state prize for music in 2004. He studied violin, piano and conducting at the sibelius academy in helsinki and conducting at the juilliard school in new york with jean morel. Mar 05, 2017 segerstam and his team have now prepared us for the keystone of sibelius dramatic arch. The eloquent power of jean sibeliuss symphonies and other core orchestral works has overshadowed his prolific output in other genres, including significant scores for the theatre. Maestro leif segerstam after finlandia, heikki sings reppurin laulu solo without accompaniment in the original language. Swanwhite riko eklundh, turku philharmonic orchestra, leif segerstam, leif segerstam naxos. First issued by ondine in the early years of the 21st century as separate discs filled out with symphonic poems, the. The central andante, so similar in character it now seems to that of the third symphony, has more musical muscle than usual without ever turning heavy or dragging, again. Jean sibelius high definition 24 bit music download. Leif segerstam sibelius orchestral works series page 1 of. Nov 17, 2011 his philosophical starting point is the end of sibelius s seventh symphony, which is also cast in a single movement of about 20 minutes, and which segerstam hears as a challenge to the next. Segerstam found much of interest in the composers incidental music, the forerunner of the soundtracks sibelius might well have written if he had lived in our time. In leif s time in school, he played the violin and the viola in the helsinki youth orchestra leif s debut concert as a violinist was in 1962, and his conducting debut was in 1963, with. Jean sibelius hdmusic high definition 24 bit music download.
The dutch national radio symphony orchestra, under leif segerstam, guarantee a genuinely nordic atmosphere. Leif segerstam, turku po sibelius jedermann, 2 pieces. He studied violin, piano and conducting at the sibelius academy in helsinki. Leif segerstam was born on 2 march 1944 in vaasa, to selim segerstam and viola maria kronqvist, into a musical family. Composed by jean sibelius conductor stefan solyom leader elizabeth layton orchestra bbc scottish symphony orchestra. Turku philharmonic orchestra, leif segerstam svanevit swanwhite is a symbolist fairy tale, relatively sunlit and delicatesegerstam conducts with the measured, grave pace and detail that characterises the rest of this series bbc music magazine, december 2015 more. As kullervo, tommi hakala sings every bit as well as jorma hynninen, with the same intensity and intelligence, but with a richer and warmer timbre. Beyond sibelius symphonies youtube vladimir ashkenazy on the path of jean sibelius duration. Segerstam brings the woodwinds far forward and plays sibelius interwoven lines as counterpoint rather than as a seamless buildup to an overwhelming climax. Leif segerstam recorded a strangely mannered, softedged sibelius cycle for chandos a few years ago with the danish national radio symphony orchestra, but his superb sibelius recordings with the. Over 300 symphonies in leif segerstam is still going strong.
How wonderful to listen to this new sibelius symphony cycle, with sibelius orchestra now expertly led by leif segerstam. Scaramouche turku philharmonic orchestra, segerstam naxos 8. He is currently the chief conductor of turku philharmonic orchestra. Segerstam and the orchestra set the scene as kullervo travels on his luxurious sledge across winter wastes amidst. Search results for leif segerstam prostudiomasters. Dec 06, 2018 leif segerstam born march 2, 1944 in vaasa is a finnish conductor and composer. These four discs collect leif segerstams second cycle of the symphonies of sibelius. Symphony number name year 1 symphony of slow movements, orchestral diary sheets nos. Jean sibelius helsinki philharmonic orchestra leif. Leif segerstam was proud to be professor of conducting at the sibelius academy in helsinki for many years and several of his pupils now follow successful careers. This is the fourth of a six volume set that explores jean sibeliuss orchestral works beyond the higher profile symphonies, violin concerto and tone poems. The third movement, kullervo and his sister, is presented by sibelius as an operatic scena which forms the climax of the work. Pekka kuusisto, helsinki philharmonic orchestra, leif segerstam album. Leif segerstam is a conductor, composer, violinist and pianist with a prominent international career.
The eloquent power of jean sibeliuss symphonies and other core orchestral works has overshadowed his prolific output in other genres, including significant scores for. Naxos pekka kuusisto, helsinki philharmonic orchestra. Leif segerstam, born 1944, is one of finlands bestknown conductors and composers. But his approach to the sibelius third entirely won me over. Sibelius the leading music composition and notation software. He is chief conductor emeritus of the helsinki philharmonic orchestra, and holds honorary titles with the malmo opera, the danish national radio symphony orchestra. Maybe segerstam s intent was to give us a smaller, more detailed tapestry. Still, isokoskis interpretation puts so much sadness for innocence lost back into the part and shes so sensitively accompanied by segerstam that the entire long movement is transformed. Sibelius scorch discontinued for a limited time only, you can download the old free web browser plugin that lets you view, play, print, transpose and save scores from the internet. Born in 1944, leif segerstam is recognised internationally as a conductor, composer, violinist and pianist. An issue of sibelius complete symphonies, at the end of his anniversary year. Every recording released of kullervo proves sibelius aesthetic judgment was wrong when he forbid performances of the work during his long lifetime.
His philosophical starting point is the end of sibeliuss seventh symphony, which is also cast in a single movement of about 20 minutes, and which segerstam hears as a challenge to the next. Leif segerstam recorded a strangely mannered, softedged sibelius cycle for chandos a few years ago with the danish national radio symphony orchestra, but his superb sibelius recordings with the helsinki philharmonic most notably a remarkable four legends held out the promise that he could do betterand theres no question that he certainly has. This has been replaced with sibelius cloud sharing and publishing, where no plugin download is needed and music now displays on phones and tablets too. Luonnotar orchestral songs soile isokoski, helsinki philharmonic orchestra, leif segerstam 96 sibelius.