Sibelius's piano transcriptions were not his original thoughts; he composed directly for the orchestra, and never added the orchestration later.
Interpretation
Sibelius sometimes used his piano transcriptions to correct what he perceived as interpretive faults in orchestral performances, such as specifying 'Sempre allegro' for a section of "Finlandia" often played too slowly.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Jean Sibelius, the composer, considered himself primarily a composer of orchestral music, viewing his piano pieces as compositions for his spare time.
Historical Context
Due to Finland not adhering to the Berne Convention on copyright, Sibelius's works were vulnerable to being copied in America, leading to deceptive practices by his publishers to protect his rights.
Performer Biography
Erik T. Tawaststjerna, the pianist on this recording, is considered one of the foremost Finnish pianists today and has previously recorded Sibelius's complete original piano music for BIS.
Compositional Technique
Despite publishers' wishes for arrangements of medium difficulty, Sibelius did not shy away from writing technically demanding piano pieces, with "Finlandia" being described as his most virtuosic.
Recording & Production
This recording, presented in two volumes, features for the first time on disc all of Sibelius's original, published transcriptions for solo piano.
