Leif Ove Andsnes – Sibelius (2017) [Qobuz FLAC 24bit/192kHz]

Sibelius’s piano music remains a secret – chronically neglected or approached from an entirely unsympathetic aesthetic standpoint. Sometimes, criticism is justified. “I will be the first to admit that Sibelius’s piano music is uneven in quality”, says Leif Ove Andsnes, pointing to the composer’s own cynicism towards his piano works as a possible reason for the neglect of the genuine gems. But Andsnes also professes in no uncertain terms that he is “on a mission” to bring Sibelius’s piano works out of the shadows. “I really believe in this music and I want people to hear it”, he says. After scouring every published note of the composer’s piano music, Andsnes has selected works for this recording that speak to him not just as a pianist but as a musician who for a long time has felt particularly close to Sibelius. Here are piano works in which Sibelius’s orchestral thinking advances the language of the instrument even if it can test the technical orthodoxies of the player. As may be imagined, Andsnes masters them with elegance and ease.

Tracklist

Jean Sibelius (1865-1957)
1 6 Impromptus, Op. 5: Impromptu V 03:50
2 6 Impromptus, Op. 5: Impromptu VI 06:09
3 Kyllikki – Three Lyrical Pieces for Piano, Op. 41: I. Largamente 03:11
4 Kyllikki – Three Lyrical Pieces for Piano, Op. 41: II. Andantino 04:22
5 Kyllikki – Three Lyrical Pieces for Piano, Op. 41: III. Commodo 02:50
6 10 Pieces for Piano, Op. 24: Romance, No. 9 03:52
7 10 Pieces for Piano, Op. 24: Barcarola, No. 10 04:24
8 10 Pieces for Piano, Op. 58: Der Hirt, No. 4 02:22
9 Valse triste, Op. 44, No. 1 (Arranged for Piano) 05:05
10 Sonatina No. 1, Op. 67: I. Allegro 02:55
11 Sonatina No. 1, Op. 67: II. Largo 02:12
12 Sonatina No. 1, Op. 67: III. Allegro moderato 01:39
13 Five Pieces for Piano, Op. 75: Björken, No. 4 01:37
14 Five Pieces for Piano, Op. 75: Granen, No. 5 02:48
15 2 Rondinos for Piano, Op. 68: Rondino II 01:46
16 13 Pieces for Piano, Op. 76: Elegiaco, No. 10 01:32
17 6 Bagatelles for Piano, Op. 97: Impromptu, No. 5 01:37
18 6 Bagatelles for Piano, Op. 97: Humoristischer Marsch, No. 4 01:08
19 6 Bagatelles for Piano, Op. 97: Lied, No. 2 02:51
20 Fünf Skizzen, Op. 114: I. Landschaft 01:48
21 Fünf Skizzen, Op. 114: II. Winterbild 01:55
22 Fünf Skizzen, Op. 114: III. Der Teich 01:40
23 Fünf Skizzen, Op. 114: IV. Lied im Walde 01:49
24 Fünf Skizzen, Op. 114: V. Im Frühling 02:05