John Storgårds, Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra, Leif Segerstam - Melartin: Violin Concerto, Lyric Suite No. 3, Sleeping Beauty Suite No. 1 (1999)

In the hopes that others will discover this fantastic concerto for violin & orchestra, I wish that someone like Lin, Olivera, Chang, Repin, Hahn, Ehnes or Julia Fischer (relatively good name-recognition and the proven ability to put butts in the seats) would champion it: request that the orchestras that want to engage them let them perform this wonderful piece, and recording deals consider this as part of any new recording. Instead of one more Bruch #1/Mendelssohn combination, what about one of Respighi's unknown VCs with this Melartin charmer ? Beautiful melodies and clever, this concerto is both lyrical and dramatic, and has become one of my favorites.

The other two works on the disc are also worth repeated hearings. The Lyric Suite "Belgian Impressions" is an evocative and atmospheric soundscape of the composer's reflections of Bruge, a museum in Brussels, church bells in the cathedrals he passes, and impressions of the coast at dawn. The Sleeping Beauty suite might be labeled 'light music', but its high-quality light music if it has to be labeled as such.

Melartin was kind of a Finnish Saint-Saens. Like the Frenchman he traveled all over the world for most of his life, had a special interest in all things Egyptian, composed prolifically and in all genres & forms, and had some critics dismiss him as not having enough gravitas. Both composers had a zest for life that kill-joys (i.e. music critics) couldn't tolerate. His 6 symphonies are also worth regular rotation in your playlist.

Like the Atterberg, Borresen, Skold, Karlowicz, McKenzie, Bowen and Respighi's 2 gems (Concerto Al' Antica & Concerto Gregoriano), this is another beautiful violin concerto that classical music lovers should have
a chance to hear. Highly recommended.