This collection, some of it new, some reissued, demonstrates yet again that there is no finer composer alive today than Finnish master Einojuhani Rautavaara. His Seventh Symphony, subtitled "Angel of Light", was his international "breakthrough" piece, and Ondine's premiere recording featuring the Helsinki Philharmonic under the baton of Leif Segerstam offers a performance that this newcomer does not surpass--not that there's anything wrong with Osmo Vänskä and his Lahti forces. Far from it; they are completely at home in the composer's idiom, and if anything are even better recorded than the competition. The Helsinki Philharmonic, though, is the better orchestra, and there's no getting around its larger, lusher string sonorities. In the other two works, both written for smaller ensemble, differences in orchestral size and technical accomplishment are less significant. These performances are simply as fine as any, and if the overall program sounds appealing, then this disc can be recommended without reservation. In many ways, it makes an ideal introduction to Rautavaara, containing as it does three masterpieces representing more than two decades of outstanding musical achievement.

--David Hurwitz