Einar Englund’s music might not be as deeply original as that of his elder countryman Sibelius, but it is wonderful, beautifully made music nonetheless. The Piano Quintet dates from 1941. It was Englund’s graduation exercise, and it attracted the favorable attention of Sibelius himself. Already you can hear the qualities that characterize all of Englund’s music: the late-Romantic, Russian-leaning sound of Shostakovich and Prokofiev, the clean lines, tight formal control, and memorable melodic ideas. The much later string quartet may add a touch of extra dissonance, but it’s still full of attractive themes, developed with unfailing imagination and skill. The performance of this latter work may not have quite the polish of one by a full-time string quartet, but in all respects the members of the Sinfonia Lahti Chamber Ensemble bring as much care and musicality to their performances of both pieces as the full orchestra has in its many BIS recordings. If you have enjoyed Englund’s orchestral music, you will be pleased to hear the same compositional sensibility at work here. Excellent engineering completes the picture. This is fine music by a really splendid composer.
