Volume 2 of Alba’s series featuring Leevi Madetoja’s orchestral works opens with the Symphony No. 1, completed in 1916. It’s a thoroughly enjoyable, masterfully crafted piece composed in a tuneful, tonal idiom–yet thanks to Madetoja’s individual and innovative approach to harmony and orchestration, it is unmistakably a 20th century composition. The Pastoral Suite was composed in the same year as the symphony, yet its simpler language and gentler moods reflect the poetic piano pieces from which it was derived. Madetoja’s adventurous Concert Overture is the one work here that stylistically harkens back to the previous century, while the atmospheric Rustic Scenes reflects the probably unavoidable influence of the composer’s mentor, Jean Sibelius. Arvo Volmer and the Oulu Symphony play this wonderful music with a home-grown authority and whole-hearted enthusiasm, especially in their compelling performance of the symphony. Alba’s sonorous, detailed sound makes this disc a must for Madetoja collectors and novices alike–and for those simply looking for a musical good time.
