CCMusic.com

Parallel to his great sequence of symphonic masterpieces and tone poems, Jean Sibelius wrote a significant body of music for the theater. It was with King Christian II and Kuolema that he established his fame throughout Europe whilst some of his most hauntingly beautiful writing for the stage can be found in Belshazzar's Feast. The tragic pantomime Scaramouche is Sibelius's only continuous dramatic score and Pelleas et Melisande is one of his most accomplished, whilst the rarely performed Jedermann is recognized as a hidden masterpiece. Gramophone wrote of these performances: "Leif Segerstam masterminds a characteristically unhurried, atmospheric display. What an absorbing journey of discovery this series has proved to be; congratulations to everyone involved." Leif Segerstam is a conductor, composer, violinist, and pianist with a prominent international career. He has held top conducting positions with some of the finest orchestras and opera houses in the world, including the Finnish National Opera and Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra.