Robert Kajanus (1856-1933) is a name that is unfamiliar to most of us yet a household word to anyone seriously interested in Sibelius’s music. Like all Finnish musicians prior to Sibelius – and most since – Kajanus was so overshadowed by the great symphonic master that his own music entirely disappeared from the concert platform. Yet while Sibelius was still a young man Kajanus was considered the leading Finnish composer of the day. Hitherto, his role in the history of music has been as the champion and – to a degree – the inspiration of Sibelius. For example, he conducted some of the first recordings of Sibelius’s music with the London Symphony Orchestra.

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Release: Apr 2003