Search - Einar Englund, Ari Rasilainen, Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra :: Symphonies 3 & 7

Einar Englund (b. 1916) is one of the greatest composers--besides Jean Sibelius--the 20th century has produced. Englund's range of work, especially as seen in his symphonies, has evolved enormously since the end of the Second World War. His later symphonies--the ones on this disc--show the introduction of modern elements into his orchestral pieces. This is evident in Symphony No. 3 (1971) with its mild atonality--the same kind Shostakovich used--that never quite lets go of its Finnish roots, again, like Shostakovich. The Symphony No. 7 (1988) is a stark work about as far from Sibelius as you can get. Recommended highly. --Paul Cook