The immense Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho, who passed away in June 2023, has left a great void. What remains is a music of spellbinding sonorities, such as Ciel d'hiver, borrowed from her Orion triptych. From Helsinki, Russia is not far away, even if Tchaikovsky's Concerto and Rachmaninov's Symphonic Dances were first performed in the United States.
There's no mistaking the former, brimming with brio, lyricism and passion - qualities that Ukrainian Anna Fedorova also abounds in. The Symphonic Dances - originally entitled Danses fantastiques - on the other hand, are a dizzying struggle between light and shadow, ending in the triumph of the living forces. Orchestre national de Metz Grand EstShi-Yeon Sung - conductor, Anna Fedorova - piano
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