Jean Sibelius (1865-1957): Violin Concerto in D minor, Op.47
Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953): Violin Concerto No.1 in D Op.19

Following a 9 year hiatus since her last concerto recording during which time her attention was focused on collaborative chamber music endeavours, Dutch violinist Janine Jansen returns to the idiom with renewed energy and engagement. Having previously recorded some of the warhorses of the repertoire like Bruch, Mendelssohn, Brahms and Tchaikovsky to great acclaim, she now turns her focus to two of the great, more or less overlooked 20th century underdogs of the genre.

The booklet notes contend that "Jean Sibelius came to music via the violin and dreamed of becoming a virtuoso soloist. His failure to pass an audition for the Vienna Philharmonic turned that unfulfilled dream into an open wound. But that only turbocharged the Violin Concerto the composer would write as a surrogate for his lost career." It certainly is a showpiece for the soloist, not from a technical standpoint intrinsically, but more so as an overtly emotive and dramatic vehicle. And this is where Janine Jansen really shines and why she's been missed so much over the last decade. Her darker hues combined with impassioned playing underscore the music's essence. Sibelius was first and foremost a symphonist and tone painter, and I've always perceived this work as more of a Finnish "Lark Ascending" than a true concertante piece. Here the violin is definitely the centerpiece of the story, narrated perfectly by Jansen and fully buttressed by conductor Klaus Mäkelä and the members of the Oslo Philharmonic.

Sergei Prokofiev's Violin Concerto No.1 is a relatively early work (1917), highly romantic in tone yet already demonstrating the composer's rather unique harmonic signature. It pairs very well with the Sibelius in that once again the violin leads the narrative. On the other hand, its Scherzo: Vivacissimo middle movement imposes demanding technical demands on the soloist, which Jansen overcomes with ease and panache. In style and character, this concerto is much alike other Prokoviev gems like his 'Lieutenant Kijé' orchestral suite and the 'Romeo and Juliet' ballet.

As an ideal companion recording to this Sibelius, I strongly recommend Klaus Mäkelä's recent overview of the complete Sibelius Symphonies of which Gramophone stated: "Mäkelä's cycle is all of a piece, accomplished, insightful and full of the beauty and intrigue that make these works so perennially exciting." It certainly demonstrates that not all up-and-coming young conductors are only gloss and window dressing.