Orphei Drängar Sings Sibelius

With the symphonic suite Kullervo, Jean Sibelius achieved his major breakthrough as a composer. The inspiration came from the Finnish national epic Kalevala and ancient songs from Karelia. The suite depicts the tragic figure of Kullervo - his life and death - a raw diamond in Sibelius' output that received an enthusiastic reception but which he himself withdrew, believing it musically immature. Only after his death in 1957 was it performed again.

The male choir Orphei Drängar from Uppsala participates with its 80 members. The conductor is Santtu-Matias Rouvali, longtime chief conductor of the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, who together with the orchestra has been acclaimed for recordings of Sibelius' seven symphonies.