Music Recommendations 12/17/19

Bach’s Toccata & Fugue in D minor (BWV 565) by Xaver Varnus at the Berliner Dom (2013) – A splendid recording of a splendid performance (and, as of this writing, my favorite rendition of the piece).

Karelia, JS 115: Tableau 1: Runic Song: Oi Ukko, ylijumala (completed and reconstructed by J. Kaipainen) · Tellu Virkkala – Reconstruction of a magnificent piece from the Karlia Suite: Tableau 1: A Karelian Home. News Of War (1293) by Finnish composer, Jean Sibelius, whose work greatly contributed to the development of Finland’s national character.

Adagietto for Strings in D Major by Robert Kajanus (2018) – A beautiful, relaxing, ambivalent cascade of stringwork. Kajanus was instrumental in preserving Sibelius’ composition, but was a talented composer in his own right. Like his aforementioned friend and contemporary, Kajanus’ music is heavily inspired by Finnish folk legends.

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