ABCD 410 – Finnish Violin Music Leiviskä-Melartin-Raitio

DescriptionThere are more world premiere recordings on Finnish Violin Music, with violinist Annemarie Åstrom leading performances of virtually unknown works written in the 1920s in the shadow of Sibelius (Alba Records ABCD 410 alba.fi). The three composers here share a connection, Helvi Leiviskä and Väinö Raitio having studied with Erkki Melartin at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki.Åstrom is joined by fellow KAAÅS Trio members pianist Tiina Karakorpi and cellist Ulla Lampela in Leiviskä’s Piano Trio, and by violist Atte Kilpeläinen and cellist Tomas Nuñez-Garcés in Melartin’s terrific Trio Op.133. Raitio is represented by the Four Pieces for Violin and Piano Op.18 and Sinivuokko, a late piece from 1943.These are fine performances of really strong and appealing works that leave you wondering what other real gems are waiting to be rescued from obscurity.TERRY ROBBINS, the whole note, May 2018, VOL 23 NO.