Korppoo Trio
Sibelius Piano Trio plays Jean Sibelius
Petteri Iivonen, violin; Juho Pohjonen, piano; Samuli Peltonen, cello play Jean Sibelius’ Korppoo Trio in D Major (JS 209)
I Allegro moderato
II Fantasia andante part 1
III Fantasia andante part 2
IV Finale vivace
Sibelius Piano Trio earned both GRAMMY® and International Classical Music Award nominations for this album when it first released in digital formats.
They have been eager to cut lacquers for you with Bernie Grundman so they could release “Korppoo Trio” on 180 gram vinyl.
Petteri called from Finland one night and told me he and two friends had formed Sibelius Piano Trio and that they wanted to make their debut album with Yarlung Records.
These friends happened to be Juho Pohjonen, Petteri Iivonen and Samuli Peltonen, three successful international soloists in their own rights, balancing schedules of concerto performances with orchestra tours and solo recitals.
This album proudly bears the seal and endorsement of the Los Angeles and Orange County Audio Society.
President Mike Wechsberg, Chairman Robert Levi and the society’s multi-year collaboration with Yarlung have enabled joint concerts and recordings to reach larger audiences; indeed many on Yarlung’s technical team and board of directors are members of the Audio Society.
Yarlung musicians join us in expressing our thanks. Petteri, Juho, Samuli and I very much appreciate Jim Mulally for serving as executive producer and for underwriting this vinyl release.
Jim serves on the Yarlung board of directors and has supported numerous releases including the internationally acclaimed If You Love For Beauty (also 45 RPM 180 gram vinyl) celebrating Metropolitan Opera mezzo soprano Sasha Cooke, which won her a coveted spot on the Super LP list at The Absolute Sound.
When you listen to Sibelius Piano Trio’s Yarlung release Fire & Fancy, also on vinyl, you’ll understand how comfortably these three gentlemen perform any musical style.
When they play Nene, written for them by Argentine composer Diego Schissi, you hear Latin musicians offering South American sunlight and Argentine dance rhythms.
Nene celebrates the daydreams and fantasy world of a young boy.
When the Trio plays Ruminations by David S. Lefkowitz, Petteri, Juho and Samuli conjure the mystical fire of Persian poetry. Even though they are playing a violin, cello and piano, one can almost hear an oud, nose flute and Eastern European Klezmer in David’s rhapsodic work inspired by the great 13th Century Persian poet and Sufi mystic Jalal ad-Din Mohammad Rumi.
When you hear this trio play Sibelius, you’ll understand why the Sibelius family granted Petteri, Juho and Samuli use of the composer’s name.
Jean Sibelius’ piano trios were important to him personally. He wrote them in his youth, during the summers he vacationed with his brother Christian and sister Linda on various islands in Houtskaar, the Finnish archipelago off the southwest coast of Finland.
Sibelius wrote Korppoo Trio on Korppoo Island where the composer (violin), Linda (piano) and Christian (cello) played it on “rainy days” at the family’s summer house.
–Bob Attiyeh, producer
Recorded in Samueli Theater at Segerstrom Center for the Arts
