Inspired by the view over the lake from his new house 'Ainola', the atmospheric opening of Sibelius's violin concerto transports the listener directly to the wide open, forested landscape of Finland. It also signaled farewell to Sibelius' dream of becoming a virtuoso violinist. The concerto remains a supreme challenge to performers, with it's two huge cadenzas. It was, after much revision, given it's premiere in the version we know today in 1905 in Berlin, conducted by Richard Strauss with Karel Halir as soloist. Jarnefelt's berceuse is altogether simpler fare, but touching and sentimental. He was the brother of Aino, Sibelius's wife. It was inspired by the sight of his two year old daughter sleeping. Szymanowski has become the most famous Polish composer after Chopin before the First World War, and his style embraced the lush romanticism of Richard Strauss, Stravinsky's early ballets and of course, Polish traditional music. The composer called this concerto 'horribly sentimental'.
