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The finest Finnish symphonist since Sibelius, Einojuhani Rautavaara wrote his Eighth Symphony on commission from Wolfgang Sawallisch and the Philadelphia Orchestra, who do it full justice in its European premiere at the 2000 Cologne Music Triennale. Rautavaara subtitled this symphony "The Journey," and that it certainly is. Brilliantly scored, and with Rautavaara's unerring ear for orchestral detail, striking sound effects, and subtle juxtapositions of color and instrumentation, the symphony finds its perfect interpreters in Sawallisch and the Philadelphians. Also on the bill, and testing the orchestra's mettle in different ways, is Richard Strauss's Symphonia domestica. In widescreen and in full-bodied Dolby 5.1 Surround Sound, the disc also features a brief interview with Sawallisch, who discusses Rautavaara and the precarious state of orchestras today. --Kevin Filipski
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