What a splendid idea: recording five sets of Jean Sibelius music for violin and piano in the parlour in Ainola, Sibelius' home for five decades. The works are lighter Sibelius, but then, a performance of the nihilistic Symphony No. 4 really wouldn't be appropriate in the parlour. But what is appropriate are the delightful little pieces on this disc, each one more charming than the next. And hearing Sibelius' sweet tunes performed with such obvious warmth and affection by violinist
Pekka Kuusisto and pianist Heini Kärkkäinen and recorded with such obvious care and consideration by the crew from Ondine is almost as good as being there. The photographs of Sibelius' home in the liner notes only makes the experience seem more real.