Cologne Music Triennale - Richard Strauss Symphonia Domestica / Rautavaara Symphony No. 8 / Sawallisch, Philadelphia Orchestra
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'sSymphonia 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