Sibelius, Jean - Symphony No. 1 & En Saga - Rouvali, Santtu-Matias

Alpha will begin a complete cycle of Sibelius' symphonies (and symphonic poems) with the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra and its new music director, Finnish conductor Santtu-Matias Rouvali. Originally a percussionist, the 33-year-old Rouvali studied at the renowned Sibelius Academy. His career took off when he stepped in at the last minute to conduct the Radio Symphony Orchestra. Respecting the traditions of Finnish conductors, Santtu-Matias Rouvali is known for his extremely physical and organic interpretations: "Music flows from him unquestionably," commented The Sunday Times. When Bachtrack asked him how he shapes the sound of the orchestra, he replied: "I sing it, I move my hands the way I want (...) a conductor should be able to indicate the tempo somewhere in the body (...) I was also a drummer, so my feet and hands can do different things at the same time." When you read a score, you sing it in your head (...) I think that in Sibelius's music, the internal groove you get from playing percussion instruments is very important.