This is the third account of the symphony to appear on CD and Leevi Madetoja seems to be gaining more than a foothold in the catalogue. He belongs to the generation immediately after Sibelius, whose pupil he briefly became, and his music inhabits much the same landscape. Although he is not a great composer, his work is finely crafted and the product of a sensitive and cultured mind.
The main work on the present disc is the Third Symphony, which was written in the mid 1920s when Madetoja was living at Houilles not far from Paris In some earlier notes the French critic Henri-Claude Fantapie spoke of it as ''Gallic in its classicism'', and mentioned Madetoja's spiritual affinity with that ''little known but important branch of French music which evolved in the shadow of impressionism'' and was represented by Roussel, Magnard or Paul le Flem. Jukka-Pekka Saraste offers virtually the same coupling as did his countryman Petri Sakari and the Iceland Symphony Orchestra on Chandos: namely the 1923 suite from his opera The Ostrobothnians (''Pohjalaisia'') and the ballet suite, Okon Fuoko. (The ''ballet-pantomime'' was, incidentally, to a libretto by the Danish writer, Poul Knudsen with whom Sibelius collaborated on Scaramouche.)
The new performance has strong atmosphere and vital rhythmic grip. Saraste generally gets very good results from his players: the Finlandia recording has presence, and detail is well defined. It is eminently recommendable though it does not strike me as superior to the Chandos recording. The latter needs to be played at a slightly higher level setting for the sound to make a comparable impact, but the phrasing is just a shade more sensitive and imaginative. Moreover, Sakari offers a bonus, the delightful Comedy Overture in an elegant and lively performance. Recommended then—but if your dealer has both, go for the Chandos.'