The first volume (5/07) was welcomed in principle as marking the start of an enterprising series, the review being less than jubilant. Similarly Vol 2 has to be gratefully acknowledged but as a fact rather than an experience. The titles are unfamiliar. Only one (To the Fatherland) is claimed as a world premiere recording, but none of them is included in the 92 songs on the Sibelius song album from Decca in 1982. And the good reason for this is that nearly all were originally written as choral pieces, in which version (I can only conclude) they had better have remained.

But let’s concede, for the moment, that if Sibelius produced arrangements for a solo singer they have a rightful place in an edition of his songs. Then come questions about the manner of their presentation. The disc is evidently intended to reach an international audience (there are notes in English and German), and Finnish is one of the least accessible of European languages. These strophic songs have, some of them, intriguing titles. For instance, what happened in the morning mist? Why is the voice broken? What did the fool have to sing about the spider? Words. If Naxos cannot run to the full texts, at least let them give us some help in the notes. And the notes, incidentally, would be more handy if they followed the order of the programme or if that followed the chronological order of the notes.

Of the songs, the folk melodies are attractive and The Fool’s Song and Kullervo’s Lament have power to move without verbal enlightenment. Hannu Jurmu has power too (as we know from last time), and pianist Jouni Somero matches him. But misgivings have not been allayed by this second volume.