Jukka-Pekka Saraste and the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra have launched a major new recording project with Finnish label Ondine: "Sibelius & Saraste" is a complete cycle of all seven Sibelius symphonies, to be released internationally on 5 June 2026 in digital and physical formats.
Few orchestras are as closely connected to Sibelius's music as the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, which premiered all of the composer's symphonies — save the Seventh — under his own direction. For Saraste, Chief Conductor of the HPO, the project is both a personal artistic journey and a continuation of one of the most important Sibelius traditions in the world.
In the interview below, Jukka-Pekka Saraste speaks about the recording process, the orchestra's singular relationship with Sibelius's music, and what this cycle means to him.