As chief conductor of the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, Santtu-Matias Rouvali spent five years recording Sibelius' symphonies and symphonic poems for Alpha Classics, milestones in the discography that have won numerous awards worldwide. He wanted to continue this cycle with the famous violin concerto and chose young Swedish violinist Ava Bahari, Artist in Residence with the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra and ECHO Rising Star for 2026/2027. … Together they form a well-rehearsed duo and share the same passion for the music of the Finnish composer, who, heartbroken because he couldn't achieve his dream of becoming a virtuoso violinist, composed a concerto that would become an essential work in music history, in which soloist and orchestra merge as one. … Rouvali and the GSO also recorded another work that demonstrates Sibelius' innovative symphonic thinking: the cycle "Four Legends of Lemminkäinen", which premiered in Helsinki on April 13, 1896.