"Det er bjergtagende at lytte til disse sange i en anden stor finsk komponists genskabelse. Når man sammenligner klaverstemmens klangrum med de karske orkesterfarver og den intense ekspressivitet, Sallinen tilfører dem, opstår der en helt ny musik, men den er stadigvæk af Sibelius ... Klaverets næsten modernistiske motivtrylleri forvandler sig til endnu mere dragende lydbilleder i Sallinens orkester, og von Otter føler sig tydeligvis inspireret ... Hannu Lintu og de finske radiosymfonikere viser sig som et af de mest spændende makkerskaber i Norden"

"Der er intet føleri over deres Sibelius-spil, men det er sprængfyldt med energi. Hver en fiber i den musikalske substans vibrerer, og der spilles med koldblodig råstyrke ... Aulis Salinens instrumentationer af de i alt otte Sibelius-sange er delikate og farverige og helt i Sibelius-stil, og den svenske Anne Sofie von Otter karakteriserer med fin fornemmelse for både poesi og drama ... Alt i alt et album, der viser spændvidden i Sibelius' kunst, og hvor Linto, Det Finske Radiosymfoniorkester og von Otter viser sig som nogle af tidens mest indforståede Sibelius-fortolkere"

"The tribute in question is the orchestration of eight Sibelius songs which Lintu and the FRSO commissioned from Aulis Sallinen ... It seems to me that Sallinen has done his work extremely well ... The orchestration is authentically colourful and Anne Sofie von Otter tells the story very well ... As the piece Tapiola unfolds Lintu distils a potent atmosphere and his orchestra delivers the stark sonorities of Sibelius' writing very effectively ... This is a fine Sibelius disc. The two familiar pieces come in expert performances and all admirers of Sibelius will be intrigued"

"Sallinen strikes a skilful balance between a dark, typically Sibelian soundworld and something supportive of von Otter's mezzo-soprano, with its easy poise and natural flow ... Tapiola finds conductor Hannu Lintu drawing deep, velvet tone from his Helsinki orchestra, and En Saga sounds vivid and ultimately almost cinematic"

"Editor's choice: Lintu's Tapiola does indeed settle into one of the finest performances on record, reconciling the obvious with the mysterious ... Again, En Saga is a superb performance: rich down below, perky up top, full of delectable solos ... Von Otter's voice may have lost some brightness but it has gained storytelling capabilities with age ... One of the most striking Sibelius discs for years"

"Orchestral choice: Lintu has added nothing to the familiar score Tapiola - just heard things it seems others haven't heard before. Best of all is the way he draws out singing lines almost throughout the piece ... I'm sure Sibelius would have loved Anne Sofie von Otter's singing, with its unique mixture of warm and cold tone and its searching musicality. Everything is recorded beautifully, with clarity and atmosphere expertly balanced"

"Klassik Heute Empfehlung: Soll ich zunächst die kluge Gegenüberstellung der Saga und des Tapiola hervorheben ... Soll ich die acht Lieder, in denen Anne Sofie von Otter mal betörend, mal kokett, mal verträumt und immer authentisch zu den beglückenden Orchesterfassungen des auch schon legendären Aulis Sallinen singt ... Oder wäre vielleicht bei den exquisiten Leistungen des Finnischen Rundfunk-Symphonieorchesters zu beginnen? ... Gewiss kann und soll man Jean Sibelius auch ganz anders anpacken ... und käme am Ende vermutlich doch wieder nur auf die dreifache Zehn"