As with the first album which Tong recorded, the choice of repertoire has evolved not only from his exploration of the composer's sizeable body of piano works but also from a desire to select an attractive and varied combination of pieces representing all the main periods of Sibelius's creative life from the early 1890's through to th emid-1920's. At the same time, he wanted to continue the natural process of combining large-scale works with shorter pieces (or sets of pieces) in a way which migh tmirror a concert programme. Therefore he has chosen one of Sibelius's most important large-scale piano works, the Sonata in F major, Op. 12, as well as one of his best-loved orchestral transcriptions, Valse triste. He always admired the three strikingly original Sonatinas, Op. 67 and likewise the evocative Characteristic Impressions, Op. 103. The captivating Bagatelles, Op. 97 and by comparison, teh more serene Lyric Pieces, Op. 74 complete the selection for this album, confirming that Sibelius was also a masterful miniaturist.