Classical

Jean Sibelius - Tone Poems (1980)

2018-05-10T13:42:34Z

Jean Sibelius - Tone Poems (1980)


1. Pohjola's Daughter, Op. 49
2. Valse triste, Op.44
3. Karelia Suite, Op.11 - I. Intermezzo
4. Karelia Suite, Op.11 - II. Ballade
5. Karelia Suite, Op.11 - III. Alla Marcia
6. En Saga, Op.9
7. Tapiola, Op.112
8. Lemminkäinen Suite Op.22, No.3 The Swan of Tuonela
9. Finlandia, tone poem for orchestra, Op.26

Boston Symphony Orchestra
Sir Colin Davis - conductor

Colin Davis’ Sibelius is well-known and regarded but surprisingly some key Sibelius recordings of his with the Boston Symphony have never made it to CD. These include ‘Pohjola’s Daughter’ and ‘En saga’. His ‘Karelia Suite’ is rare at best. Together with Valse Triste’ and ‘Tapiola’, these make up an excellent disc of Sibelius Tone Poems. ---fishfinemusic.com.au

Sibelius is one of the great masters of the orchestra, and each of his orchestral compositions is thoroughly representative of his genius. Ample proof of this generalization can be found in this attractive Philips reissue of programme music, beautifully played by one of the world’s finest orchestras conducted by an important Sibelian: Sir Colin Davis.

The programme is thoughtfully put together to offer the option of a complete sequence or a track or two; for that is the nature of the music. The Philips recordings are more than twenty years old but they reflect the high standards of the period and they do not sound in the least dated. Take the opening of the first track, for instance. Pohjola’s Daughter begins with the dark sounds of lower strings. The Boston players bring a dark and powerful presence to the agenda. If this is an impressive opening, the full-toned climaxes which emerge as the saga is expounded are equally impressive, a special tribute to the Philips engineering which the later RCA recording Davis made may match but does not surpass.

If Pohjola’s Daughter begins impressively, its continuation is more mixed. The fully scored climaxes are particularly impressive, but the changes of tempo seem willful and disruptive of the flow. The same might be said also of the first movement of the famous Karelia Suite, which never gets going, though the central Intermezzo is a wonderfully atmospheric interpretation.

The celebrated Valse Triste is beautifully done, with close attention to those details of dynamics that make all the difference in this masterly score. There is also a powerful Tapiola, with a keen sense of line and tempi that feel - for this piece - absolutely right. This is a masterly score and the impressive playing of the Bostonians reminds us that no sensitive listener should hear this piece after dark and on their own.

Among this collection, however, En Saga is the jewel in the crown. In common with the majority of conductors, Davis rightly prefers the revised version of the score, whose integration and concentration mark it among Sibelius’s most potent creations. Again the tempi and phrasing seem unforced and natural, and the recorded sound is first rate. ---Terry Barfoot, www.musicweb-international.com

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Jean Sibelius - Violinkonzert - Finlandia – Tapiola

2012-05-04T15:57:18Z

Jean Sibelius - Violinkonzert - Finlandia – Tapiola


1. Violin Concerto in D minor, Op.47 - 1. Allegro moderato
2. Violin Concerto in D minor, Op.47 - 2. Adagio di molto
3. Violin Concerto in D minor, Op.47 - 3. Allegro, ma non tanto
4. Tapiola, Op.112
5. Finlandia, Op.26, No.7 - Andante sostenuto - Allegro moderato – Allegro

Christian Ferras – Violin
Berliner Philharmoniker
Herbert von Karajan – conductor

Up until now, I've never heard of Christian Ferras; but this is now my FAVORITE recording of the Sibelius Violin Concerto. In contrast to David Oistrakh who plays the concerto in the sad, soulful Russian style; Ferras brings out a sense of youth and sparkle; indeed, at times this Sibelius concerto sounds as much like the energenic and youthful Bruch concerto #1. That being said, the Sibelius concerto is a hard one to play; I've heard other outstanding violinists, conductors and orchestras make a mess of the concerto; but Ferras and Karajan seem to get things just right as they for-go the "glacial" sound that one often associates with Sibelius; indeed, Mr. Karajan's crack Berlin Philharmonic accents the soloist with a crisp and clean northern air, as opposed to a wintery "slushiness".

If this recording is any indication of Christian Ferras as a violinist of some merit, than I would like to get to his music better. I read on Wikipedia that he led a sad life where clinical depression resulted in an untimely suicide. You wouldn't guess that by listening to this bright and crisp recording. --- Joe Anthony "Joe Anthony", amazon.com

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Jean Sibelius – Complete Symphonies (Ashkenazy)

2009-10-25T23:23:35Z

Jean Sibelius – The Symphonies (Ashkenazy)

CD1
Symphony no.1 in E minor, op.39
1. Andante ma non troppo - Allegr energico
2. Andante (ma non troppo lento)
3. Scherzo Allegro
4. Finale (quasi una fantasia)

5. Symphony no.7 in C major, op.105

CD2
Symphony No. 2 in D major, op. 43
1. Alegretto
2. Tempo Andante ma rubato
3. Vivacissimo
4. Finale

CD3
Symphony no.3 in C major, op.52
1. Allegro moderato
2. Andantino con moto, quasi allegretto
3. Moderato - Allegro (ma non tanto)

Symphony no.6 in D minor, op.104
4. Allegro molto moderato
5. Allegretto moderato
6. Poco vivace
7. Allegro molto

CD4
Symphony No.4 in A minor Op.63
1. Tempo molto
2. Allegro molto
3. Il tempo
4. Allegro

Symphony No.5 in Eb Op.82
5. Tempo molto mode
6. Andante mosso
7. Allegro molto

Philharmonia Orchestra
Vladimir Askenazy - conductor

Vladimir Ashkenazy is a brave man to contribute another complete Sibelius cycle to a market in which there are already many fine full sets. His first cycle, for Decca (1978-1983), came at the dawn of the digital age, and the new cycle in DSD was set down in 2006-2007 (Ashkenazy was 70 in 2007). More or less the same set of tone poems and fillers are included as in the original set, which is still available at bargain price and is very well-regarded for interpretation, superb playing of the Philharmonia and its (then) state-of-the-art recording.

There's little point in buying individual Sibelius symphonies (there'sonly seven, and none are especially long) - much better to pick up a boxof the entire cycle. So what's to recommend this one? The only realcompetition, I think, is Lorin Maazel's excellent set (also on Decca).However, I personally think that Ashkenazy, more than any other conductor,has the keenest understanding of the weird power Sibelius' music exerts -and the sound recording here is much superior too. True, the Maazel set ismuch cheaper - but you only get the symphonies. With this box, you get anadditional ten orchestral pieces, including Finlandia, Tapiola, and theKarelia Suite - all of which are outstanding, and essential listening fora full appreciation of this unique composer. So basically, for the priceof two CDs, this Ashkenazy set gives you five CDs containing well over sixhours of outstanding music, a booklet with decent liner notes, and a boxwith a nice picture of a tranquil seascape. If you've only heard a little Sibelius and like it, dig in. This has to beone of the best Classical bargains to be had.

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Jean Sibelius – Kullervo Op.7 (1985)

2013-02-08T20:06:03Z

Jean Sibelius – Kullervo Op.7 (1985)


1 No. 1, Introduction	11:50
2 No. 2, "The Youth of Kullervo"	13:50
3 No. 3, "Kullervo and His Sister"	23:11
4 No. 4, "Kullervo Leaves for the War"	10:16
5 No. 5, "Kullervo's Death"	9:40

Karita Mattila – soprano
Jorma Hynninen – baritone
Laulun Ystavat Male Choir
Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra
Neeme Järvi – conductor

Kullervo, Op. 7, is an early symphonic poem for soloists, chorus and orchestra, written by the Finnish composer Jean Sibelius.

The work, based on the character of Kullervo from the epic poem Kalevala, premiered to great critical acclaim on 28 April 1892. The soloists were Emmy Achté and Abraham Ojanperä, with the composer conducting the Orchestra of the Helsinki Orchestra Society, founded in that year. Kullervo had only four more performances in Sibelius's lifetime, the last one taking place on 12 March 1893. Sibelius repeatedly refused to publish it; only at the very end of his life (1957) did he gave permission for it to be published posthumously, having re-orchestrated the final section (Kullervo's Lament) of its third movement.

There was much controversy arising from the première, some having to do with Sibelius' idiosyncratic style, and some a result of language politics: Finland was divided between Swedish nationalists, the Svecomans, and promoters of Finnish (Suomi) language and culture, the Fennomans. The lyrics to Kullervo, taken from the relatively recently published Kalevala (1849), were in Finnish, which led the "Svecomans" to regard Sibelius, whose mother tongue was Swedish, as a defector.

There were performances of isolated movements before Sibelius's death (the fourth movement two days after the premiere and again in 1905 and in 1955; the third movement for a centenary celebration of the "Kalevala" in 1935). It was next performed in 1958, a year after Sibelius's death, with Jussi Jalas, Sibelius's son-in-law, conducting the work. A limited edition release of the 1958 Jalas live performance became available in the early 1970s. The first studio recording was made by Paavo Berglund and Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra in 1971. The first performance in the United States was given in Milwaukee with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra under Kenneth Schermerhorn. Schermerhorn took his orchestra on tour and performed it in Washington, D.C. and at Carnegie Hall in New York. Since then many orchestras have performed and recorded the work. –wikipedia

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Nielsen, Sibelius - Violin Concertos (2015)

2017-04-21T15:01:54Z

Nielsen, Sibelius - Violin Concertos (2015)

Jean Sibelius: Violin Concerto in D Minor, Op. 47
1 - I. Allegro moderato
2 - II. Adagio di molto
3 - III. Allegro ma non tanto

Jean Sibelius: 2 Serenades for Violin & Orchestra, Op. 69
4 - Serenade No. 1 in D Major, Op. 69a
5 - Serenade No. 2 in G Minor, Op. 69b

Carl Nielsen: Violin Concerto, Op. 33, CNW 41
6 - Ia. Praeludium - Largo
7 - Ib: Allegro cavalleresco
8 - II. Poco adagio
9 - II. Rondo: Allegretto scherzando

Baiba Skride (violin)
Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra
Santtu-Matias Rouvali (conductor)

A small point to begin with: because Orfeo has decided to include the two Serenades the programme length (87 minutes) requires a second CD, thus necessitating the use of a gatefold sleeve. The good news is that the gatefold is only fractionally wider than a conventional jewel case and the price bracket is that of a single disc.

Baiba Skride has enjoyed many a good review of late (Shostakovich; Mozart; Brahms; Szymanowski; Stravinsky) and is one of a phalanx of formidably equipped young violinists. Shes not the only player to bracket these two Scandinavian concertos and she does so with the 30-year old conductor Santtu-Matias Rouvali, who is not much older than she is. If that implies youthful high-spirits and a sense of unbridled freedom, then listening to the performances suggests that other facets and aesthetics will be encountered. Skride is attentive to dynamics but one can hear from her opening paragraphs that she is strangely unwilling to let the line unfold with tension generated from within. Instead she buttresses it with a battery of inflections with the result that the music sounds destabilised from the very start, and a too overtly expressive feel is generated. If the presentiments of a serene kind of intensity are your ideal, you may well find Skride bumpy and over-colouristic.

Yet this is not necessarily a feeling that often recurs. Orchestrally, we hear plenty of the inner part writing, those rhythmically galvanising running string figures that are promoted in the balance by Rouvali, as well as teak-based orchestral sonority. Having noted the over-emoted start, Skrides playing actually retains a rather small-scaled position, very consonant throughout, and not at all extrovert. The first movement is rather slow, giving it a rhapsodic profile, the music coming to punctuation points several times. Its a world away from Heifetz, Wicks, Oistrakh, Stern, Telmanyi and Spivakovsky though interestingly shes only half a minute slower than one of the concertos greatest exponents, Anja Ignatius, whose wartime reading, however, constructs a far more compelling narrative. Broader vibrato marks the central movement, at another basically but not unconscionably slowish tempo, though she has the phraseology here to sustain things. In the finale the insistent lower string drumming patterns are forcefully brought out, and Skride makes time for some sympathetic lyricism, but these two implied features the concentration on the propulsive features in the accompanying writing and a lack of heroic heft in the solo part tend to define at least part of this performance. Its a very worthwhile reading nevertheless, and seldom less than rewarding but not, to my mind, a compelling one.

The Serenades make for enjoyable companions, especially the folkloric Hardanger moments of the second with the folkloric fiddle colours especially nicely done by Skride. It suits very well her tight, bright tone.

With a recording that like the Sibelius - seems somewhat to spread, she plays the opening paragraph of the Nielsen with beautiful long phrases, though thereby missing the more interventionist approach taken by the composers son-in-law, Telmanyi in his 1947 recording with Egisto Tango. The main concern is the strangely leaden approach to the Allegro cavalleresco which sounds dogged, the passagework taken so scrupulously that all spirit of adventure is dissipated. Both Menuhin, with Wvldike and Telmanyi himself, take a full two minutes off Skrides timing in this movement alone. Indeed theyre both much quicker in the finale as well. Speed in itself is not a recommendation, but characterisation and rhythmic flexibility are, and those older recordings, despite the dated sonics, have those qualities in profusion. ---Jonathan Woolf, musicweb-international.com

Born in 1981 into a musical Latvian family violinist Baiba Skride won First Prize at the 2010 Queen Elisabeth Competition, held annually in Belgium. Ms. Skride’s natural approach to her music making has endeared her to some of today’s most important conductors and orchestras. Following her debut at the BBC Proms with the Oslo Philharmonic and Vasily Petrenko playing the Szymanowski Concerto No. 1, The Times noted, ‘Latvian violinist Baiba Skride sailed over the orchestra with long lines of melody, silver and sweet.’ She was immediately re-invited, and at the 2014 Proms played the Stravinsky Concerto with the BBC Symphony and Ed Gardner. Baiba Skride debut recording with Orfeo of the Szymanowski Concertos and Myths was nominated for the 2015 BBC Music Magazine Awards in the Concerto section. For her Orfeo CD follow up she has recorded two Scandinavian violin concertos truly exciting, fresh and innovative – Jean Sibelius’s well-loved concerto and Carl Nielsen’s unjustly neglected companion work – with the Tampere Philharmonic and conductor Santtu-Matias Rouvali. ---arkivmusic.com

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Sibelius & Tchaikovsky - Violin Concertos (Shaham) [1993]

2012-08-03T16:24:23Z

Sibelius & Tchaikovsky - Violin Concertos (Shaham) [1993]


1. Violin Concerto in D minor, Op.47 - 1. Allegro moderato	15:39	
2. Violin Concerto in D minor, Op.47 - 2. Adagio di molto	8:09
3. Violin Concerto in D minor, Op.47 - 3. Allegro, ma non tanto	7:19	
4. Violin Concerto in D, Op.35 - 1. Allegro moderato	18:14
5. Violin Concerto in D, Op.35 - 2. Canzonetta (Andante)	6:58	
6. Violin Concerto in D, Op.35 - 3. Finale (Allegro vivacissimo)	10:12

Gil Shaham – violin
Philharmonia Orchestra of London
Giuseppe Sinopoli – conductor

Violinists are stuck parading five big concertos around the world (Beethove, Mendelssohn, Brahms, Tchaikovsky, Sibelius), so they can be excused for performing them in the rote fashion we encounter too often in concert. For touring virtuosos is there any music to be squeezed out of these works? Here, Gil Shaham has turned his back on anything rote, however, giving masterful, original, totally committed readings of the Sibelius and Tchaikovsky concertos.

Putting Shaham close to the mikes makes his sound larger than life, which is quite thrilling given his superhuman accuracy. In concert his tone isn't exceptionally large; it's sweet and smooth, incapable of an ugly note. Those qualities come out in DG's excellent recording. Like his contemporary Joshua Bell, Shaham views the Sibelius as an inward work. He is a solitary singer against a lonely, romantic northern landscape. Sinopoli supports this approach with symphonic depth in the orchestral part. The Philharmonia is captured in gorgeous sound. Tempos are fairly slow, phrasing quite thougtful, the overall result a performance that stands at the same hieght as a Sibelius symphony, a rare occurence in the concerto.

The Tchaikovsky is performed more overtly as the violinist's show, but it too has nothing routine about it. Shaham sees the work as serious music, and again Sinopoli obliges with depth of expression in the orchestra. I'm not sure the approach works as well this time--the Tchaikovsky is more fun in the hands of a high-wire showman like Heifetz. In every other way this performance is first-rate, a worthy sidebar to the superlative Sibelius. --- Santa Fe Listener, amazon.com

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Sibelius - Four Legends From The Kalevala, Op. 22 (1979)

2010-01-16T22:08:15Z

Sibelius - Four Legends From The Kalevala, Op. 22 (1979)


1 Lemminkäinen And The Maidens Of Saari 	 	
2 The Swan Of Tuonela 		
3 Lemminkäinen In Tuonela 		
4 Lemminkäinen's Return 	 

Philadelphia Orchestra
Eugene Ormandy – conductor

The Lemminkäinen Suite (also called the Four Legends, or Four Legends from the Kalevala)[/b] is a work written by the Finnish composer Jean Sibelius in the early 1890s which forms his opus 22. Originally conceived as a mythological opera, Veneen luominen (The Building of the Boat), on a scale matching those by Richard Wagner, Sibelius later changed his musical goals and the work became an orchestral piece in four movements. The suite is based on the character Lemminkäinen from the Finnish national epic, the Kalevala. The piece can also be considered a collection of symphonic poems. The third section, The Swan of Tuonela is often heard separately.

* Lemminkäinen and the Maidens of the Island: this is based on Runo 29 ("Conquests"), where Lemminkäinen travels to an island and seduces many of the women there, before fleeing the rage of the men on the island.

* Lemminkäinen in Tuonela: this is based on Runos 14 ("Elk, horse, swan") and 15 ("Resurrection"). Lemminkäinen is in Tuonela, the land of the dead, to shoot the Swan of Tuonela to be able to claim the daughter of Louhi, mistress of the Northland, in marriage. However, the blind man of the Northland kills Lemminkäinen, whose body is then tossed in the river and then dismembered. Lemminkäinen's mother learns of his death, travels to Tuonela, recovers his body parts, reassembles him and restores him to life.

* The Swan of Tuonela: this is the most popular of the four tone poems and often is featured alone from the suite in orchestral programs. It has a prominent English horn solo. The music paints a gossamer, transcendental image of a mystical swan swimming around Tuonela, the island of the dead. Lemminkäinen has been tasked with killing the sacred swan, but on the way he is shot with a poisoned arrow, and dies himself. * Lemminkäinen's Return: the storyline in the score roughly parallels the end of Runo 30 ("Jack Frost"), where after his adventures in battle, Lemminkäinen journeys home.

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Sibelius Tchaikovsky - Violin Concertos (Mullova) [1990]

2009-10-25T23:27:38Z

Sibelius Tchaikovsky - Violin Concertos (Mullova) [1990]


1. Violin Concerto in D, Op.35 - 1. Allegro moderato	18:16	
2. Violin Concerto in D, Op.35 - 2. Canzonetta (Andante)	6:03
3. Violin Concerto in D, Op.35 - 3. Finale (Allegro vivacissimo)	9:42
4. Violin Concerto in D minor, Op.47 - 1. Allegro moderato	16:23	
5. Violin Concerto in D minor, Op.47 - 2. Adagio di molto	8:10
6. Violin Concerto in D minor, Op.47 - 3. Allegro, ma non tanto	7:54

Viktoria Mullova - violin
Boston Symphony Orchestra
Seiji Ozawa – conductor

For some reason, record companies like to put these two concertos together, particularly for debut albums. Of course, Viktoria Mullova is an established artist, but this was the record that got her career going, and it's still one of the best around for these two concertos. They are very different pieces: the Tchaikovsky warmly heart-on-sleeve, the Sibelius more brooding and melancholy, even in its flashier moments. Mullova is a very serious, even severe artist, who's not into musical fun and games. You would think that this makes her a natural for Sibelius--and so it proves. But she also imbues the Tchaikovsky with a certain intensity of purpose and musical logic that makes her performance stand out from the crowd, and that's what great playing is all about. --David Hurwitz, amazon.com

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