Customer Reviews

Sibelius: The Complete Symphonies 2

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I was introduced to the symphonies of Sibelius back in grad school as I was writing my own symphony. My teacher felt that Sibelius was onto something innovative that wasn't being followed up by many 20th century symphonic composers, most of whom at the time had fallen under the spell of the Viennese school and as a result under the spell of Mahler. Indeed, Sibelius and Mahler were probably the two most important symphonic composers of the early 20th century (with Nielsen also up there) and yet their view of the symphony could not be more diverse. Mahler's symphonic canvases are huge edifices that contain diverse material brutally juxtaposed...and ultimately end up being ironic and often despairing commentaries on the material (though Mahler could just as often be jubilant, as in the finale of the 2nd symphony.) Sibelius, by contrast, was an organic composer, and valued concision over legnth. His unique approach toward form was based on the gradual growth of a theme from it's basic elements. This is a reversal of tradition classical structures where the theme is stated and then broken down and developed. Often, Sibelius' expositions of thematic material sound more like developments and you don't hear the complete theme until the recapitulation. So Mahler appeals to composers who are formed by the angst of the 20th century, while Sibelius appeals to more mystical composers. It's no surprise that after the psychadelic awakening of the 60s, more and more younger composers are taking Sibelius to their hearts. It's about time.

The Colin Davis cycle of Sibelius symphonies is a great cycle, and at the price, it's the one to own. Volume two is devoted to some of the less popular symphonies, but throws in the ever popular Violin concerto and Swan of Tuonela as temptations to the more reticent. It is a shame that these three symphonies are not so well known. They are delightful. The Third is hard to program. It is not long enough to fill out the "symphony" portion of a modern concert program and is likely to get passed over for the 2nd, which fits the second half of a concert much better. Audiences are missing a delightful work. The Third is Sibelius at his most "neo-classical" Though based on his organic development of motives, the material of the third is almost Haydnesque. Like a more romantic and better constructed version of Prokofiev's 1st, this work is all charm and grace, but with darker underpinnings.

The 6th symphony is also less well known. The reason for this truly escapes me as it is almost 16th century in it's spiritual outlook. The first movement particularly is a lovely thing. It maintains a serene landscape which is only momentarily clouded by Sibelius' characteristic "foggy" ostinati.

The 7th is a true masterwork, but like the 3rd, it is rarely performed in concert, mostly due to it's less than 20 minute length. Formally, the 7th is Sibelius' greatest creation. Scored in one long movement, Sibelius rejects the traditional Lisztian one movement cyclical form (telescoping the movements so that the first theme equates with sonata allegro, the second with the slow movement, the development section with the scherzo, and the recapitulation with the finale) and aims at something more organic. Elements of the traditional 4 symphonic movements are found all over the work, but cut up and rearranged in a kalaidoscopic manner. Each motive seems to grow out of the previous motive and all are bookmarked by a glorious chorale theme announced in the trombones. This symphony literally takes your breath away.

Colin Davis is excellent in this material. I currently own three versions of the Sibelius symphonies, Davis, Berstein, and Rattle. I find that I return to the Davis most often. He seems more in tune with the organic approach of the composer than Bernstein, who, though magnificent, seems to see Sibelius as another Mahler and overstates some of the material. Davis was a major figure in the Sibelius community of Britian, (outside of Scandinavia, Britian has always been the most receptive to the composer, just as it has always kept alive the name of Bruckner) and as such was a major conductor of the composer. His 7th is especially revelatory. He keeps the disparate parts of the piece organically related and maintains the forward thrust that is essential in this work. For my mind, he is the best interpreter of the composer on record.

The filler material is excellent as well. The Violin Concerto is popular, though it has never been my favorite Sibelius piece. The reading here is quite good, though I would not buy the CD just for this. The tone poems are terrific, particularly the overwhelming Tapiola. This late tone poem is a masterpiece of sound painting, based on a pre-Christian Finnish legend of the god of the forest. No other composer captures the wild ferocity of nature as well as Sibelius. And the Swan of Tuonela is terrific as always.

At the price, I can't think of any reason not to get this CD. All of the Sibelius symphonies are important to hear and with the possible exception of the 1st, they are all masterpieces. At this price point, do yourself a favorite and get this disc and it's companion. You won't regret it.

This, along with its partner 2-fer, is the Sibelius set I'd recommend above all others. Some may think Davis too "straight on" but to me he finds the poetry and icy drama without having to work too hard--or at least show you how hard he's working. These are superb readings of the Third and Sixth, and the Seventh is only slightly below that. In that last and to me greatest of all Sibelius symphonies, we need more majesty and "moment" than Davis brings to his reading, but in the enigmatic Third or the lyrical and lonely Sixth Davis is at the top of the heap. The Third is a great illustration of what's so right about Davis' Sibelius. No eccentric tempi, no unusual twists in rhythm, Davis has the confidence to make the symphony "uncomplicated" and the beautiful simplicity is most appealing. Ditto for the Sixth. Boston's golden strings sing longingly without ever straining for effect, the sound is well-recorded, and the BSO is one beautiful orchestra (in the right hands). Davis manages a minor miracle in that sounds are thick and plummy where needed (the tympani, for example) but also lean and crystaline where needed (string and often woodwinds, for example). He has a sound conception that I feel is ideal to Sibelius.

The one disappointment is the Violin Concerto, with Salvatore Accardo. I love this work, and this sounds to me a perfunctory performance, though well-played and filled with interesting detail in its own right. But it lacks the sweep and line of other performances. (Compare Oistrakh/Rozdestvensky or even Mullova/Ozawa to see what I mean.) Still, that's a minor blemish in an otherwise excellent set. This and Volume One would be welcome on my desert island any day, and this may also be the least expensive Sibelius cycle to boot.

Well, it is. Nearly 3 hours of my very favourite music, perfectly played. Almost perfectly, the brass at the end of the 7th are disgustingly heavy. But Accardo's concerto is the 2nd best of the millions I've heard (can't match Joshua Bell/LAPO for incredible excitement). RECOMMEND THIS CD MOST HIGHLY!

This is the second part of a 4 cd set comprising Sibelius' symphonies, tone poems and violin concerto. The Boston Symphony Orchestra under Sir Colin Davis' direction give some of the most vibrant performances I have heard of these symphonies. Although they may have been eclipsed by Davis' recent cycle with the London Symphony Orchestra and Ashkenazy's with the Philharmonia Orchestra as definitive recordings, they remain among the most compelling recordings of Sibelius' symphonies out there. Without a doubt, they are a steal at this price, and are my recommendation as an excellent introduction to Sibelius' symphonic music. Accardo's exquisite playing of the violin concerto rounds out this impressive set.

Disk 1 of this volume has Davis leading the BSO in the 3rd, 6th and 7th symphonies. I can't describe just how much pleasure it gives me. It's jaunty, understatedly dramatic, intensely beautiful and very, very personal--magical in the way that long walks with dear friends sometimes are. I'm almost afraid to see these symphonies in concert, so particularly perfect do they seem to be on these disks and so much does solitude seem to bless them, and yet I know that I'd jump at the chance to see Davis conduct them live, so apt is his understanding of the material.

If your tastes are geared toward Schubert symphonies and long strolls, maybe this volume will make the rest of your collection dusty, too.

since this recordings became available somewhere in the 70-ties these are the best performances of sibelius symphonies to get. The Boston orchestra plays magnificently and holds attention with an extraordinary powerful and colourful sound. Davis conducted much more spontaneously here than in his London Symphony remake.

I don't quite own this set. I own a previous set (but probably the same recordings -- Davis, BSO, originally analog tape.)

I never could understand why the BSO didn't hire Davis. Maybe the "Boston Elite" that keep the BSO fiscally operational just want things to stay under control. Go figure.

There is no reason in this world why Davis (English!) should be supremely competent at presenting Sibelius. But he is, and it's better to be grateful for it than to question it.

Be careful with Davis's presentation of the 5'th Symphony. Make sure you have distractions. Don't listen to it too closely. And don't put it in your CD-player while you're driving; that could be dangerous.

When Sibelius wrote that symphony, Finland was under occupation. And that broke the heart of Sibelius. Imagine that which is most precious to you being stolen away from you. You'll get it back -- you're absolutely dedicated to getting it back. No compromises; you'll get it back, whatever it takes. But, for now, it's stolen away. And its absence is a hole in your heart -- a hole in your soul.

That was Finland to Sibelius -- and while it's not possible to express such tragedy and such dedication in words, it is possible to express it in music.

Davis captured Sibelius's tragedy and longing, loss and dedication.

These recordings of Sibelius' symphonies are among the BEST I'VE HEARD. All three on this CD are BEAUTIFUL as are all Sibelius' symphonies. The recordings of the 3rd & 6th are probabaly the best I've heard but as for the 7th, although it is really nice on this CD, I think it does not beat Ashkanazy's version with the Decca label which I consider to be just perfect. But that being said I highly recommend this CD. Really, Really nice!

The music of Jean Sibelius (1865 --1957) has enjoyed a varied reputation over the years, but it today is held in deservedly high regard. His seven symphonies, in their varied forms, are classics of the Twentieth Century.

I have lived for several years with Sir Colin Davis' recordings of Sibelius with the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Davis is an acknowledged master of this music. The recordings date from 1975 -- 1979 and are currently available on two "duo" CD sets from Phillips. Davis later recorded the cycle again and a third version is in process. But the Boston Symphony compilation is highly accessible and modestly priced. If you are looking for an introduction to the essential works of Sibelius, this set is for you.

I supplemented my recent listening to this music by reading the accounts of each of Sibelius' symphonies in Michael Steinberg's excellent reference book : "The Symphony a Listener's Guide" (1995). I also have read the account of the violin concerto in Steinberg's parallel guide to the standard concerto repertory. Listeners wanting a more detailed discussion of the symphonies and concerto than that found in most liner notes, including the notes for this set, will greatly benefit from reading Steinberg.

This CD opens with Sibelius' symphony no. 3 in C major composed in 1904. This is a three-movement work in which the composer finds fully his own voice. The work is spare and neoclassical in style, written with both energy and restraint. The first movement opens with a brisk, characteristic theme for cello and bass. The second movement is intermezzo-like, with rhythmic ambiguity and a lovely singing theme as it progresses. The finale is in two parts with ever-changing tempos and moods leading to a final climax at the end.

The symphony no. 6 in D, opus 104 dates from 1923 and has always been my favorite of the Sibelius symphonies. As Steinberg points out, much of this symphony is written in the Dorian mode (on the piano this consists of playing all the white keys beginning on D) giving the music an etherial and remote character. The scoring of this work is also unusual with Sibelius using a harp and a bass clarinet, both of which add a great deal of color to the orchestration. Although this symphony is in the standard four-movements it is far from traditional, as the music is weightless, enigmatic, and mysterious. It is restrained in tone and ends very softly after a remarkably beautiful theme in the strings. The sixth is a highly idiosyncratic work.

Sibelius' completed his final symphony, no. 7 in C in 1924. This is a work of only about 21 minutes in what is nominally a single movement. But in its short space, the symphony moves through a variety of tempos and moods, all tightly unified and flowing from one section to the next. Some hear the work in five sections while others hear it in three. Many critics have noted that "The Seventh Symphony consummates the nineteenth-century search for symphonic unity". (Steinberg, page 607, quoting Robert Layton.) The work opens with a long slow section based upon a drum-tap and an ascending scale and concludes with a loud, triumphant chord in the brass on C major. This is tightly-written yet romantic and passionate music that will repay many listenings. Even though Sibelius lived more than 30 years after completing this work, he composed no more symphonies.

This CD also includes Sibelius' violin concerto in D minor opus 47 which the composer wrote in 1903 and revised in 1905. This work has at least found its place in the standard concert repertory. (It was recently programmed a few weeks apart in my area by the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington D.C. and by the Fairfax Symphony Orchestra in suburban Virginia.) The work is performed here by Salvatore Accardo with Colin Davis conducting the London Symphony Orchestra. The violin concerto differs from Sibelius' symphonic writing in that it is unabashedly and passionately romantic in character and a crushingly difficult, virtuoso piece for the soloist. The first movement includes a long, famous and showy cadenza followed by a long meditative slow movement and a lively, icy finale. This is one of the finest twentieth-century violin concertos and worthy to stand with its great nineteenth century predecessors.

The CD closes with three of Sibelius' shorter works for orchestra including his most familiar work, "Finlandia" , composed in 1899, which for some years was the only work of the composer to get a hearing. It also includes the long tone-poem "Tapiola", one of the composer's last important works and written after the seventh symphony. But the highlight of these last three works is "The Swan of Tuneola" opus 22, which includes an inimitable solo for the English Horn performed here by Laurence Thorstenborg.

This CD and its companion are ideal ways to get to know the music of Sibelius.

Robin Friedman

In the 1970s Colin Davis and the Boston Symphony Orchestra recorded a complete cycle of Sibelius symphonies, as well as the violin concerto and a few of the tone poems. A number of the live performances before the recording sessions were broadcast on PBS. The Davis cycle was generally regarded as one of the best available at that time, although the recorded sound was considered below Philips' usual high standard.

As it happens, the performances collected in Vol. 2 are among the stronger in the series. The two weakest performances--the Second and the Fourth--are in Vol. 1. If you're just getting to know Symphonies 3, 6, and 7, these are thoughtful, well-shaped, well-played performances with a strong feeling for the Sibelius sound world. Tempo relationships are reasonable. Davis doesn't rush the (apparently) faster music after the slow opening of the Sixth Symphony, a key point for those of us who love this symphony. A big plus is the violin concerto with Salvatore Accardo. There may be fierier or more virtuosic performances, but Davis makes the orchestra an equal partner. If you like the violin concerto treated as an additional Sibelius symphony, and I do, you'll like this interpretation.

Considering Vols. 1 and 2 of the Davis cycle together, I'd rate them superior to the Maazel/Vienna, but below the Berglund cycle, simply because none of Berglund's performances is as misconceived as the Davis Fourth. If you're looking for the specific works in Vol. 2, I wouldn't hesitate to get the Davis.