Customer Reviews

Sibelius: Complete Symphonies, Vol. 1 ~ Nos. 1, 2, 4 & 5

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Despite recommendations that pop up occasionally for more obscure cycles of the Sibelius symphonies, I find this to be, as a whole, the most fulfilling set. Davis and the BSO play and are recorded beautifully. The early symphonies, though not my favorites, here fare better than they often do because Davis doesn't make them sound like chilly Tchaikovsky. The Fourth gets a terrific reading, both appropriately bleak and, in the slow movement, lyrical and beautiful. Throughout we're aware that Davis isn't *pushing* to make a point...he brings out the music's qualities effortlessly and organically, with a quiet and subtle logic from movement to movement. The Fifth really allows the Boston Symphony to show off its superb colors, and we realize, in the right hands, this is one of the most beautiful, if not *the* most beautiful, in the United States. Davis manages sounds that are thick and plummy where needed (the tympani, for example) but also lean and crystaline where needed (string and often woodwind groupings, for example). He has a sound conception that I feel is ideal for Sibelius.

At the price, this is a steal. Although Davis has remade these works recently with the LSO on RCA, this is the cycle to get. The later recordings are less shaped, less focused, and the Londoners don't play as beautifully, nor are they as well-recorded. And at less than half the price for the same amount of music, this set is the best for your wallet too. A desert-island compilation.

I'm ashamed to say this, but until recently I have avoided Sibelius like the plague. I'm even more ashamed to say this: I avoided him because certain classical music writers/scholars misled me into thinking that his melodic invention was second-rate, his orchestration flabby, and the majority of his works pedestrian. This is all before I even heard a note of the man's music. I'll never make that mistake again! Considering that it has been fashionable to take critical swipes at Beethoven (!) for the last 50 years, it's quite obvious that classical music critics can never be fully trusted. If that were the case, I never would have approached Wagner, Charles Ives, or Anton Webern.

I concur with several reviewers in stating that the overall sound of these recordings is excellent. Davis' conducting is very solid & stately. The Boston Symphonic sings this music with such frozen intensity that Symphony #4 can be almost overwhelmingly moving. Personally, I have never noticed any really intrusive noises during Symphony #5. I find that first movement incredible, though. Symphony #2 is more approachable (conventional) with its sprightly-yet-majestic opening movement. Things become darker in the second movement, while the third is somewhat manic and segues directly into a Tchaikovskian last movement.

Sibelius' music, for me, epitomizes the nation of his birth: lonely, cold, seemingly unsophisticated to those who don't bother scratching the surface; there are little of the Mozart or Verdi flourishes and warmth that define what "classical" music is all about for most casual orchestral music listeners. Subjectively speaking, however, I much prefer the hardy, profound and expansive terrain of composers like Sibelius or Beethoven to the elegant salons of Verdi or Chopin.

The seven symphonies of Jean Sibelius (1865 -- 1957) are among the most impressive musical achievements of the Twentieth Century. His music fell into obscurity briefly at around the time of his death but fortunately has been restored to its rightful place. Few Twentieth Century composers have been so influential.

Colin Davis is a master of Sibelius' music, and his first cycle of the symphonies with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, available on two "duo" CD sets on Phillips, is available at a budget price. Sibelius's symphonies reward a "completist" approach. There are only seven, and the listener can follow the set in order and learn how Sibelius developed from a composer heavily influenced by late romanticism, including Tchaikovsky, Bruckner, and Wagner, to a modernist composer with a difficult, complex voice. For those wanting a guide, I recommend Michael Steinberg's book "The Symphony" (1995). Steinberg obviously loves Sibelius, and he discusses each of his symphonies in a clear, nontechnical way.

This CD includes Sibelius' first, second, fourth, and fifth symphonies which are probably his best-known and most accessible. The four-movement symphony no 1 in E minor opus 39 dates from 1899 when the composer was in his early 30s. Listen to the long, melancholy clarinet solo which opens this symphony. The second movement is lyrical and romantic, uncharacteristic of the later Sibelius, with a lush horn solo. The third movement is a brusque scherzo with a slow fragmented trio which points to Sibelius' later style. The finale builds to a great climax and then the music seems to come apart. It fades away at the end.

The symphony no 2 in D major, opus 43 is a triumphant, victory work in four movements Listen to the soft, repeated chords with which the work begins. They form the basis for the entire symphony as Sibelius creates ambiguities -- shifting from using his opening material as a harmonic backdrop to using it as the theme. The music develops from fragmentary themes as Sibelius embroiders them into a large-scale integrated work. The second movement features horns, bassoons, and rushing strings and includes marked changes in tempo and mood. In the third movement, listen to the nine repeated notes on the oboe with which the trio begins. The famous finale is based upon two stirring themes, the second of which eventually predominates and forms the basis for the inspiring, triumphant close. This is a deservedly loved symphony in the heroic mode.

Sibelius' symphony no 4, opus 63 dates from 1911 and is one of the composer's most difficult and enigmatic scores. It is Sibelius at his most personal, dark, alone, and somber. In this work, Sibelius experiements with tonality. He makes great use of the whole-tone scale, as did Debussy and of an attendant interval consisting of three whole steps called the tritone. This gives the music an unstable, questioning character. Steinberg writes: "aloneness, a sense of the contrast between human and superhuman scale, the impact of enormously concentrated experience -- these are perhaps the images that, unbidden, lodged in Sibelius's mind as he conceived and began to fix the musical gestures of his unsettling masterwork." The symphony is predominantly slow and somber and challenging. Listen to the sad song of the third movement and to the bells (chimes) in the finale of this work. Sibelius' fourth symphony, together with his sixth and seventh symphonies on the other part of this compiliation, are each highly modernistic, unique compositions that grow with time.

The final work on this compilation if the symphony no. 5 in E-flat major, opus 82. Sibelius revised this symphony extensively, and the final version dates from 1919. The key of e-flat major often is used for heroic, broad-scaled music (think of Beethoven's Eroica symphony and Emperor concerto) and, with his own developing sense of restraint and ambiguity, Sibelius so uses it here. The work is generally described as in three movements (some listeners hear the first movement as two movements, joined together without a pause) which are closely integrated. The long first movement builds and builds from basically short, fragmentary material, includes a quick scherzo, which some people consider as the second movement. In any event, the material is tied together and integrated magesterially, concluding the opening section of the symphony. The second movement is a theme and variations in which a woodwind chorale sings througout as the backdrop to a short figure in the strings. The third movement takes materials presented as background in the second movement and makes it the basis for a rolling and repeated chorus in the french horns presented early in the finale. The finale of Sibelius' fifth develops to a stunning climax punctuated by the famous six large and irregularly spaced chords with which it concludes. I find this symphony similar to Sibelius' second, but in a more complex, original, and modernistic voice.

I think Sibelius has entered that relatively small class of composers that every lover of music should get to know. There is no better way of hearing Sibelius than in this CD and its companion CD by Colin Davis.

Robin Friedman

This 2 CD set (along with the 2nd set by Davis and Boston) is outstanding! Sibelius has taken the symphony to a new level. From the romantic 1st and 2nd, to the dark 4th, to the heroic 5th, each one is a masterpiece of originality. His orchestration and thematic material is quite unique, while the development and form are without parallel. These works are accessible and fun to listen to, but also have incredible depth and intelligence. Invest in Sibelius symphonies, I promise you won't be disappointed.

This splendid set is the first half of a 4 cd set comprising Sibelius' symphonies, tone poems and violin concerto. With the notable exception of Ashkenazy's reading with the Philharmonia Orchestra, I doubt I have heard a more compelling, exciting version of Sibelius' 2nd Symphony. Sir Colin Davis earned his reputation as a distinguished interpreter of Sibelius with his Boston Symphony Orchestra Philips recordings. They remain among the finest interpretations of Sibelius' music. The sound quality of these recordings is exceptional. If you're looking for your first set of Sibelius' symphonies or another to add to your collection, you won't go wrong acquiring both halves of Davis' Boston Symphony Orchestra cycle.

Sibelius occupies an interesting place in music history. His music was more an extension of the 19th century than it was music of his own time. But even from that vantage point, it has considerable merit. Music of the late/post-Romantic period was often bloated (in the case of Mahler--sometimes hysterical). Sibelius on the other hand, was taut and not indulgent in the least. There is plenty of sinew here, and very little fat. For that reason, Sibelius should be appreciated by anyone with a love for good music.

Now, about this set (I'll speak about the entire set). It comes from a difficult period in the history of the Boston Symphony. These were the early years of the Ozawa tenure, when Colin Davis was Principal Guest Conductor. By the early 80s, Ozawa had imposed a real discipline on the orchestra--but these recordings where made before all that. In many of these readings there is a lot of sloppiness. The brass (especially in the 1st) are often quite sharp and blaring. This is not the refined BSO of earlier or later years.

The readings themselves are Sibelius from an English point of view. Imagine Sibelius played as if it's Vaughn-Williams. They're clean and musical and at their best, they present aspects of the pieces you may not have noticed in other recordings. But there is a quality of the music that I find missing here. The recordings of Saraste or Segerstam are better at bringing out the essential strangeness of Sibelius. To my ear, Davis' reading of the 6th is the best in this set--perhaps because that may be the sunniest of the series.

Is this collection a good introduction to the symphonies (and tone poems) of Sibelius? Aside from the price, I'd say no. Instead, I think they're better for the Sibelius lover who would like to hear this music from a little different point of view.

This half of the Colin Davis/Boston Symphony Orchestra Sibelius cycle includes two performances I've long admired, one that's unexceptional, and one that seems a complete misfire.

Writing the finale to a symphony causes problems for young composers. The finale of the Mahler First is by far the weakest movement in the Mahler canon. The same is true of the Sibelius First--or is it? The stunning opening of the First announces a mature, original genius, but the finale can easily sound like imitation Tchaikovsky, as in the Stokowski and Maazel/Vienna recordings. Some people like these recordings; I don't. Other conductors--Berglund, Jansons, and Colin Davis among them--work hard to make the finale worthy of the first three movements. Davis is by and large successful, with only one rather awkward moment. I bought the Davis First when it came out on LP and have liked it ever since.

The Davis Second is a performance one would be happy to hear in concert, but doesn't offer any special insights. Listen to the Barbirolli/Royal Philarmonic Second and you'll hear a conductor who believes completely in the heroism and grandeur of this symphony while presenting a specifically Sibelian sound world. Because this symphony is so popular, some conductors who don't perform much Sibelius apply a generalized romantic veneer. Davis gets the specifically Sibelian sound, but doesn't find the passion.

The Gramophone reviewer applauds Davis for taking the slow movement of the Fourth at a really slow tempo, but I think this wrecks the symphony. In theory, a slow tempo ought to enhance the bleakness of this northern landscape, but in actuality the slow tempo turns the specifics of the score into something generalized, more romanticized, and warmer. This isn't intended to be the kind of slow movement where not much happens. Very specific orchestral events occur, and are defeated by the overall cold. Listen to Berglund or to Maazel/Vienna at the more normal tempo, and see which you prefer.

No problems with the Davis Fifth. Davis gets the tempo relationships right and offers a committed performance. If you're comparing overall cycles, Davis offers a solid introduction to the Sibelius symphonies, especially if supplemented by the Barbirolli/Royal Philharmonic Second and the Maazel/Vienna Fourth. I prefer the Berglund cycle, which also includes good performances of tone poems and incidental music which most Sibelians will want to acquire.

This widely admired Sibelius cycle from the Seventies, now on two budget Duos from Philips, displays Colin Davis's abiding view of Sibelius as a meditative, inward composer. These aren't powerful, sweeping itnerpretations of the kind conducted by Karajan and Bernstein, nor are they raw material for fervent personal expression, as one finds with Barbirolli. Davis is cool-to-chilly much of the time, abetted by elegant, restrained playing from the BSO. The orchestra had just emerged from a low period under Leinsdorf and had been partially rebuilt by William Steinberg, who unfortunately died suddenly after only a few years with them. Even so, the strings in particular sound very secure.

When this set was first issued I was more taken with it than I am now. In its understated way, despite stretches of inertness, it still sounds more musical than Maazel with the Vienna Phil. (Decca), and the orchestra is miles ahead of the Halle under Barbirolli (EMI) or the various Finnish ensembles condcuted in two cycles by Berglund. Davis's later two cycles with the LSO cross the line and become too static. Claims that these performances are definitve make little sense to me given all the great conductors--Kajanus, Stokowski, Koussevitzky, Beecham, Bernstien, Karajan, Rattle--who offer more than equal competition.

These two discs contain some of the most gorgeous symphonic music and awesome orchestral playing ever committed to disc.

Of Sibelius' seven symphonies, we have here the dark, Tchaikovskian First; the epic, majestic, forlorn Second; the austere, solemn, and noble Fourth; and the affable, complex, understated, and profound Fifth. These works capture something of the essence of the Nordic spirit as poignantly as the Dvorak symphonies do the Slavic, and are quite simply some of the most rewarding, fascinating works of art we have. They have, unfortunately, been largely overlooked since the rise of the current, passionate enthusiasm of the classical music world for the Mahler symphonies began in the 1960s; especially given the bargain, rerelease pricing of these two discs, then, you really mustn't pass on this opportunity to familiarize yourself with these masterworks.

The old Boston Symphony plays with a beautiful, effortless virtuosity that demonstrates why they were known as the dean of American orchestras. This was the orchestra whose timbre Copland, Barber, Piston, Schuman, and Berstein had in mind when they wrote their symphonic scores, and where the Chicago Symphony of the 70s was perhaps better-suited to the bombast of Mahler, Strauss, and Bruckner, the Boston Symphony must have been one of the best two or three orchestras in the world for these more subtle, understated scores (the Amsterdam Concertgebouw and the Vienna Philharmonic being the two other candidates that come immediately to mind).

A real treasure.

It is hard for me to place a finger on why I identify so much with Sibelius' music. There's a degree of sparseness and simplicity to it, yet also intensity and longing. I welcome it as a sound track to my life because it seems to speak of the individual and a feeling of "aloneness" whether it be walking on a deserted beach, a mountainous trail, or making my way through a busy city. In any case, the cd case that holds my copy of this recording is quite tattered, shattered, and scuffed up. I consider it and volume 2 some of the better cds in my collection. Before I knew much about orchestral music, I used to (and this is probably due to media stereotyping at an early age) connotate it with background music for grandiose social events for the social and political elite. But thankfully the symphonies of Beethoven, Mozart, Brahms, Mahler, and Sibelius make the case for music going far beyond social function to the outer reaches of individual expression and enlightenment.