Sibelius - Tone Poems; Songs [Original recording remastered]

As mixed collections of reissues go, this one strikes me as exceptionally well thought-through. Most of the music is familiar stuff, (Finlandia and the Swan of Tuonela probably a bit too familiar), but the solo songs with piano, to texts in a little-understood language, have not reached a large English-speaking public. If the same is true of the King Christian II incidental music and the Festivo, that may be because concertgoers suspect they are not missing much. However I'm sure many will welcome them on disc, reasonably priced and in the company of such firm favourites as En Saga and the Karelia overture and suite.

The other five numbers present here are unqualified masterpieces, and three of them, including the best two of all, have been entrusted to Dorati and the LSO. That is a hallmark of quality that I have learned down the years to recognise and welcome, and it is the story as usual here. The Oceanides was described as `very strange' by Beecham, but the oddly-named Night Ride and Sunrise is stranger still, not least because its title does not seem to fit it very exactly. For me, it is one of the greatest pieces of orchestral music in the entire 20th century, surpassing even the great Oceanides, and it draws a performance of real insight and imagination from the maestro. The remastered recording is good (it is good throughout both discs) if not in the very best modern bracket, but what holds me gripped is the unusual emphasis given to the fragmentary accompaniments alongside the incessant string rhythm. I don't know what this piece is really about, if indeed it is `about' anything, but it is unique, and Dorati makes it more unique still.

If you don't think of either Sargent or Gibson as being in quite the class of Dorati, neither do I, but each has been given one of what I have just called the out-and-out masterpieces, Sargent having Pohjola's Daughter and Gibson The Bard. Each makes a very adequate showing, although I suppose there is very little room for differences of approach in the 7 minutes or so of The Bard. One thing that Gibson certainly achieved was to bring up the Scottish National Orchestra, building on Karl Rankl's foundations, to something like the level it has now attained, and on what little evidence we have here the job seems to have been well advanced.

Good editorial judgment has been shown in kicking off this recital with the astonishing Luonnotar. If you do not know it (or even if you do, I suppose) it is a setting for soprano and orchestra of the creation myth in the Kalavela. I own a fine LP account of it, but I was keen to have it on cd, and this performance is just plain superlative. The soloist is Gwyneth Jones, the sound is just about ideal, and the effect is mesmerising. The Finnish words are not provided here, but I know them from my LP. As for the songs with piano, they are also beautifully done, but unless your Swedish is up to it you will have to research what precise sentiments being expressed in song. The titles (in English) give you a fair idea, but you may or may not know that Sibelius held the unusual opinion that it was not necessary to understand musical texts. Interesting, but I don't see it as a reviewer's job to take a firm stance on the issue one way or the other. Starting with the creation myth and finishing with the Black Roses, these two discs are otherwise orchestral all the way. A very artistic and interesting way to present a portrait of Sibelius.

The recordings here have all been carefully remastered so that sound levels and quality hardly vary despite different recording dates and venues. The strings of the Scottish National Orchestra are a little thin as compared with those of the Vienna Philharmonic but that is only to be expected.

I greatly enjoyed all the items on these discs, in particular those conducted by Sir Malcolm Sargent.I often feel this conductor was seriously underrated, yet he was on this evidence (45 minutes of music) an outstanding Sibelius conductor. Indeed, he visited the composer on several occasions and was conducting the 5th Symphony in Helsinki when Sibelius died from a stroke. Sargent had been invited to record a complete cycle of the symphonies but EMI decided that such a project was not viable with the composer dead. What a shame!

Altogether, this is a splendid bargain both for seasoned Sibelians and for those setting out on the discovery of, in my view, the greatest composer of the last century.

Its unusual over in just a 2 disc set to get three conductors, 4 orchestras, 2 singers and a pianist! I'm not sure this is as well constructed an anthology as another reviewer believes. Musically at its finest it is 5* excellent - the Luonnatar is stunning and I always enjoy Alexander Gibson and his trusty Scottish orchestra in Sibelius. For me the big let down is Sargent - Karelia bustles along far too quickly - where's the swagger and pomp. Neither is the VPO caught in great sound. The famous Cor Anglais solo in The Swan of Tuonela is not an attractive sound but Finlandia is better. For my money at this price point this Decca anthology Sibelius: Finlandia/Karelia is all round stronger with more equally modern sound - Pohjola's Daughter was recorded as long ago as 1958 (but actually sounds OK!). Interesting for price available in the Marketplace but by no means a first choice.