Thomas Sondergård and the BBC National Orchestra
of Wales lit up the 2013 Proms with a fiery performance of Shostakovich’s
Eleventh Symphony,
The Year 1905. They also gave a well-received
account of Sibelius's Fifth the following season (
review).
Paul Corfield Godfrey thought highly of their Sibelius First and Sixth,
played in Cardiff last December (
review).
He even suggested that Sondergård and the BBCNOW’s Sibelius, once
recorded, would be very competitive indeed. Brave words, given the quality
of the competition, not least Osmo Vänskä and the Lahti Symphony’s
BIS set (
review).
Vänskä has since embarked on another Sibelius cycle for BIS, this time
with the Minnesota Orchestra. I’ve reviewed the
First
and Fourth and
Second
and Fifth from that series, and while there are things to admire
those performances don’t begin to challenge Vänskä’s earlier
traversal. Not surprisingly the 150th anniversary of Sibelius’s
birth has given rise to another set, this time from fellow Finn John
Storgårds and the BBC Philharmonic (Chandos CHAN 10809). This is very
likely to be the prelude to a Nielsen cycle which, if the live broadcasts
are anything to go by, should be well worth hearing.
As we’re dealing with high-res downloads here I’ve chosen
to cherry-pick the Second and Seventh symphonies from the Storgårds
set and audition them alongside Sondergård’s accounts. Purely
in terms of value for money that doesn’t make a lot of sense –
the comparatively high price of individual tracks means my selection
cost more than £20 – but musically it promises to be an intriguing
exercise.
Sondergård’s Sibelius 2 starts off well enough, although that
surging tune isn’t quite as arresting as it can be; what follows
is well played but rather episodic, which is probably why those trademark
tuttis don’t feel as inevitable or as imposing as usual. Storgårds,
weightier and more analytically recorded, isn’t ideal here either;
at least he sounds cumulative/purposeful. At this early stage both conductors
are just too hesitant in music that needs to be shaped and projected
more confidently than this. Storgårds has the better sound, especially
in the bass; the Linn recording is surprisingly unfocused at the lower
end, and the climaxes are somewhat brazen at times.
Hitting his stride at last Storgårds gives us a suitably emphatic second
movement – what vigorous
pizzicati – and that puts
him firmly out in front. There’s urgency and drama aplenty, which
in turn creates a very compelling narrative. Also, the BBC Philharmonic
- at their unanimous best - deliver a big, well-blended 'Sibelius sound'.
Alas, the BBCNOW don't have the same weight or presence and Sondergård
doesn'to pace or shape the music nearly so well; indeed, there’s
a curious, rather fitful quality to the latter's reading that I find
most distracting. His
Vivacissimo offers more of the same,
with a mix of wild lunges and more successful descents into inwardness
and lyricism. Any flashes of insight – as welcome as they are
– merely underline how much tension and incident is missing from
Sondergård’s performance thus far.
Gaining in confidence as he goes Storgårds does a splendid job with
the last two movements of Sibelius 2. It's impossible not to be caught
up in the tumult; as for the BBC Phil they play with enormous passion
and bite in the big moments and with melting tenderness in the quieter
ones. There’s a volatility here that seems entirely apt, and Storgårds
punctuates his big, bold paragraphs with a clarity and confidence that
Sondergård simply cannot match. Storgårds’
Finale –
now grand, now quirky – is superbly paced and scaled; not only
that, he builds up to those perorations with an implacability that’s
sorely lacking with Sondergård. And goodness, the BBC Phil brass at
the close are just magnificent, crowning a very fine performance indeed.
What does Sondergård make of Sibelius’s last completed symphony?
He zeroes in on its darker elements, its swirls and eddies, and there’s
a liberating sense of continuity and character that you won’t
find in his account of the Second. The Welsh strings are eloquent and
there’s a spaciousness to the reading that’s most appealing.
Now this is more like it; there’s nobility and breadth, ardour
and inwardness, and that helps to forge a landscape of great variety
and imagination. Sondergård also emphasises the symphony’s skittish
qualities, and his players seem rather more at ease with this symphony
than the last.
Now Storgårds is the one who’s found wanting, for while his is
a gentler and more reflective Seventh it doesn’t have the grip
and stoicism that one gets with Sondergård. In making amends for his
lacklustre Second Sondergård demonstrates that he
does have
something worthwhile to say about this composer. Indeed, his fine Seventh
has renewed my desire to hear more Sibelius from this source. Sonically,
though, Linn must yield to Chandos, whose recording has greater depth,
finesse and a more subtle colour palette. Besides, the all-important
timps and tuttis are far more visceral here than they are for Linn.
Sondergård compensates for a tentative Second with a vital, strongly
characterised Seventh; Linn’s recording is surprisingly variable,
though.
Dan Morgan
twitter.com/mahlerei
