Jean SIBELIUS (1857-1956)
Kuolema - complete incidental music Op. 44 [24:14]
King Kristian II – complete incidental music, Op. 27 [35:19];
Overture in A minor [6:58]
Two Songs from Shakespeare's Twelfth Night Op. 60 [4:44]
Pia Pajala (soprano); Waltteri Torikka (baritone)
Turku Philharmonic Orchestra/Leif Segerstam
rec. Turku Concert Hall, Finland, 2014
NAXOS 8.573299 [71:16]
Jean SIBELIUS (1857-1956)
Belshazzar’s Feast [21:28]
Cortège [6:49]
Overture in E major [11:41]
Scène de ballet [7:59]
Menuetto [5;45]
Processional [4:24]
The Language of the Birds: Wedding March [4:55]
Pia Pajala (soprano)
Turku Philharmonic Orchestra/Leif Segerstam
rec. Turku Concert Hall, Finland, 2014
NAXOS 8.573300 [63:01]
Naxos should be congratulated for bringing these recordings
into the Sibelius discography. The Finnish conductor Leif Segerstam is a master
of this repertoire and he draws some wonderful sounds from the Turku Philharmonic
Orchestra. They really excel in the hushed, poignant and delicate passages
and Segerstam also generates plenty of power and excitement when required.
The sound quality is excellent on both discs, the only criticism being the
lack of headroom in the loudest passages. A little more air might have helped
and the sound is slightly cramped but this is a minor quibble in the great
scheme of things.
Turning now to the music, 8.573299 starts with the rather insubstantial Overture
in A minor which does sound like a bit of rushed job with the sections
copied and pasted together with little sense of formality. It also ends rather
abruptly. The opening movement of Kuolema was to find fame as Valse
Triste and here we have the lugubrious tune stretched to its limits without
falling apart. For me it is just too slow but the orchestra is committed to
the conductor’s vision of the piece. Paavali’s Song is
Russian in feeling and Waltteri Torikka delivers it with enthusiasm and no
want of emotion. Elsa’s Song is a beautiful elegiac piece with
its use of soprano to add vocal colour. Elsa’s Song and the
following Cranes were later published by the composer under the title
of Scene with Cranes. A dramatic Moderato with typical Sibelian
string writing leads to a final Andante with a shimmering En
Saga-like opening and 50 seconds worth of tolling bells bringing the
music to a strange conclusion. The Two Songs from Twelfth Night are
set in Swedish and are a most peculiar coupling, one song being about death,
the other one comical and lively. Both receive excellent performances from
Waltteri Torikka. The King Kristian II Suite is well-known and represents
Sibelius as a master of tuneful, light music. All the movements of the suite
are included here but in a different order: a wonderful Grieg-like Elegy,
the quirky Musette and the ravishing Nocturne being the
high points. There is also the oddly named but attractive Fool’s
Song of the Spider as something of a novelty.
The second disc, 8.573300 also starts with another pretty forgettable overture.
This time it is the one in E major from 1891. It is similar in nature to the
Karelia Overture without, unfortunately, the memorable tunes. Structurally
it is way in advance of the Overture in A minor but is far too long
at nearly 12 minutes. Scène de ballet was also written in 1891 and
it is a far more satisfying piece than the overture. Here we have a nightmarish
waltz with castanets, swirling winds and sinister undercurrents weaving their
spells underneath a glamorous, schmaltzy waltz. It’s a discovery for
me and I found it very enjoyable. Belshazzar’s Feast contains
some glorious music. The opening alla marcia conjures up a magical
Eastern procession and then Sibelius gives us a spell-binding nocturne with
its enchanting flute solo, played to perfection here. The Song of the
Jewish Girl, with its gently rocking accompaniment is sung here by Pia
Pajala. This is simple music with instant emotional appeal. In the ensuing
orchestral movements the orient is never far away and we then come to the
place where the famous writing on the wall Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharsin
makes its appearance. The Dance of Life returns briefly for a second
time but this is soon snuffed out and the music becomes agitated and melancholic.
This wonderful incidental music comes to a close with a second version of
the Dance of Death. The Wedding March is a curiosity indeed.
It is dramatic and atmospheric but bears little resemblance to a march so
don’t expect Mendelssohn. Cortège
is a lively good-humoured polonaise, later used in the composer’s Scènes
Historiques. The disc finishes with a pretty Menuetto and a
rousing, string laden Processional.
These are two exceptional Sibelius discs containing a number of rarities coupled
with performances of Kuolema, King Kristian II and Belshazzar’s
Feast that are as good as any available. I hope that Naxos will continue
with further instalments from this team of superb Sibelians.
John Whitmore
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