Jean SIBELIUS (1865-1957)
Pohjola’s Daughter, Op. 49 [13:13]
The Oceanides, Op. 73* [10:23]
Symphony No. 2 in D, Op. 43** [46:44]
Hallé/Sir Mark Elder
rec. 4 February 2007, Bridgewater Hall, Manchester; *2 August 2006, BBC Studio
7, Manchester; ** in concert 19-20 September 2012, Bridgewater Hall, Manchester.
HALLÉ CD HLL 7526 [70:59]
This, I believe, is the second Sibelius disc to come from Sir Mark Elder and
the Hallé. The first one, which I missed, coupled the First and Third Symphonies.
I see from Michael Greenhalgh’s review
that the First Symphony came from the same sessions that produced the present
account of The Oceanides.
No British orchestra is better qualified than the Hallé when it comes to the
Second Symphony because it was they, under Hans Richter, who gave its first
UK performance back in 1905. Over a century later the present-day orchestra
and their current chief conductor give a fine account here. I wondered if
the performance was a little understated at first but, on reflection, this
is deceptive. From 5:20 the turbulence in the music is well conveyed and it’s
clear that Elder has a firm grip on the score, building to a climax (7:20
-7:35) in which the craggy grandeur of the brass is impressive.
The second movement is, for me, the core of the work. The opening here has
a legendary feel, the bassoons and pizzicato low strings producing a suitably
grainy sound. Elder seems fully in tune with the true essence of the music
and his orchestra plays it very well indeed. The music glows darkly with evident
undercurrents and the climax (8:21 – 9:35) is very imposing. This is a fine,
searching reading. There’s excellent drive in the scherzo though I’m just
a little bit thoughtful about the trio, which is taken pretty expansively.
The performance of the finale is exciting. Elder blends grandeur and dynamism
expertly, and the last few minutes, as he builds up to the majestic conclusion,
are very impressive. The peroration is very broadly conceived and while there’s
no denying its majesty, I wonder if this treatment might work better live
in the concert hall than repeatedly on disc. However, the spirit
of the music is most definitely conveyed both here and throughout the symphony.
Leaving aside my minor caveats about aspects of the last two movements – caveats
which others may not share – this is a very impressive reading.
The two tone poems are presented in studio recordings. Pohjola’s Daughter
is a fine piece though I was interested to read in Stephen Johnson’s characteristically
informative notes that Sibelius didn’t decide on the story-line until composition
of the music was under way. The present performance starts well with a good,
brooding opening and the subsequent faster music has plenty of drive. Two
things particularly impress me about this performance. One is how well Elder
realises the composer’s intentions as regards the often-spare textures. The
other is the sheer excitement of the fiery passages in which the Hallé brass
play with no little potency, their music underpinned by driving string figurations.
Stephen Johnson describes the piece as “a compact, gripping experience” and
that’s what Sir Mark and his fine orchestra makes it. The hushed, mysterious
ending is very well done; the music seems to vanish into thin air.
They’re no less successful with The Oceanides. This isn’t heard as
often as it should be. Mind you, I find it an elusive piece, both musically
and intellectually. There’s some admirable flute playing in the opening pages
of this performance, very suggestive of carolling seabirds. Indeed, throughout
the performance the Hallé woodwinds play very well – the clarinets are on
fine form. Elder and his players distil a fine atmosphere. The climax (7:30
– 9:00) is as implacable as anything in
Tapiola and hereabouts the swirling harp part is a stroke of genius
on the part of the composer, brilliantly suggesting eddying currents.
So, there are three admirable Sibelius performances here. The orchestral playing
throughout matches the very high standards that we’ve come to expect from
this team. The recording is good. The sound in The Oceanides is obviously
from a different acoustic and the orchestra is placed a little more closely
than is the case for the Bridgewater Hall recordings. The symphony was set
down in the presence of an audience and they’re commendably quiet; there is
applause at the end.
This is another excellent addition to the Elder/Hallé discography. I hope
that the remaining Sibelius symphonies will follow and I must catch up with
the previous instalment.
John Quinn
Another excellent addition to the Elder/Hallé discography.
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