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Review by Edvin June 6, 2006
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Performance: Sonics (MC): |
Great music. If you are only familiar with a few of the symphonies and Finlandia you are in for a surprise. This is small scale Sibelius, no, this is intimate Sibelius.
These pieces have all been recorded before and my first question is why Ondine and Kuusisto chose to leave out the Serious Melodies op. 77, the Cantique and Devotion. The excellent violinist Dong-Suk Kang included them on his marvellous recording for BIS with Neeme Järvi.
The Finns have an enormous problem when it comes to Sibelius. For some reason they haven´t produced a really great symphony cycle on record ever, the best being the one Saraste made for RCA. The violinist and conductor Pekka Kuusisto is an alert and sensitive musician here, but still, as a Finn he has so much to prove. If you don´t know this music you will have a field day, the playing of the orchestra is very fine and the soloist is as good as they come. The only problem is that Kang and Neeme Järvi made this music sound more natural and actually, original whilst thriving for a more even flow. This new recording is a bit seeking for a surface originality. Here the no 5 sounds more like an Hungarian Dance.
Thr margins are small. The Swanwhite suite is efficient, well played and rather devoid of poetry. It is matter of fact. I am so sorry that I cannot be more positive about this issue, one that I had such high hopes for. But the music is there and you may have another experience.
The orchestra is small and is well captured by the technicians. But as an over all sacd this is not top notch.
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