Jean Sibelius (1865-1957)
Complete Symphonies
Utah Symphony/Maurice Abravanel
rec. 1977, Mormon Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, USA
Musical Concepts MC132 [3 CDs: 222]
Still available on the Musical Concepts label, this bargain set remastered in excellent analogue sound offers all seven of Sibelius symphonies on three CDs such that you don’t have to change CD mid-symphony. I was prompted to re-visit it having just listened to Colin Davis classic set with the Boston Symphony and having also relatively recently reviewed accounts by Rouvali (review ~ review) and Anthony Collins (review ~ review), I wondered whether it still compared with those and the likes of Karajan and Ormandy. Rob Barnett favourably reviewed this on MWI in its original Vanguard Records release back in the year 2000 and although he expressed reservations about the Seventh, in general, I think it has worn very well.
In no sense does the Utah Symphony sound “provincial”; the dexterity of their strings in presto passages is admirable and the prominence of their woodwind is especially conducive to creating an authentically Sibelian soundworld; the finale of the First is especially gripping and virtuosic. It is paired on the first disc with the grim, enigmatic Fourth, whose prevailingly spiky, jumpy melodic intervals are vividly delineated but the more lyrical interludes are also warmly played and the restless finale has a compelling momentum about it – and an interesting feature is the use of tubular bells instead of the glockenspiel as per Sibelius’ score – surely somewhat compromising the haunting effect he envisaged.
The Second is genially played; perhaps at times some of the tension generated in other accounts is lacking in favour of a smoother lyricism but it is so “musical “ – if you will excuse the vague term; everything is “right” without exaggeration or artifice. Every mood is fully and sensitively realised, from the coiled, stuttering tension of the opening movement to the moody, menacing, pizzicato mutterings of the second movement – the brass and woodwind are especially good towards the end – to the scuttling frenzy of the Vivacissimo scherzo and its brief bucolic intermezzo to the noble, epic Romanticism of the finale.
The Third might be the best performance here; from the gritty bite of the lower strings in the opening of the first movement, through the drive and energy of the moto perpetuo development punctuated by the shrill gusts from the flutes to the grand close, Abravanel paces it all beautifully. The mysterious Andantino has an engaging lift and lilt, hovering between rustic charm and a slight eeriness; the finale has spring and momentum, building cunningly and inexorably to an exhilarating climax enhanced by some nice work from the horns.
The sound of the Utah Symphony might not be as sumptuous as the Dresden, Leipzig or Berlin orchestras but it is lush enough for this predominately lean, spare music, when required.
The final three symphonies are all on the one disc. The Fifth is first grand and broody, then I particularly admire Abravanel’s control and gradation of tempi and metre; he manages the transition around seven and eight minutes into the movement with as much skill and subtlety as any conductor I have heard – and the coda is thrilling. The little pizzicato Andante with chirruping flutes is first elegantly executed then gradually accelerates and decelerates very satisfyingly under Abravanel’s control. The whirling finale is played very fast – indeed, faster than almost any other recording I know, even more than Collins’ – and with considerable virtuosity but concludes imposingly, the pauses beautifully calculated.
There is a purity and clarity about the opening to the Sixth here which augurs well for the whole performance and so it proves. Abravanel allows much of the instrumental detail to emerge and there is something of Karajan’s intensity in his approach but this is a still a light, tripping account, sparkling with Nordic light. The second movement is steady and gnomic; Abravanel does not try to over-Romanticise this peculiar, enigmatic music but lets it unfold and leaves the question hanging in the air. The punchy little staccato phrases in the short Scherzo are similarly delivered with a very light hand and is over almost before it has started. The restless finale at first trips and lilts deceptively, almost apologetically, but gains in power and momentum; once again, it seems to me that Abravanel has an entirely cogent overview of the movement’s structure.
That organic integrity is of course a quality crucial to a successful performance of the Seventh and for me, any recording must be measured against Ormandy’s superb version with his Philadelphia orchestra. RB describes Abravanel’s No. 7 as “quite broad (sometimes drowsy and morose)” but this is nonetheless again one of the swifter recordings in the catalogue and his perception is perhaps explained by the contrast between the effect of the first six or seven minutes as opposed to that of the whole twenty-one, as Abravanel begins quite cautiously but becomes far swifter and more animated at the marking “Un pochett[ino] meno adagio (a little bit less slowly) on the rising theme from the oboe leading into the Vivacissimo section, and from then on the pace is propulsive. For me, the main drawback here is not Abravanel’s management of tempi but the lack of sonority in the orchestral playing compared with the bands from Philadelphia and Berlin. The playing is very good but not sumptuous, but with the resumption of “Aino” theme at 17:24, the last four minutes have a real nobility to them; the exaggeration of the brass whoop at 18:44 is something I have not heard elsewhere and a real coup de théâtre.
Brief but pithy and pertinent notes by Nicholas Slominsky are a decided asset, helping the listener to appreciate Sibelius’ intentions. The whole set might not be an absolute top recommendation but can be viewed as either a highly affordable and attractive introduction to Sibelius’ symphonic world for the novice or a valuable supplement for the seasoned collector.
Ralph Moore
Previous reviews: Rob Barnett May 2000 (Vanguard Classics) ~ February 2012 (Musical Concepts)
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