Sibelius at 150 (Part 1): The Symphonies; 14 Great Integral Sets

December 8, 2015 marks the 150th anniversary of Sibelius' birth, and record labels great and small from around the world are pulling out all the stops to celebrate. The year to date has already witnessed a number of important re-issues, and the next two months will undoubtedly see a veritable flood of  issues both new and renewed. Among the more intriguing offerings announced so far: (1) The Berlin Philharmonic under Sir Simon Rattle has released an all-new cycle on its own label. (2) Decca has issued an 11-disc box set entitled Sibelius: Great Performances which includes the truly great classic early-50s mono recordings of the symphonies by Anthony Collins. (3) Universal has announced plans to issue a 14-disc collection of recordings from the DG and Decca vaults as The Sibelius Edition, featuring some of the marvelous tone-poem interpretations Okko Kamu recorded for DG in the 1970s with the Helsinki Radio Symphony Orchestra, as well as the familiar readings of the later symphonies by Karjan and the Berlin Philharmonic, along with a number of interesting lesser-known works. (4) Meanwhile, Warner Classics has gotten a jump on the festivities with a 7-CD box of Historical Recordings and Rarities, 1928-1948 which includes spruced up re-issues of the 30s-era Sibelius Society recordings (still also available on a series of Naxos discs) and interpretations by Robert Kajanus, Sir Thomas Beecham, and Serge Koussevitzky among others.  (5) I am delighted to see that Decca also plans to re-issue the magnificent mid-60s symphonic cycle by Lorin Maazel with the Vienna Philharmonic, superseding the 1991 issue (see #3 below)  in new, thoroughly up-to-date  remastered sound, with a bonus Blu-Ray disc along with the regular CDs in the box. I hold out hope that BIS will see its way clear to re-issue its massive, magnificent 13-box Sibelius Edition from 2011, a virtual treasure chest featuring interpretations of every note the composer ever set down in many of that label's finest recordings from over the last three decades, several of which approach the definitive.

I hope to hear all these sets by early December, although this may be something of a tall order seeing as how I have to buy whatever I review on CFTBB--it's the only way I've found to maintain editorial independence and stay honest in a world where the major labels push for glowingly positive "service reviews" at every turn, and shut out critics who won't play ball. The present post will be the first of several marking this important jubilee, and I thought it would be appropriate as well as interesting to offer an overview of some of the great Sibelius symphonic cycles on record. The following list, based on my own present collection, is in no way all-inclusive, nor is it intended to be. (Partial cycles and stand-alone performances are not listed.) In a later post I hope to compile a list of my all-time favorite performances of each individual symphony and tone poem plus the violin concerto and a few other works, too.

Sibelius: The Seven Symphonies

1.
Decca (Eloquence) 442 9490 (2-CD set) (2007 re-issue)
Symphonies 1, 2, 3, 4
Decca (Eloquence) 442 9493 (2-CD set) (2007 re-issue)
Symphonies 5, 6, 7; Pohjola's Daughter; Night Ride & Sundrise etc.
Anthony Collins/London Symphony Orchestra

These outstanding recordings were made between 1952 and 1956 in Decca's then state-of-the art mono. This remains one of the great benchmark cycles of the 20th century. Australian Universal's re-issue is eminently apt and thoroughly welcome.

2.
Warner Classics (ex-EMI) 50999 9 84706 2 4 (5-CD box set) (2000 re-issue)
Symphonies 1-7; Tone Poems
John Barbirolli/Hallé Orchestra

Barbirolli's sympathetically idiomatic cycle was recorded between 1966 and 1969, and here sounds better than ever.

3.
London (Decca) 430 778-2 (3-CD set) (1991 re-issue)
Symphonies 1-7
Lorin Maazel/Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra

Maazel captures the stark dignity and tuneful seriousness of this music like few others. Especially impressive is his icy, existentially profound take on the Fourth. This cycle was recorded between 1964 and 1968.

4. 
Sony 88875026142 (7-CD box set) (2015 compilation)
Bernstein Sibelius Remastered Edition
Symphonies 1-7; Violin Concerto; Tone Poems etc.
Leonard Bernstein/New York Philharmonic Orchestra

Typically idiosyncratic, often lacking dynamic subtlety, but never ever boring, Bernstein's populist approach to Sibelius is still well-worth the occasional listen. This cycle was originally recorded for CBS Masterworks between 1961 and 1967, but only released as an integral set in 1968. The remastered sound is superb, and the packaging, which includes extensive, detailed discographical information, is nothing short of magnificent.

5.
Warner Classics 50999 9 73600 2 5 (4-CD set) (2013 re-issue)
Symphonies 1-7; Tone Poems
Paavo Berglund/Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra

Recordings from 1972-1977. Thoroughly inside the idiom, Berglund leads one of the most engaging Sixths ever. A very fine serviceable cycle overall though the sonics are not always the finest.

6.
Decca (ex-Philips) 478 3696 (5-CD box set) (2012 compilation)
Symphonies 1-7; Violin Concerto; Tone Poems
Colin Davis/Boston Symphony Orchestra et al.

Davis' first (and still-unmatched) traversal of the Sibelius symphonies for Philips dates from 1975-77. Seldom has there been a more lucid, purposeful performance of the Fourth, demonstrating such a clear understanding of the spatial aspects of the music or offering such single-minded elucidation of the composer's epic long lines. The same principles are vividly on display in the other symphonies as well. Decca's generous, warm remastering of the original magnificent-sounding Philips recordings is absolutely first rate. The sound is powerful, richly detailed, and clear.

7.
Decca 473-590-2 (5-CD box set) (2003 compilation)
Symphonies 1-7; Violin Concerto; Tone Poems etc.
Vladimir Ashkenazy/Philharmonia Orchestra et al.

Ashkenazy's early digital cycle from 1980-86 is impressively dynamic yet also often profoundly introspective. 2003-remastered sound is greatly improved.

8.
Warner Classics 0825646198788 (4-CD set) (2015 re-issue)
Symphonies 1-7; Oceanides; Night Ride and Sunrise
Simon Rattle/City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra

Perhaps one of the most surprising and consistently engaging complete cycles in the catalog, these recordings date from 1984 to 1987. (Night Ride was recorded in 1981).

9.
(a) 
BIS CD-622/624 (4-CD set) (1994 integral set)
Symphonies 1-7
(b) 
BIS CD-221 (1984) (Symphony #1; Finlandia)
BIS CD-252 (1984) (Symphony #2; Romance) Op. 42)
BIS CD-228 (1984) (Symphony #3; King Kristian II Suite)
BIS CD-263 (1985) (Symphony #4; The Oceanides etc.)
BIS CD-222 (1984) (Symphony #5; Karelia Overture)
BIS CD-227 (1984) (Symphony #6; Pelleas et Melisande)
BIS CD-311 (1986) (Symphony #7; Night Ride and Sunrise)
Neeme Järvi/Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra

Released on seven separate CDs between 1984 and 1986, this was the first of two complete cycles Järvi would record with the excellent Gothenburg players (the second being for DG in the early 2000s (see #14)). In its day, this cycle was a sonic revelation, featuring an all-but-definitive Third as well as one of the great  Seconds on record. (I still recommend acquiring the individual discs as (1) most of the filler material has been excluded from the integral set, and (2) I do not care for multi-disc sets in plastic jewel cases (a sure recipe for damaged discs).

10.
Decca 475 7677 (4-CD set) (2006 compilation)
Symphonies 1-7; Tone Poems
Herbert Blomstedt/San Francisco Symphony Orchestra

Recorded between 1991 and 1996, Blomstedt is as tasteful. laid-back and lyrical as Bernstein is garish and over-the-top. A very fine cycle indeed, with excellent sound, and impeccable musicianship throughout. This cycle may not "grab" the listener like Jarvi, Rattle, or Bernstein, but it has many quieter, gentler virtues to be admired.

11.
(a)
RCA (Sony Masters Series) 88765431352 (7-CD box set) (2013 compilation)
Symphonies 1-7; Kullervo; Lemminkäinen Suite; Tone Poems
(b)
BMG 09026-68183-2 (1996) (Symphonies #s 1 & 4)
BMG 09026-68218-2 (1995) (Symphonies #s 2 & 6)
BMG 09026-61963-2 (1994) (Symphonies #s 3 & 5)
BMG 09026-68312-2 (2-CD set) (1997) (Symphony #7; Kullervo etc.)
Colin Davis/London Symphony Orchestra

Davis recorded this, his second complete cycle, for RCA between 1994 and 1997. The sound was superb and (as in the case of the very-fine Second) revelatory, though Sony's 2013 remastering seems indifferent at best, and Davis' idiosyncratic tempi and spatial gimmickry in the Fourth definitely do not endear, especially in comparison with his earlier 70s-era readings for Philips (see #6).

12
(a) BIS 1286/1288 (4-CD set) (2001)
(b) BIS CD-1933/35 (Sibelius Edition Vol. 12) (5-CD box set) (2011)
Symphonies 1-7; Symphony #5 (original version);
fragments and preliminary versions (b only)
Osmo Vänskä/Lahti Symphony Orchestra

The modestly-sized (70-player) Lahti Symphony brings great transparency, textural clarity, and impeccable musicianship to this Sibelius cycle, recorded between 1995 and 1997. I am less-than convinced by some of Vänskä's tempi (the scherzo of the First, for example, seems overblown and breathlessly frenetic). Yet, these are not essentially visceral performances (as Bernstein or early Jarvi), and require some thought (as well as multiple hearings) to fully appreciate. On balance, a very fine set, though hardly as extraordinary or rich in revelations as some have insisted. I highly recommend seeking out the 2011 Sibelius Edition box set, as it includes a fascinating disc of fully orchestrated fragments and alternate (preliminary) versions.

13.
Ondine ODE 1075-2Q (4-CD box set) (2005)
Symphonies 1-7; Violin Concerto; Finlandia (choral version)
Leif Segerstam/Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra

Recorded in 1996 and originally released in 2003, these very-interesting, often-powerful performances have much to offer the serious listener. It would be hard to match these readings for their sheer infectious enthusiasm, and patriotic commitment, although I find Segerstam's Fourth disappointingly indifferent. Coupled with one of the truly great performances of the Violin Concerto--perhaps the best since Heifitz.

14.
Deutsche Gramophone 477 6654 (7-CD box set) (2007 compilation)
Symphonies 1-7; Tone Poems etc.
Neeme Järvi/Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra

Järvi's second complete cycle was originally issued on super-audio CD in 2005. The tone poems and incidental works were recorded between  1996-2000. These very serviceable readings do seem to lack the energy of Jarvi's 1984-86 BIS cycle, though there are moments of genuine grandeur and delectation--and the sound is the best presently to be had on standard CD. This would probably be the set I'd recommend to novice collectors on a tight budget, not only for its excellent sonics, but for the diverse abundance of music at a very reasonable price.

Karl Böhm: Late Recordings and The Symphonies

DG 479 4371 (23-disc set) (2015)
Karl Böhm Late Recordings: Vienna, London, Dresden
Works by Beethoven, Bruckner, Haydn. Mozart, Schubert, Schumann, Dvorak, Johann Strauss, Richard Strauss, Tchaikovsky, Wagner
Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra (VPO)
Staatskapelle Dresden (SD)
London Symphony Orchestra (LSO)
Karl Böhm

DG 0289 480 7484 6 (22-disc set) (2013)
Beethoven, Brahms, Mozart, Schubert: The Symphonies, Karl Böhm 
Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra (VPO) (Beethoven, Brahms)
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra (BPO) (Mozart, Schubert) 
Karl Böhm 



Karl Böhm Late Recordings will be of interest primarily to die-hard fans of the great Austrian maestro. Released in 2015 with superbly mastered sound, this 23-disc set includes recordings made for Deutsche Gramophone between 1970 and 1982 with the Vienna Philharmonic (VPO), Staatskappelle Dresden (SD) and the London Symphony Orchestra (LSO). The set comes in a sturdy, elegantly lithographed two-piece "cube" (box and removable lid) with each disc in its own discretely illustrated cardboard sleeve. A glossy 60-page booklet contains a complete table of contents along with some limited discographical information, texts, translations, and a biographical essay by Christoph Schlüren.

This new box set makes an interesting, if not necessarily essential companion to DG's earlier Symphonies compilation from 2013. Together, the two collections offer a broad overview of Böhm's symphonic output for Deutsche Gramaphone between 1960 and 1982. An incomplete portrait of the artist as it turns out, since they do not also include the conductor's near-legendary readings of opera by Mozart, Beethoven, Wagner and Berg. (Might a third box be on the way?) There are a few instances of repertory overlap between the two sets (Beethoven, Schubert, Mozart), but not so many as to render either anthology redundant.

I would hasten to point out that there are no examples of a truly "bad" performance among the late recordings. On his worst, most unexceptional days, Böhm was serviceably adequate in the studio. And on his good days (a few of which are captured here) he was great, indeed. Highlights (for me) include the stunning, heart-stopping, effervescent readings of Wagner overtures and preludes (discs 22-23), a marvelously dark, lyrically mannered Schumann 4th (disc 14), a genuinely great performances of  the Mozart Requiem (disc 13), and a powerful and pleasingly idiomatic rendition of Richard Strauss' Ein Heldenleben  (disc 18).  The last three symphonies of Tchaikovsky come as a pleasant surprise (discs 19-21), as do a thoughtful and probing pair of Bruckner symphonies (the 7th and 8th) with the VPO (discs 5-6). A handful of Haydn symphonies are lithe and lively (discs 7-8), as are the charming, full-bodied performances of Mozart's Eine Kleine Nachtmusik and Sinfonia Concertante for winds K 297 (disc 12).

More problematic for me are the early digital recordings of Beethoven, The 9th Symphony (disc 1), though featuring some gorgeous ensemble singing, in no way surpasses Böhm's halcyon 1970 reading. Again, it's not "bad", but (to my ears) there is an indifferent feel to the phrasing in the first three movements. The recorded choral sound in the Missa Solemnis (discs 3-4) seems muddy and distant, though, again, Böhm's vocal quartet transcends the admirable. I was disappointed by the rather threadbare collection of Beethoven overtures on disc 2, nice as the performances may be; could DG not find additional filler material to extend the timing beyond a meager 41 minutes?

The later recordings of Mozart and Schubert, while not "terrible", do not stand up particularly well by comparison with the better-known readings from the 60s found in the Symphonies box. The more-recent digital Mozart with the VPO is generally well-paced and energetic, but there is a noticeable lack of subtlety in articulation, and one sorely misses the dramatic momentum and purposefulness of the older Berlin Philharmonic recordings. Likewise, the readings of Schubert from the late 70s and early 80s lack the magic, the lyric buoyancy and zest of  Böhm's "classic" cycle with Berlin. 

The Symphonies set from 2013 is wholeheartedly recommended, notwithstanding the disappointingly lackluster Brahms cycle. Perhaps a bit less focused and thus not quite as satisfying overall, Late Recordings is nonetheless recommended to all Böhm complete-ists.

Karl Böhm Late Recordings: Vienna, London, Dresden

DISC 1
Beethoven: Symphony #9 in d minor Op. 125 "Choral"
Jessye Norman (soprano); Birgitte Faessbender (alto)
Placido Domingo (tenor; Walter Berry (bass)
Vienna State Opera Chorus
VPO (1981)

DISC 2
Beethoven: Overtures
Egmont Op. 84; Coriolon Op. 62
The Creatures of Prometheus Op. 43
VPO (1972)
Fidelio Op. 72b; Leonore III Op. 72a
SD (1969)

DISCS 3-4
Beethoven: Missa Solemnis Op. 123
Margaret Price (soprano), Christa Ludwig (alto)
Wieslaw Ochman (tenor), Martii Talvela (bass)
Vienna State Opera Chorus
VPO (1975)

DISC 5
Bruckner: Symphony #7 in E major
VPO (1977)

DISC 6
Bruckner: Symphony #8 in c minor
VPO (1977)

DISC 7
Haydn: Symphony #88 in G major Hob I:88
Symphony #89 in F major Hob I: 89
VPO (1973)
Symphony #90 in C major Hob I: 90
VPO (1974)

DISC 8
Haydn: Symphony #91 in E-flat major Hob I: 91
VPO (1975)
Symphony #92 in G major Hob I: 92
Sinfonia Concertante in B-flat major Hob I: 105
VPO (1974)

DISC 9
Mozart: Symphony #29 in A major K 201
Symphony #35 in D major "Haffner" K 385
Masonic Funeral Music K 477
VPO (1981)

DISC 10
Mozart: Symphony #38 in D major "Prague" K 504
Symphony #39 in E-flat major K 543
VPO (1979)

DISC 11
Mozart: Symphony #40 in g minor K 550
Symphony #41 in C major "Jupiter" K 551
VPO (1977)

DISC 12
Mozart: Eine Kleine Nachtmusik in G major K 525
Sinfonia Concertante for Winds in E-flat major K 297b
VPO (1976)

DISC 13
Mozart: Requiem in d minor K 626
Edith Mathis (soprano), Julia Hamari (contralto)
Wieslaw Ochman (tenor), Karl Ridderbusch (bass)
Vienna State Opera Chorus
VPO (1971)

DISC 14
Schumann: Symphony #4 in d minor Op. 120
Schubert: Symphony #5 in B-flat major D 485
VPO (1980)

DISC 15
Schubert: Symphony #8 in b minor "Unfinished" D 759
VPO (1982)
Dvorak: Symphony #9 in e minor Op. 95 "From the New World"
VPO (1979)

DISC 16
Schubert: Symphony #9 in C major "The Great" D 944
SD (1979)

DISC 17
Johann Strauss Jr.: Waltzes and Polkas
VPO (1973)

DISC 18
Richard Strauss: Ein Heldenleben Op. 40
VPO (1977)

DISC 19
Tchaikovsky: Symphony #4 in f minor Op. 36
LSO (1978)

DISC 20
Tchaikovsky: Symphony #5 in e minor Op. 64
LSO (1981)

DISC 21
Tchaikovsky: Symphony #6 in b minor Op. 74 "Pathétique"
LSO (1979)

DISC 22
Wagner: Overtures and Preludes
(Rienzi; Tanhäuser; Die Meistersinger von Nürnburg; Parsifal)
VPO (1979)

DISC 23
Wagner: Overtures and Preludes
(Der fliegende Holländer; Lohengrin (Act I, Act III); Tristan und Isolde (Act I)
Isoldes Liebestod)
VPO (1981)

Apropos 9 August, 1975: Shostakovich, Rostrapovich and Temirkanov

Warner Classics 2564 64177-2 (2007 compilation)
Shostakovich: Complete Symphonies
Galina Vishnevskaya (soprano) (Symphony #14)
Nicola Ghiuselev (bass) (Symphony #13)
Mark Reshitin (bass) (Symphony #14)
London Voices (Symphonies #s 2 & 3)
Men of the Choral Arts Society of Washington (Symphony #13)
National Symphony Orchestra
London Symphony Orchestra
Academic Symphony Orchestra, Moscow
Mistislav Rostrapovich


This 12-disc set from 2007 brings together recordings made between 1973 and 1997 with at least three different orchestras for as many labels. The performances run a fairly steep gamut from a lackluster, yawn-inducing 8th (with the LSO from 1992 for TelDec/Erato), to the brilliant, stunning 14th, perhaps the greatest performance of a Shostakovich symphony every committed to disc.

Rostrapovich's classic--and still unequaled-- 1973 reading of the 14th with his wife, soprano Galina Vishnevskaya, bass Mark Reshitin, and  the Academic Symphony Orchestra of Moscow originally appeared on the old Soviet Melodiya label, subsequently re-issued in the US on a CBS/Melodiya LP (M 34507 (1977)) and on CD first by Melodiya (SUCD 10-00241) in 1991 just before the breakup of the USSR, and later on the obscure Revelation label (RV 10101 (1998))--a poor transfer at best.

I cannot complain about Warner Classics' transfer; it is probably as good as it's possible to get, although still vexed by the original recording's odd acoustic quirks and sometimes-jarring spatial perspective, the tape hiss is mostly gone, and the performances are still as unforgettably passionate, fiery, driven, and utterly electrifying as when first committed to tape over forty years ago. (Complete-ists and sticklers for historical detail may be interested to note that Benjamin Britten conducted a live performance of the 14th with the same soloists and the English Chamber Orchestra two years prior to the Melodyia recording, on 14 June, 1970. This performance, coupled with a 1967 reading of Britten's Nocturne Op. 60, was available for a while on the BBC Legends label (BBCB 8013-2 (1990)) and a fine performance it is, though certainly lacking that last full measure of fire Rostrapovich would so memorably bring to the work.

Other high points of the Rostrapovich integral set include what may be the best interpretation of the often-overlooked 12th Symphony from 1960--Rostrapovich's 1997 recording with the LSO goes a long way to convince me that this is more than a thematically-impoverished piece of note-spinning, but a work of genuine drama and substance. A very fine 6th, also with the LSO--and coupled with the 12th; a well-played and not-too over-the-top 5th; a superb 7th, an aptly quirky 1st, a well-paced, if a bit thin-textured, 9th, and a moving, heartfelt 13th with the National Symphony of Washington D.C., which gets one of the best performances on record, worthy to stand alongside truly great readings by Bernard Haitink (Decca), Eugene Ormandy (RCA), Neeme Jarvi (DG), and the 2014 Vasily Petrenko outing for Naxos

With the already-noted exception of the Melodiya 14th, the re-mastered sound in this set is fairly consistent from one disc to the next, notwithstanding the near-two-decade time span over which these recordings were made. Many of TelDec's original issues featured maddeningly low  dynamic levels, which often necessitated a good deal of knob-twisting; but EMI's transfer engineers seem to have addressed this issue with some success.

Attractively priced and handsomely packaged, this set will make a welcome addition to any serious collection. Die-hard Shostakovich complete-ists will want it not only for the 14th, but as a document of a great musical association between the composer and one of his most ardent interpretive champions and dearest personal friends (akin in its way to the recordings of Mahler by Bruno Walter and Otto Klemperer), but it has much to offer the classical-music beginner, and novice collector  as well.

Recommended!

Sony 88843063602 (2014)
Temirkanov conducts Shostakovich
Shostakovich: Symphonies 1, 5, 6, 7, 9, 13;
Cello Concertos 1 and 2; Concerto for Piano, Trumpet & Strings;
The Song of the Forests
Yuri Termirkanov/St. Petersburg Philharmonic etc.


Temirkanov's Shostakovich is something of an interpretive mixed bag, and while I would not go so far as to characterize any of these recordings as "essential", it's nice nonetheless to have them all together in this attractive 6-disc box-set compilation from 2014. Sony assembles all the performances Temirkanov recorded with the St. Petersburg Philharmonic for RCA/BMG in the early to mid 1990s, including six of the fifteen symphonies (#s 1, 5, 6, 7, 9, and 13), the early Concerto for Piano, Trumpet and Strings, Op. 35, and the 1948 patriotic cantata The Song of the Forests, as well as the two concertos for cello, recorded in 1988 and 1990 with soloist Natalia Gutmann and the Royal Philharmonic. As with all the sets in Sony's long-running Masters series, no notes or commentary are included, though much useful information can be found on the back of the sturdy individual cardboard sleeves in which each disc is housed.

The recorded sound in the symphonies can be a tad dry, exacerbating what comes across to my ears as a rather rough-edged orchestral quality. Temirkanov's approach is considerably less "prettified" than workmanlike and steady. His rather disappointing reading of the 1st Symphony lacks buoyancy and wit, while his performance of the 'Leningrad' seems long-winded and gratuitously bombastic (I'd recommend Vasily Petrenko's marvelous reading for Naxos instead). The 5th and 6th have a raw power to them, the performances are dramatic, thoughtfully paced, and have a sufficient grandeur, though I do not get the feeling that Temirkanov and his musicians are penetrating the sublimely anguished soul of the music.

The 9th may well be the true "find" of this set, sparkling, marvelously frenetic, and full of athletic vim, ranking alongside Jansons on EMI and Petrenko on Naxos. The 13th is sufficiently dark, though it does not rise to the same rarefied interpretive heights of Rostrapovich, Haitink. Ormandy, or Petrenko. The two concertos for cello are viscerally engaging and very fine notwithstanding recorded sound that seems harsh with the solo instrument too "up front" at times. (Rostropovich's 1960 performance of the first concerto with Ormandy is still an unequaled benchmark for that iconic work.) The youthful c-minor piano concerto is treated here less like a chamber-istic romp than some darkly sardonic Prokofiev-ian statement with what some listeners may regard as an overly heavy orchestral presence. Again, there's an acerbic, almost arid, quality to the sound in places, though soloist Denis Matsuev is truly superb, and subsequent hearings have done much to convince me of the "right-ness" of these collaborators' approach.

The Song of the Forests gets an excellent, dynamically committed  and thoroughly convincing performance in first-rate sound. Shostakovich's relentlessly  diatonic paean to the glories of Stalin and Stalinism is here presented with the revised (post-1957-denunciation) text. Temirkanov discovers a darker, subtly ironic underlying qualities in the score at once surprising and marvelously effective.

For many, this set may fall into the category of a diverting curiosity. Comparative interpretation can be fascinating, and those interested in hearing a Russian conductor leading a Russian orchestra in this quintessentially Russian repertory may well find a thing or two to enjoy.

Gottfried August Homilius: A Basic Discography

Gottfried August Homilius (1714-1785) was a gifted pupil of J.S. Bach, and long-time kappelmeister at the Kreuz- and Frauen- kirches in Dresden. As with so many of his contemporaries, including several of Bach's own sons, Homilius has fallen through the stylistic cracks of  history; born a bit too early to be considered a full-blown Classicist, nor a textbook example of the Gallant, yet too late to be comfortably included in the waning Baroque school. Thus, his music is often eclectic, reflecting many sometimes-conflicting influences, from Bach and Handel to Haydn and the early Mannheim school. Nonetheless, the music is always accessibly melodious, graceful and charming (if occasionally approaching quaintness). In the last few years, the German Carus label has released an impressive series of recordings, making the best possible case for this unjustly neglected master.

For the curious listener, a good place to begin may be Carus 83-268, Music for the Frauenkirche Dresden, Jubilaumsedition. This attractive two-disc "Jubilee edition" from 2014 includes festive cantatas as well as the complete Christmas Oratorio, the final chorus from the St. John Passion, a number of interesting chorale preludes realized for trumpet solo and organ, and a charming sonata for oboe and continuo. I might have wished for the inclusion of several of the superb motets for a cappella choir, and possibly an excerpt or two from the marvelous St. Mark Passion, but those are readily available on albums of their own (see below), and well worth seeking out in any case.

1.Carus 83-268 (2-disc set) (2014)
Homilius Music for the Frauenkirche Dresden, Jubilaumsedition
various artists
(contains previously released material from #s 3, 6, 8, 12)

2.
Brilliant Classics 94458 (2-disc set) (2015)
Homilius: Complete Organ Chorales
Felix Marangoni

3.
Carus 83-236 (2010)
Homilius: Erwachet ihr Christen
(Chorale Preludes, Cantatas, Oboe Sonata)
Ludwig Güttler/Saxony Vocal Ensemble et al.

4.
Carus 83-210 (2004)
Homilius: Sehet, Welch eine Liebe: Motets
Friederich Bernius/Stuttgart Chamber Choir

5.
Carus 83-266 (2013)
Homilius: Habe deine lust an dem Hern: Motets II
Stefan Schuck/Serventes Berlin

6.
Carus 83-183 (2005)
Homilius: Cantatas I
Roderich Kreile/Dresden Kreutzchor/Dresden Baroque Orchestra

7.
Carus 83-267 (2014)
Homilius: Warum toben die Heiden (Cantatas)
Reiner Johannes Homburg/Handel's Company

8. Carus 83-235 (2008)
Dresden Frauenkirche
Homilius: Christmas Oratorio: Die Freude der Hirten uber die Geburt Jesu
Jacobi: Der Himmel steht unds wieder offen (cantata)
Ludwig Güttler/Virtuosi Saxoniae

9.
Carus 83-262 (2007)
Homilius: Passion Cantata
Fritz Näf/Neue Düseldorfer Hofmusik/Basel Madrigalists

10.
Berlin Classics BC 1046-2 (1993)
Homilius: St. Matthew Passion
Christopher Schoener/Academy for Ancient Music, Berlin/Capella Vocale Leverkusen

11.
Carus 83-260 (2013)
Homilius: St. Mark Passion
Fritz Näf/Basel Madrigalists/Munich Baroque Orchestra et al.

12.
Carus 83-261 (2007)
Homilius: St. John Passion
Roderich Kreile/Dresden Kreutzchor/Dresden Baroque Orchestra

Psalms from Schubert to Schoenberg

Christophorus CHR 77396 (2015)
Psalmus (T'hilim): Psalms in Christian Jewish Dialogue
(settings by Rheinberger, Schubert, Mendelssohn, Lewandowski, Rose, Mishory, Schoenberg)
Micahel Alber/Deutscher Kammerchor 


Released in May 2015 to coincide with celebrations marking the sixtieth anniversary of diplomatic relations between the former West Germany (Bundesrepublik) and the state of Israel, this fine disc offers an interesting program of choral psalm settings in Hebrew and German by Jewish, Protestant, and Catholic composers from the 19th to the 21st centuries, ranging stylistically from Schubert to Schoenberg,

The early to mid-19th century marked a period in the nascent Reform movement in which a growing spirit of ecumenicism and modernity brought great change to the musical life of the synagogue. Composers such as Solomon Sultzer (1804-1890), Jacques Halévy, Samuel Naumbourg, and  Louis Lewandowski (1821-1894), introduced “contemporary” harmonies and choral technique, while, on occasion, notable non-Jewish composers were invited to contribute works to this expanding liturgical repertory.

Indeed, I was intrigued and delighted to note the inclusion of Schubert’s a cappella setting of Psalm 92 in Hebrew (D 953). Though the work may well be considered something of a curiosity due to the unfamiliar (to most) language of the text, it is very much of a piece with Schubert’s typical, cheerfully lyrical, accessibly dramatic liturgical compositions for the Catholic church, and it’s wonderful to have this work in my collection at last.

Almost anyone who has ever attended a Friday-night Sabbath-eve service at a Reform temple has probably heard something by Louis Lewandowski; his L’cha dodi and Ma Tovu have been standards of the synagogue repertory for well over one-hundred-fifty years, and there’s little doubt as to why. Reading one of Lewandowski’s scores is like taking a crash course in 19th-century choral composition and style. The music is blithe, strikingly tuneful, and engaging, displaying the positive influences of Mendelssohn and Brahms at almost every turn. Along with the works of Solomon Sulzer, Lewandowski’s music has over the years assumed a kind of revered traditional “brought down from the mountain with Moses” status. Happily, this present disc includes Psalm settings by Lewandowski both in Hebrew and German. His marvelous Hebrew setting of Psalm 21 is particularly delightful and affecting.

Other highlights surely include the Drei Psalmen (Three Psalms) Op. 40 by the Catholic composer Joseph Gabriel Rheinberger (1839-1901), and the Psalm 92 by Alfred Rose (1955-1919), as well as Mendelssohn’s setting of Psalm 22, probably the most familiar piece in the program.

I was somewhat less impressed by the militantly dissonant, gimmick-heavy,  22-minute Wasserpsalm (Water Psalm) from 2014 by the Israeli pianist/composer Gilead Mishory (b. 1960). While the piece is certainly colorful notwithstanding its rather tired-sounding Schnitke-esque onomatopoeic vocal effects, and the performance, so far as I can surmise, adequately competent, it simply doesn’t seem to fit very well within the emotional or aural context of this program, and the creative choice to follow it up and close out the record with Schoenberg’s De Profundis feels, in retrospect, rather unfortunate. (Several subsequent hearings have done little to alter this opinion.)

Nonetheless, conductor Michael Alber has sculpted a polished, full, yet transparent sound ideal with his chorus. The singers seem well at ease with most of this repertory, shining especially in those tuneful, diatonically pleasing works of Schubert, Mendelssohn, Rheinberger, and Lewandowski. The recorded sound is superb.

A minor complaint: I must take issue with the Christophorus label’s packaging. The feather-light all-in-one booklet-style jewel-case makes no provision for the documentation insert, which floats around loose inside the cardboard wallet, thus making it liable to misplacement or loss. The use of ultra-light clear styrene plastic for the inner media tray does not bode well for long-term storage, as this type of material is prone to brittleness and hairline cracking, which are easily transferred to the disc surface over time.

Complaints aside, though, this disc will make a notable and worthy addition to any collection of choral liturgical music. Recommended.

Classic Americana

Albany (American Archives Series) TROY 256 (1997)

(Columbia mono recordings from 1953-1955)

Piston: Symphony #4

Harris: Symphony #7

W. Schuman: Symphony #6

Eugene Ormandy/Philadelphia Orchestra

Recorded in 1953 and 1954 respectively, the Schuman and Piston symphonies first appeared on Columbia ML 4992 (1955). The superb—definitive!—reading of Roy Harris’ Symphony #7 from 1955 was recorded that year, and issued on Columbia ML 5095 (1956), coupled with Serge Koussevitzky’s equally moving rendition of Harris’ Symphony ‘1933’ with the Boston Symphony Orchestra. These recordings were available on LP well into the 1970s on the Columbia Special Products label, retaining the same catalog numbers with the exception of the CSP AML prefix.

One suspects that only so much could be done with the original masters. Columbia’s 50s-era recorded sound was often rather compressed and ‘boxy’, though with a sufficient hint of resonance to convey seriousness and weight. Albany’s 1996 re-masterings open up the aural spectrum somewhat, and offer what comes as close to a natural sound as possible.

Nonetheless, it’s great to have Ormandy’s magnificent reading of the Harris Seventh on CD. This is one of the composer’s finest, and most perplexingly neglected major works. Conceptually organic, reminiscent structurally of the Third, though perhaps, in its totality, a more serious statement, the Seventh is certainly more concentrated and consistent in mood and atmosphere--qualities that Ormandy no doubt discerned, and endeavored to convey in his performance. 

Ormandy was one of Harris’ most enthusiastic champions, recording the Third several times both for CBS and RCA. The conductor would go on to lead the world-premiere of Piston's Seventh Symphony in 1960. 

"Home Team" Sibelius

Ondine ODE 852-2 (1996)
Sibelius: 4 Lemminkänen Legends Op. 22;
Tapiola (Symphonic Poem for Orchestra) Op. 112
Leif Segerstam/Helsinki Philharmonic Orchetra


Wow! Listening to  Segerstam's vivid, highly animated performances is like hearing this music for the very first time--an experience akin to one of those magical moments of youthful discovery, all too rare in later years. I've been collecting the music of Sibelius on LP and CD for over four decades now, and these may well be some of the most singularly exciting, passionately committed performances I've ever heard.

This disc brings together early and late compositions of Jean Sibelius (1965-1957), the youthful Four Legends (of Lemminkäinen) from the 'Kalevala', Op. 22, written between 1893 and 1895 when the composer was 30, and the tone poem Tapiola, Op. 112 from 1926 when he was 61, the composer's last orchestral work before his long, three-decade silence.

Casual listeners will probably be familiar with the beautiful third movement of Op. 22, the haunting Swan of Tuonela with its darkly lyrical English Horn solo accompanied by eerily shimmering strings. There are dozens of stand-alone performances of this iconic movement, but it is always enlightening to hear it in the context of the whole. Many conductors have done the suite justice, from Okko Kamu's magnificent 1976 reading for DG to Neeme Jarvi's dynamically compelling 1984 performance with the Gothenburg Symphony for BIS. Yet, great as they are, these outings seem positively pedestrian compared to Segerstam, who takes the music at what many long-time listeners may regard as an unusually fast tempo--only to heighten its drama and linear coherence. The four movements are treated as a unified whole--and a good case could be made that this work is, in fact, a symphony in the truest traditional sense. From the lush horn chords that seem to hang forebodingly on the air in the opening bars of Lemminkäinen and the Maidens of Saari to the frenetic rush of the strings in the closing moments of Lemminkäinen's Homeward Journey, this is a truly unforgettable performance.

Likewise, Segerstam's Tapiola is a stunning epiphany! Sibelius' ingeniously mature music has often been weighed down by a kind of grim grandiosity, a glacial inertia that renders it nebulous at best, or, at worst, nearly inscrutable. Yet, while one is certainly aware of the scale and sweep of the music here, Segerstam imbues his reading with an electrifying sense of drive along with a luminous, seraphic self-possession. I've never heard a performance of this work that seemed so aggressively visceral, dynamic, driven, hair-raisingly theatrical, and downright exciting. Nor does Segerstam shrink from the innate eroticism of the score. After the inexorable, relentless build-up of tension, the deliberately-effected crescendo of the slow long line, the wild, orgasmic howls of the brass near the end almost knocked me out of my chair!

Not only is the Finnish "home team" Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra gorgeously recorded here by Ondine, capturing every detail and subtle nuance of the scores, but there is a passionate energy in the playing--a deep love--that shines through at every turn.

Enthusiastically recommended.