Search - Jean Sibelius :: Sibelius: Symphonies 1 & 7 (Helsinki Phil./Segerstam)

Definitive? Well, I happen to think so.

Bob Zeidler | Charlton, MA United States | 04/08/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Is this the start of a new Sibelius series from Leif Segerstam and the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, on Ondine? I sure do hope so! Based on just this single recording, such a cycle would "go to the top" as far as this particular Sibelius fan is concerned.



By any "standard" measure (number of recordings, time spent listening to the music, extracurricular reading about the composer, etc.), Sibelius fits comfortably in my personal "top 10" list of composers. In fact, I already number among my collection of Sibelius symphonies three complete sets (those by Vladimir Ashkenazy, on Decca, Sir Colin Davis, on Philips, and Petri Sakari, on Naxos), plus "partial" sets from a host of other conductors. What I never have had - and apparently neither has Ondine, the "official" Finnish record label - is a traversal of these works by a Finnish conductor leading a Finnish orchestra.



In the recent past, I have been very impressed by two Ondine releases of Sibelius's music (and commented on them in appropriately glowing terms elsewhere at Amazon.com): a set of tone poems with the young Mikko Franck conducting the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, and a different anthology of tone poems and suites drawn from "The Tempest" with Leif Segerstam conducting the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra. Based on that small sample, I would have been happy had either maestro been given the symphony cycle assignment. Having now heard this recording of the First and Seventh Symphonies, I must say though that, in retrospect, I'm glad the assignment (if in fact this is the beginning of such a cycle) went to Segerstam. In each work, Segerstam provides an interpretation that is beautifully nuanced and full of felicitous details, and presumably authoritative, with an orchestra that has this music in its bones, and with recorded sound that is simply superlative in its clarity of detail, dynamic range and "naturalness."



Sibelius's First Symphony has long been a personal favorite of mine. While others have put forth a "conventional wisdom" that the work is a compositional extension of Tchaikovsky, I've never been able to buy into that argument. (Interestingly, my previous favorite interpretation had been that of Ashkenazy. Go figure!) To me, the work always came across as truly original, sui generis to a fault, and totally Nordic rather than Slavic.



Right from the opening bars of the first movement, with a beautifully-voiced clarinet solo above rolling timpani, I felt as if I was hearing this work "at last, for the first time," promising me a superlative performance yet to come. Segerstam's handling of the little details - the balance and contrast of dynamics, the nicely-chosen rubatos (the little ebbs and flows to the tempi), the individualistic sounds of the various instrumental choirs in the orchestra, the ultra-crisp timpani strokes, even the balance that permits the harp to be heard within loud passages - is simply perfect, right up to the nicely-spaced final two string pizzicato notes ending the movement.



The succeeding movements are at the same high level of excellence. In the second movement, Segerstam nicely adjusts the orchestral dynamics so that even the tuba, in the fortissimo passages, is given a prominence that seems perfect and at the same time unique, a detail seldom heard in other recordings. The timpani strokes that accent the third-movement Scherzo are very prominent, and crisply detailed, to an extent I've never heard before. The fourth movement opens at a nicely "grave" pace. As before, even in loud passages, every instrument - even, again, the harp - can clearly be heard. The final closing bars of the work are taken at a steadiness of pace that befits the conclusion yet, again, is seldom heard in other performances, where changes in tempo (in either direction) can tend to spoil the effect.



A simple "tale of the tape" (comparative timings) is unable to shed any light on the uniqueness of Segerstam's performance here. He is within seconds, movement-by-movement, of the Sakari performance on Naxos, and exceedingly close to Ashkenazy, on Decca, for all but the second movement. The secret clearly lies with what Segerstam does with the small details and the way he permits the rubatos to flow naturally in the course of the work. Magic!



While the First Symphony, at Op. 39, can hardly be considered "juvenilia," the Seventh Symphony (Op. 105), written very late in Sibelius's compositional life, is in a different world in terms of its compositional aesthetic and, to an extent, its sound-world. Leaner and more austere by far, its single movement unfolds with stunning logic; an architectural masterpiece. Despite changes in tempi which suggest that Sibelius initially thought of this work in terms of three separate movements followed by a concluding Epilogue, the Symphony nonetheless has a discernable "long arc" to it that can readily be lost - or at best rendered illogical - in a mediocre interpretation.



Clearly, Segerstam has the "measure" of this work as few others do. His sense of orchestral balance, from top to bottom and from instrumental choir to choir, is superb, and his control of dynamics and tempi, and "microadjustments" to these tempi, let the work's intrinsic logic flow naturally, right up to the concluding chorale (which is not "overplalyed" for dramatic effect as it all too often is).



At "full price," Segerstam's Sibelius on Ondine is hardly inexpensive, and at some tens of seconds less than 60 minutes this CD can hardly be called "jam-packed" with music. Just ask yourself what your priorities are: Do you want "music on the cheap" or do you want one of the finest Sibelius albums released in recent years, recorded in stunning sound? I know my my answer, and I eagerly await the next installment in this superb symphonic cycle.



Bob Zeidler"

Marvellous!

Pater Ecstaticus | Norway | 05/13/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I often grab my music on a hunch. Often because I am curious about a conductor. I have heard of Leif Segerstam's Mahler cycle on Chandos, and I saw that many people are not charmed by his conducting idiosyncrasies. So I thought: I may like this conductor!

Anyhow, I already knew I loved Sibelius. Combined with the fact that these Sibelius recordings are on the Ondine-label (generally very good performances and sound - take for example the gorgeous Strauss album by Soile Isokoski!), and the fact that the orchestra is Finnish - indeed the very same orchestra which premiered many of Sibelius' works, conducted by the composer himself - made me eager to buy and listen to these performances.

And it has been one of those 'happy discoveries', I must say. Although I must confess that I have not heard much Sibelius by others yet - I am only somewhat familiar with the Vladimir Ashkenazy/Philharmonia Orchestra cycle, so that is in many ways my reference point -, I believe that these performances by the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Leif Segerstam are at least as good as the magnificent, full-blooded Ashkenazy. Where there is warmth and full-bloodedness of playing with the Vladimir Ashkenazy, the same is true for this set of recordings with the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, but combined with IMHO even greater beauty and crispness of playing (as well as clearer definition of the instruments and instrument groups within the sound picture).

Segerstam and his orchestra bring a crispness and an alertness to the playing and phrasing which causes - at least to this particular listener - a spine tingling sensation. But this has also to do with the recording as such, which must be well-nigh perfect for this (stereophonic CD) format. The balancing of the instruments is some of the best I have heard, making all of the instruments sound clearly defined, all taking pride of place beside the others, while placed within a perfectly 'natural' and crystal clear sound picture, in which one is able to distinguish the finest instrumental details, but just right to my ears: the details are never drowned out, but at the same time there is 'natural' cohesion of sound and playing. To my very amateur ears, almost perfect.

To round up then, I would like to characterize these recordings as full-blooded and intense, but at the same time with spine tingling crispness and alertness of playing. I couldn't comment on any 'interpretational idiosyncrasies' of Leif Segerstam on these recordings, because I can't read music, but to me it all sounds completely natural and utterly convincing. The nobility, extacy and vision become almost tangible here ..."

A composer puts his stamp on Sibelius

Santa Fe Listener | Santa Fe, NM USA | 10/14/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I don't think many US lsiteners appreciate how original Leif Segerstam actually is, doing for Sibelius what Benjamin Britten did for Elgar and Bridge. This Finnish composer-conductor brings a vibrant musical intelligence to music of his great predecessor. I can only second the rave reviews this installment in Segerstam's Sibelius cycle has gotten. This is vital, lean, sinewy Sibelius, richly dramatic and alive. What a relief to hear Sym. #1 and #7 taken from the dull hands of "specialists" like Colin Davis, who has never turned in a single performance to equal any that Segerstam delivers.



Of the two works here, the Seventh scores highest, in large part because the conductor finds much more spontaneous life in the score than anyone I've heard before. But the First is also done along the same lines -- lean, sinewy, supercharged. The Helsinki Phil. excels in the woodwind department -- Segerstam lets them play out with a rough, tangy tone. One could pooint out felicitious details all along the way, but the key thing is Segerstam's grasp of Sibelius as a mystic of raw Nature. He catches the tough sublime that so many others miss.



P.S. -- Sine Segerstam's whole cycle is of a piee, you may prefer to acquire the box set that includes his entire Sibelius output. It's available cheaply at Amazon Marketplace."