Search - Jean Sibelius, Osmo Vänskä, Lahti Symphony Orchestra :: Sibelius: Snofried / Overture / Coronation Cantata / Oma Maa

Some Gems on This One.

B. R. Merrick | 02/24/2008

(3 out of 5 stars)

"As always, Vänskä's direction of the Lahti Symphony is top-notch, and the Jubliate Choir is, like the orchestra, exacting, clear and precise in tone, but unfortunately, the choral works on this album are less than impressive.



Based on what I've heard, and this is just my opinion, Sibelius's vocal and choral writing is far inferior to his amazing, one-of-a-kind orchestral fare. It doesn't help matters when a choir that sounds as youthful as the Jubilate tackles more mediocre compositions. The singers lack the body and depth of perhaps a larger or more mature-sounding choir, and with the plainness of the writing, the music isn't carried much further.



But that's not all there is to this CD. The orchestral works are definitely worth having. Even the works for strings alone are interesting and invigorating, and I'm not a big fan of orchestras made up of only strings. The string section of this orchestra, however, can be counted on to shine out with whatever they do.



I would recommend music downloads of the works for orchestra only, and skip the choral works."