Search - Sibelius, Davis, Lso :: Symphony 7 / Kullervo

Not the Kullervo to have, but the rest is good

G.D. | Norway | 01/07/2009

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Something of a curate's egg, this one. Sir Colin Davis's account of the seventh symphony is very good, strongly underlining what must almost be called the epic mysticism of the work - it receives one of the more powerful readings on record, although I am less than sure that the "dulling of the edges" which obviously governs the performance is really the way to do it - sometimes the whole sound picture sounds like a mish-mashy gruel. Still, I think this is a more than recommendable version, even if it isn't the one to live it. En Saga is also good, although in Davis's hands it sounds surprisingly similar in style and atmosphere to the seventh symphony (not necessarily a bad thing, mind). Rakastava suffers a little from a slightly to heavy-handed approach, especially in the finale, but is in general beautifully done.



Most of the set is, however, given to the early near-masterpiece Kullervo, and here I have somewhat mixed feelings. It is the slowest on disc (as far as I know), and while Davis's approach surely retains the sweep of the work (and the choice of tempi sounds thoroughly convincing in places), sometimes it comes dangerously close to sounding lumbering and a little too viscous. The first movement is far too broad, but the second is wonderful. However, in the last movements, the drama and urgency of Saraste, Vänskä and Segerstam is sorely missed. It is not that Davis's interpretation lacks cogency or an epic dimension, but the darkness and ferocity just isn't there and the work (of course) suffers as a result.



The playing of the LSO is excellent, of course, and the chorus is good (but the competing Finnish versions are in a class of their own). Something of the same goes for the soloists - they acquit themselves well and handle their roles admirably - but compared to Laukka and Paasikivi? Or Isokoski and Hakala or Groop and Hynninen? Well, Martinpelto and Fredriksson are good singers, and in most of the repertoire probably as good as the others. But in Kullervo, I have to admit that I prefer the darker and more dramatic characterizations of the competition.



To sum up, then, this is not really a version of Kullervo to live with, but on the other hand the seventh symphony deserves to be heard. As such, a qualified recommendation for the whole set."