Search - Sibelius, Segerstam, Danish National Rso :: Tone Poems

Mythic, Expansive Sibelius

Micromegas | Ada, OK | 08/03/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Segerstam had to grown on me as a conductor of Sibelius' works. I originally found his tempos too slow and his approach not crisp enough, but years later I returned to his vision as the most sympathetic, to my mind, to Sibelius' world view. Segerstam invests an expansive, epic quality to every work (even Valse Triste!), which is not out of place, but seems to capture something vital about the Finnish/Scandinavian character, and more specifically, the world of the sagas and myth in general. His versions of the symphones, particularly Nos. 3, 5 & 7 (with the Danish NRSO) are powerful and seem more like pronoucements than interpretations. They were not the first versions I heard by a long shot, but they are quickly becoming my favorites. Whenever I hear Symphony No.7 in concert or on the radio, I expect Segerstam, and am bitterly disappointed when the performers "fail" me.



This collection of popular tone poems was taken from his set of symphonies with the Danish NRSO, and they work beautifully together here. His version of Tapiola is harrowing: the slower tempo he adopts creates a vision of desolation and winter waste, terribly blown aside by the famous storm scene which is nothing short of spellbinding. When the final chords wash over you at the end, you feel an overwhelming sense of calm after the storm. Segerstam also offers me the greatest version I have ever heard of Valse Triste, making it sound like a true tone poem and not a lollipop for a pops concert. The same goes for its companion piece, Scene with Cranes (both were from his incidental music from Kuomela), which is cut from the same cloth as The Swan of Tuonela.



His En Saga took me some time to warm to, but few capture the mtyhical wonder of the opening bars, which sounds like an invocation--calm, but full of prophecy of things to come. It's an expansive take on the work, but it moves relentleessly forward and really makes sense as a whole--and the orchestra is unbelievably responsive to the slightest moments in the piece. The same goes for Pohjola's Daughter, which is full of poetry--though he really slows down what I call the "arrival" scene where the strings "scream" and the basses snarl like some terrible giant who's discovered someone making off with his gold--or his daughter. That said, it's remarkably effective.



And you really can't get Finlandia wrong unless you really, really try...the piece just sings all by itself. In short, a great disc and an effective introduction to Segerstam's way with Sibelius. One of the highlights of my over 30 disc Sibelius collection (supplanting my former Sibelian champion, Neeme Jarvi, who takes the opposite track and makes everything a bit faster than normal)."