Lovely music and a superior audio recording
Ed Brickell | 06/16/2003
(4 out of 5 stars)
"This superior disc includes seven of Sibelius' evocative tone poems -- over 75 minutes of highly atmospheric music excellently played by the fine Lahti band. Even the very slight "Dance-Intermezzo" is so winningly performed that it will charm your socks off. Sure, one could probably find more "dramatic" versions of some of this music, but Vanska's great strength is his ability to let the music, not the conductor, shine bright. Add in BIS' usual superb production -- one of the warmest and most natural orchestral recordings you'll hear -- and this is truly a delight from beginning to end. This one manages to find its way into the player quite often, no matter what mood I'm in."