Sony Classical Masters

Before purchasing this box set, I had no knowledge on the history and structures of Sibelius’s symphonies. It doesn’t help that the Sony Masters series doesn’t even have a booklet that contains some basic information about these recordings. Fortunately, Wikipedia was born on the internet, and as soon as I discovered the history and musical structure surrounding these symphonies, I took my time listening to each and every one of them.Sibelius’s symphonies are rather hard to categorize. The first and second have that vintage Romantic touch: passionate and vivacious, with a pinch of modernistic bombast. From the third symphony and onwards, the simpler classical tone and texture return. Lighter instrumentations take effect for most of the time, but melodies become progressively complex and hard to remember. Sibelius’s 2nd and 5th symphonies are the most famous of the bunch (the second is widely known for its nationalistic tendencies), but all seven of them are stunning overall. Even if there are several moments here and there that I am not impressed with, these compositions do demonstrate the kind of harmonies that the Late Romantic/Early Twentieth Century era is famous for. Even the supplemental material is worth checking out. I’ve heard better recordings of En Saga & the Violin Concerto, but these are top-notch as well. Furthermore, Julian Rachlin the violinist gives a wonderful performance for the Concerto.The late Lorin Maazel recorded these symphonies twice: one with the Vienna Philharmonic back in the 1960’s and the other with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra in the early 1990’s. The latter is the one on this Sony Masters collection. I haven’t given the older recordings a chance yet, but I’m sure they’re worth everyone’s time. Judging by the Pittsburgh recordings, Maazel’s readings are a little more idiosyncratic than what you might expect. His approach is lighter than, say, Herbert von Karajan and Sakari Oramo. You won’t find any frenetic renditions here. And keep in mind, even with these lighter readings, textural clarity is sometimes sacrificed, so the amount of orchestral refinement is modest at best. In the end, however, Maazel seldom loses the flow of his conducting, and he manages to be quite emotional when he needs to. There is plenty of adrenaline in the louder moments and appropriate gracefulness in the softer ones.The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra may not be one of the more popular orchestras in the nation, which is incredibly unfortunate. Here, the players muster up all of their strengths to seamlessly capture some splendid presentations. The woodwinds are heard loud and clear, while the brass is polished the right way. The strings sound a little thin. Nevertheless, every one of them plays their parts without a hitch.The wide dynamics on this set can be a bit problematic. The loud sections are REALLY loud, while the softer moments are REALLY soft. One would have to get used to changing the volume every thirty seconds. Despite that, the healthy digital sound provided by Sony is a welcome addition. I assume that Maazel’s earlier recordings with Decca must sound slightly dated, but I won’t be certain.If anyone can no longer wait to get their hands on these symphonies, these can be a top bargain. The average box set costs about thirty to fifty dollars. This one by Sony is under twenty bucks! It’s an absolute purchase if you ask me. With this, you’ll get some fantastic playing from Pittsburgh Symphony, Maazel’s brilliant conducting, and clear digital sound.Official Grade: 8.1 out of 10

I'm still working my way through this, and I'll revise my evaluation if I have to . . . but on first blush this is a terrific bargain: 5 discs at under $5.00 a disc, in great sound, and in my judgment, very good performances. By now you probably know the rap on Lorin Maazel: too fussy, too controlling and unspontaneous, getting worse in these aspects as he gets older, yadda, yadda, yadda. Well, I haven't done a point-by-point comparison of Maazel with his earlier self, but just on their own terms, these newer performances are just fine. His new Fourth, for example, is in much richer, more immediate, more beautiful sound than his estimable 1960's version, and it takes nothing away from the grit and the unrelenting grimness of this great symphony. This is as good as any recording I've heard -- Karajan's great 1960's one on DG, for example -- the concentration of the playing, and the richness of the lower brass and strings are riveting. In the Second Symphony, there are interesting contrasts with Berglund's great (to my mind) Helsinki recording. Berglund is more forward-moving in the first two movements especially (though he seems to omit the first-movement repeat), where Maazel lays out the thematic material more deliberately or even clinically, though that word doesn't do justice to the richness of the sound. Then in the developments and climaxes of these first two movements, Maazel puts it all together to build to a strong ending. In the third and fourth movements -- which make up a single big span of music, Maazel is simply superb -- arguably the best I've heard: seamless transitioning, particularly so between the third and fourth movements (a great moment this) but also within the movements, great solo playing, terrific massed brass playing, tender string-playing, and a build-up to the climax that is just overwhelming. All in all a great interpretation of the symphony. The box also includes a fine account of the Violin Concerto, a vivid and playful Third symphony that also drives to a fine (and very different) climax, and the bits of the other symphonies I've played sound fine too. Sibelius fans -- and those wanting to explore at a cheap price -- shouldn't hesitate to snap this up.

This set earns its five stars on the basis of value alone--less than $20 for all the Sibelius symphonies, a sampling of the popular short works and a splendid Violin Concerto, all in 24-bit, mid-90s era studio recordings that have been well remastered. Maazel grew bored and glib with in of his repertoire as he grew older, but just as he made a major impact with Sibelius in Vienna in the early 60s, this set demonstrates that he did not lose focus or interest in this composer. Granted, I can pick other conductors for individual symphonies (Karajan for 1, 4 & 6; Szell for 2 and Davis/Boston for 5 & 7), but this set showcases a consistent interpretive vision at work, aided and abetted by a Pittsburgh ensemble that has retained its warmth and dark colors all the way from the days of Steinberg and his "Command Classics." Maazel plays up the Tchaikovsky influences and drama in the first two symphonies, navigates all the gear changes in the brief Third, has no difficulty with the eerie Fourth, and dispatches the final three with flowing tempos and impressive wind playing over those warm Pittsburgh strings. The Rachlin performance of the Violin Concerto is an unexpected triumph; I'd place it ahead of most versions I've heard (Kennedy/Kamu, Ricci/Fjelstad, Accardo/Davis) and close to Heifetz/Hendl and Lin/Salonen among my favorites. The shorter works--Finlandia, Karelia Suite, Valse Triste, etc.--are also well-played and recorded, albeit treated more as encore material than probing interpretations. But close to six hours of Sibelius in consistent performances, well recorded, is a major bargain at this price point. Bravo to Sony for spiffing this set up and getting it back in the market.