Sibelius, Jean - Sibelius - 7 Symphonies

When I wrote in 2015 (Fanfare 39:1), in a review of Hannu Lintu’s recording of Sibelius’s Lemminkäinen Suite, that Lintu hadn’t recorded much music of his countryman Sibelius, I was unaware of this set. This video Sibelius symphony cycle was issued in that year to commemorate the 150th anniversary of Sibelius’s birth; it has just come to my attention in 2022. An important note: Amazon indicates in its listing that the Blu-rays are Playback Region B/2 and therefore unplayable on North American equipment, but in fact they are region-free and played fine on my Cambridge Audio player. I am reviewing this set in the same issue as the Berglund-Chamber Orchestra of Europe video, and the contrasts between the two are considerable. Lintu is a much more demonstrative conductor than Berglund, and his interpretations tend to be more expansive and volatile.The First Symphony is a case in point. After a very slow clarinet solo—which Lintu doesn’t conduct—the Allegro energico is exciting, with much rubato. The volatile tempo treatment continues in the second movement, and the Finale is dynamic. The opening movement of the Second Symphony is fairly standard, but in the second movement Lintu whips up the fast sections, emphasizing the music’s contrasts. The transition from the scherzo to the Finale begins slowly, but builds up steam; the Finale itself is dramatic.There are no great surprises in the Third Symphony; the tempos are standard with the exception of the opening section of the third movement, which is faster than usual. Details, such as the all-important B-C alternation in the timpani in the first movement, are good.The opening movement of the Fourth Symphony is on the slow side, but is well-sustained. Likewise, the third movement lasts almost 12 minutes, but builds nicely to its climax. The fourth movement is lively. Lintu uses glockenspiel.The first movement of the Fifth Symphony is expansive, but the second part is immediately faster, which I think is a miscalculation. There is an attacca from the second to the third movement; Lintu broadens the tempo for the “swan” theme. In the Sixth Symphony Lintu views the second movement as a slow movement, and conducts it accordingly; there is again an attacca from the third to the fourth movement of this symphony.The Seventh Symphony features flexibility of tempo within an overall relaxed pace; even within sections the tempo is not monolithic.Video values are good, although I would have liked more orchestral close-ups, particularly of the winds. The sound is excellent. The playing is high-caliber throughout, and there is little in Lintu’s interpretations that will be considered controversial. This is a fine Sibelius cycle. But the set is likely to be found attractive for the extras, which are extensive. First, there are roughly 10-minute introductions to each of the symphonies, providing informative background on the pieces. These introductions also feature video of Lintu on location in Helsinki, Vienna, Berlin, and elsewhere. There is much interesting information here, including the fact that Sibelius hoped to study in Vienna with Bruckner (they ended up never meeting). The second “extra” is titled “The Themes of the Symphonies,” and features interviews with Lintu as well as illustrations played by the orchestra at separate sessions. (There are several personnel changes between the performances and the sessions.) Here Lintu shows himself to be highly knowledgeable about the scores; he discusses several programmatic considerations, for example, pointing out that the F Major passage in the second movement of the Second Symphony is labeled “Christus” in Sibelius’s sketch, and exploring the Third Symphony’s relation to an incomplete oratorio. Lintu is quite perceptive about the structure of the Fourth Symphony’s slow movement, and he recognizes that the final chords of the Fifth are verticalizations of the “swan” theme. He is also most cogent concerning the issues of tempo in the Seventh. One of the more interesting features is that in the sessions he has the orchestra play rejected versions of that symphony’s ending, and of the Third Symphony’s transitional passage.The third “extra” is a series of short films by Piia Hirvensalo called “Sort of Sibelius!” These are whimsical vignettes focused more on Sibelius’s life and personality than his music, and feature actors portraying Sibelius and his wife, Aino, as well as animations. Also featured are interviews with such “authorities” as a handwriting expert, a costume researcher, and a wine connoisseur. There are also extensive interview excerpts with composer Kaija Saariaho, called here “The Sibelius of Our Times,” which are much more about her than about Sibelius. I doubt that I will be returning to these films.This set, housed in a 6x8x3-inch box, is valuable not only for the fine performances but for the informative introductory material. I continue to be impressed by Lintu, both for his conducting and for his verbal observations about the music. Recommended.

There arte positives and negatives about this set, and while I don't want to dwell on whether or not we need a complete set of Sibelius symphonies on video, if you know his music and think that some of his symphonies don't need this attention, then I recommend you get the Bernstein incomplete set. They got far enough into the cycle (I think) to do you well.As for this project: I think it will be a while before anyone else decides to do the full Sibelius, so in my view this is where you'll want to put your money. It's doubtful that any future release will be significantly better, as this is very good. I read a lot of reviews on Amazon, and the finer quibbles which people remark on are informative, but it's rare that they matter to my ears.There is also a positive to this set which I haven't seen in many other classical blue-rays I've bought, and that's an interview with the conductor discussing elements of the symphony. That's a step forward, as is the kind off dress rehearsal which illustrates his points. To me, however, these discussions are kind of superficial; and what I'd love to see in the rehearsal footage is actual dialog between the conductor and the orchestra, with him saying stuff like "here's what I want from you." But my wishes of what they should have done are no more germane than commenting on their choice about doing a complete Sibelius cycle. This was their choice.One other choice I question (and this one bugs me) is the bloated packaging. There are three discs in this set, and each is in its own separate clam shell. We all know it doesn't have to be that way, they could put three in one. Secondly, the box contains a very thick catalog off other offerings. AND it contains an empty "sub" box to fill up the space of the box they put it all in. Wait, I'm not done! The box for this set has a snug lid which needs to be slowly slid off a close-fitting bottom. It's an exercise in delaying your getting to the music. This doesn't make sense to me by any stretch.

This is a very comprehensive package indeed consisting, not only performances of the complete seven symphonies, but also including significant documentary content. That falls into three categories as follows.Each symphony is preceded with an optional pair of short documentary items. The first gives a general historical background with a mixture of archive and current film material and provides a generalised setting for the next documentary piece. This is a conversation between the conductor and his interviewer. During this the work in question is, in effect, analysed with the various themes and key points of the music played by the orchestra and with the musical notation highlighted during the playing. This is a valuable resource that will be enlightening to both inexperienced and experienced collectors. It will repay repeat viewing at appropriate times. These seven preliminary films can be seen as a complete hour’s documentary and can be avoided during normal playback of the concerts.There is one other documentary perhaps tellingly entitled ‘Sort of Sibelius.’ This is a collection of short glimpes, to be kind, and may not be to everyone’s taste. It is unlikely to be played more than once and lacks the informative heft of the other documentaries described in the previous paragraph.The recordings of the symphonies were made at ‘live’ concerts in the Helsinki Music Centre which is a vast and impressive concert hall. Symphonies 3 and 4 were recorded on 02/11.12, symphonies 6 and 7 on 10/01/14, symphony 2 on 08/05/13 and symphony 5 on 04/09/14. Throughout the series the recording delivers impressively natural and wide-ranging sound and the visuals are particularly crisp. The static (possibly stage) camera positions are changed through the series and focus on different players as a consequence. The remaining cameras are able to zoom in from considerable distances to close focus. This is seamlessly done with just two exceptions during the final symphony where the rear right camera, starting it’s retreating zoom from close focus, is completely out of focus for 11 seconds each time before achieving sharpness at 12.10 and 18.59 seconds. Although surprising, this is a very minor blip in hours of visual presentations. It might be an imaginative use of cameras but its value seems unconvincing!The layout of the orchestra changes with the horns moving between the rear left and rear right. There is also quite a lot of changing personnel among the players. More significantly the string layout has both sets of violins to the left, the cellos centre, the violas on the right and the basses on the right behind the violas. This is a regular pattern used these days and delivers a well-balanced ‘live’ stage sound. It also emphasises the desirability of playback equipment to have same sized centre speakers to match the main left and right so that the stage emphasis is naturally reproduced at home. The sound is presented in excellent DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 as well as stereo.The performances are clearly the result of many experiences in concert and have that resultant ease of familiarity, delivery and understanding. The conductor worked with the orchestra prior to taking his current role of chief conductor of the orchestra in 2014 but the orchestral members appear steeped in the Sibelian idiom as one might expect. The performances themselves could be described overall as very main-stream and there are no interpretive surprises. Within that description Hannu Lintu, the conductor, gives his individual solo players room to express themselves while still keeping a tight control over ensemble and tempo.The opening clarinet solo in the first symphony is a case in point and is a gripping experience to behold. Tempi are frequently chosen to maximise dramatic effects as are dynamics. There are therefore considerable points of brisk tempi generating excitement as well as examples of steady tempi allowing for considerable sensitivity or weight. The conclusions of symphonies 3 and 5 are approached to give a sense of musical satisfaction rather than exhilaration and the reverse is true of the conclusion to the first movement of the fifth symphony. All of these comments are given within traditional expectations.At the moment this set has no alternative competition to fear. The standard throughout is sufficiently high and rewarding to make it likely that, for many purchasers, this will be the only view of the symphonies they will need. Other collectors, with existent allegiances to Sanderling, Vanska, Karajan, Gibson, Monteux and others famed for particular recordings will still find much to enjoy and learn from by buying this set which would be best thought of, in those circumstances, as offering additional rather than replacement value.This review is not intended to be a detailed analysis of every component of this considerable undertaking. That would be disproportionately lengthy in the circumstances. However, it should be clear that the whole concept of notable performances supported by good documentary discussion and material will make this a hard act to follow let alone supersede.

This is a very enjoyable set of recordings which celebrates Sibelius' 150th birthday. The box-set includes a hardback book which adds to the set's collectability and an Arthaus catalogue which adds unnecessary weight! I binned it! Anyway, observing Hannu Lintu's conducting style it is clear that he certainly knows how to mould and shape a musical phrase. Lintu adopts a very slow tempo in the First Symphony's opening movement and the languid clarinet solo draws the listener into Sibelius' soundworld. All seven symphonies sound freshly minted under Lintu's baton. Lintu's tempi are on the whole quite flexible, but he has a good command of the music's structure and he is a master of dynamic gradation - he knows how to build tension and release brings catharsis. The Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra isn't in the heavyweight class - you'll never mistake 'em for Karajan's BPO. The orchestra offers a more gentle Sibelius, focusing on the strings and woodwind rather than the brass - emphasising songful lyricism rather than elemental sturm and drang. Still, Lintu is capable of whipping-up a storm when Sibelius' music demands - you''ll not hear the pulsating power that, say, Karajan and the BPO bring to the Fifth Symphony, but few listeners will feel short-changed. Lintu's Sibelius is nuanced, bright and alert; clarity of texture brings rich rewards. Picture is crystal clear and sound quality is excellent, and in the documentary, Lintu offers many astute observations which are never less than interesting. The film about Sibelius' life and work "Sort of Sibelius" is, to put it mildly, sort of weird... but it's the music that matters. Recommended.

Can thoroughly recommend these. Great performances from orchestra and conductor. I am an ardent fan of Sibelius' music and these recordings, sound quality, production, everything in fact are up there with the best I have ever seen and heard. Well satisfied!

Good.

eccellent performances, superbly recorded. Highly recommended.Arrived on time again recomended.