British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) review May 4th 2002
MR quantification addict | Brighton, UK | 05/05/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"A review of recordings of Sibelius' 4th symphony, on CD masters on the BBC on Saturday May 4th, brought this recording out top (of about 10-15 that were considered). The reviewer considered the depths of loneliness and despair reached were remarkable!. More info on the BBC website."
The bleak masterpiece Fourth paired with the immature but no
Christopher Culver | 06/09/2009
(4 out of 5 stars)
"This BIS disc formed part of the label's Sibelius symphony cycle featuring the Lahti Symphony Orchestra and conductor Osmo Vanska.
The First (1898) is clearly an immature work, heavily indebted to Beethoven. Nonetheless, it is also one of the more auspicious symphonic debuts of any composer. From the start Sibelius introduces his unique style of music, difficult to define, but instantly recognizable, that has led generations of listeners to believe it tells of Man against the elements in the North. I don't listen to the First much, but by the time Sibelius wrote the Fourth (1911) he had reached full maturity as a symphonic composer and as a reverend contributor to modernism. It is one of the bleakest symphonies ever penned, and later composers in the "Nordic style" such as Allan Pettersson found immense inspiration from its grim tone and sparse writing. Two movements of austere low strings move at glacial speeds, their harmonies unable to find any sort of resolution because of an all-dominating tritone. Then the third movement, marked "Il tempo largo" (as if the first two weren't too!) changes the mood so slowly that the reversal of light and darkness is almost imperceptible until confirmed by a luminous glockenspiel. By the time you reach the end of the Fourth, you feel like you've just finished an arduous climb up a mountaintop, the fatigue of listening exertion overcome by joy at the vista revealed.
I think the Vanska and Lahti SO cycle is the best around, featuring incredible musicianship and excellent sound quality. Vanska follows Sibelius' metronome markings, which provides something at least approaching a definitive performance. I think many Sibelius fans will want to get the entire cycle, and so the most economical way to hear these two symphonies is on the BIS Complete Sibelius Symphonies box."
Track Listings (8) - Disc #1