Jean Sibelius Osmo Vaumlnskauml Lahti Symphony Orchestra - Sibelius Symphonies Nos 2 3 (7 tracks) +Album Reviews

Sober Second, Very Fine Third

Moldyoldie | Motown, USA | 03/27/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The Symphony No. 2 is probably Sibelius' most popular and it receives a very broad and expansive rendering here -- much too sober and polite to recommend for a novice. The limitations of the orchestra are apparent, but the performance is committed if somewhat episodic and lacking natural flow. My favorite recording of No. 2 is by John Barbirolli and the Royal Philharmonic on the Chesky label, which I'd wholeheartedly recommend.

The No. 3 here is a personal favorite with a beautifully melodic and melancholy middle movement. This digital disc is also warmly and transparently recorded, adding the needed resonance to these mostly cool performances."

Music that touches your soul

D. Takeuchi | St. Cloud, MN United States | 04/07/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This must be one of the best Sibelius recordings. The second symphony must be a challenging piece, but Osmo Vanska takes great care of each detail that every time I listen to it, I am moved to near tears. It took me a while to get familiar with the music, though, as I am not a classical music academic. But be patient. Listen to it again and again, if you are a regular music lover like me. All the rest of Sibelius symphony recordings by Vanska and Lahti Orchestra on Bis label are recommended. Jean Sibelius: Violin Concerto in D minor (Original Version); Violin Concerto in D minor"

Fascinating

David Saemann | 07/10/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The Third Symphony is given a great performance here. Tempos are slightly on the slow side, which Vanska uses to give a sense of spaciousness to the reading. The important solos, particularly the winds in the second movement, are beautifully turned, while the finale lacks the driven quality some other conductors ascribe to it. I am less pleased with Vanska's version of the Second Symphony. It is beautifully prepared and played at sensible tempos. The clarity of the string writing is especially well rendered. Nevertheless, this is a Romantic symphony, and at times the string section of the Lahti orchestra appears overwhelmed. I miss the big gestures a great international ensemble can bring to this piece, as in the 1957 Ormandy/Philadelphia and later Levine/Berlin versions. Nevertheless, on its own terms this is a quite an enjoyable performance. The sound engineering is up to BIS's highest standards in the Third, clear and full sounding, with superb dynamics. The Second is very well recorded, too, with just a touch of fuzziness in fortissimos. I think there are better Sibelius Seconds out there, but this definitely is a disc worth hearing."

Vanska is too cautious, and the Lahti orchestra sounds provi

Santa Fe Listener | Santa Fe, NM USA | 01/17/2009

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I am unsure how to respond to this CD. In the light of the many Sibeelius Second and Third Symphonies I've heard, these are accommplished, convincing accounts. The Lahti musicians are committed provincial players, and Vanska knows what he's about. On the other hand, he has been greeted in the UK, and gradually in the US, as a revelatory conductor. I don't hear anything close to that -- Vanska ranks with David Zinman, not Abbado or Rattle. His proficiency isn't on the dull side, but he often chooses a sensitive caution over charismatic dynamism.

That's especially true in the Sibelius Second, where so many great condcutors, from Koussevitzky and Stokowski to Bernstein and Karajan, have found mystery, power, and triumph. Compared to them Vanska isn't in the same league; he does produce a reading that is at times propulsive and climactic. Tempos and phrasing are conventional. The best thing is the second movm=ement, where Vanska gives a personal interpreation that creates a memorable sense of atmosphere. The first movement is foursquare, however, and the Scherzo needs a top-tier orchestra that can thrill us with its execution. Vanska's spirit is in the right place, though, and I like the way he drives the finale wihtout dawdling or trying to inflate the rhetoric. The skimpiness of the Lahti strings tends to show up here, despite this CD's excellnet sonics.

Other reviewers highly praise Vanska's reading of Sym. #3, a work which has lnaguished as something of a stepchild. It is generaly considered a bit tame and classically retrograde, but I've always loved the Third and look for performances that capture a sense of power and expansion (Bernstein on Sony is my benchmark). Vanska alternates between caution and exuberance, which makes his performance tricky to judge. The best thing is that he keeps trying to find new ways to phrase -- the chugging ostinato rhythm of the first movement doesn't lull him into mechanical repetition. He also becomes very soft at times, asking for an evocative hush that other conductors miss.

In the second momvent the pace is unusually slow, defying the composer's tempo marking, "with motion, like an allegretto." Colin Davis also takes this relaxed view, but I'm not convinced. You get more delicacy and atmosphere at a loss of forward motion. Shouldn't this sound like a dance, not a meditation? Also, so much of the scoring is for strings in this symphony that I kept hearing deficiencies in the Lahti's string body, which doesn't even rival the City of Birmingham forces under Simon Rattle (on EMI), much less Bernstein's NY Phil. The finale offers an intriguing range of contrast -- Vanska can be quiet and reserved or loud and forceful -- but to me it feels a bit fussed over.

I can see why othr lsiteners are more enthusiastic -- these performances hold your attention and are by no menas a run through. But my mind keeps going back to Leif Segerstam, leading the much better Helsinki Phil., and Sakari Oramo with Rattle's old Birmingham orchestra, two Finns who are more riveting in the Third. Segerstam has a complete Sibelius cycle that for me is unmatched in its power and originality. For a Finnish-led version of the Second, I favor Esa-Pekka Salonen on Sony."

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