This is one terrific disc! On the basis of this alone - and I
gather from the reviews I’ve read of the first installment in
his Sibelius series - Pietari Inkinen is a Sibelian of the first
order. The young conductor, born in 1980, has the New Zealand
Symphony playing its collective hearts out for him and the recorded
sound is superb. Not only a “bargain of the month,” but a “disc
of the month” at any price! For the most part, this is a collection
of lesser-known works of the composer that truly deserve this
kind of exposure. The one “chestnut,” Valse Triste from
Kuolema, receives a sensitive performance that makes the
piece sound fresh minted.
The disc begins with one of Sibelius’ greatest
poems, Night Ride and Sunrise. Heretofore my favorite
recording was the one by L’Orchestre de la Suisse Romande under
Horst Stein on Decca. It had all the excitement that Simon
Rattle’s rather tepid account with the Philharmonia - coupled
with his outstanding Sibelius Fifth - on EMI lacked, but the
brass playing could be a little crass at times. With Inkinen,
you get the best of both worlds. The “night ride” portion is
nearly as exciting as Stein’s and the “sunrise” is much more
majestic. This is now my favorite version.
The remainder of the disc is not one whit
inferior. The Suite from Belshazzar’s Feast demonstrates
that Sibelius could write “exotic” music with the best of them,
yet still maintain his unique fingerprints. His orientalism
may not be as extrovert as Nielsen’s in his Aladdin suite,
but with its greater subtlety makes the more lasting impression.
Indeed, the second and third movements, Solitude and
Night Music offer much in the way of inward beauty and
are really haunting. Likewise, Pan and Echo and The
Dryad are examples of the mature Sibelius’ own special brand
of impressionism. The New Zealanders woodwinds in Pan and
Echo are ravishing, and the rhythmic pointing is infectious.
The Dryad is like a chip off the Fourth Symphony in its
wonderful strangeness, and its oboe and flute solos - beginning
at 1:29 and recurring throughout the work - reminded
me of Janáček. The second of the Two Pieces shows
Sibelius in his “Spanish” mode when its dance turns to cornets
and castanets adding local color. There is a bit of that in
The Dryad as well.
If I had to single
out anything dispensable on the disc it would be the last two
movements of Kuolema that the composer added later to his
incidental music to Järnefelt’s play, which seem less inspired
than the other works on the disc. No matter. The whole disc
merits the highest recommendation for interpretation, performance,
and sound. As usual with Naxos, the presentation and notes are
very good, too.
Leslie Wright
see also Reviews
by Bob Briggs and Rob
Barnett
