The Finnish organist Kalevi Kiviniemi has already given us a
complete recording of Sibelius’s
œuvre for
organ -
review -
and here he tackles some of the songs in arrangements for voice,
organ, harp and cello. Most listeners will probably know these
in their original guises - either for voice and piano or voice
and orchestra - but the combination of instruments on this recording
certainly makes for an interesting alternative. It’s a
home-grown affair, Kiviniemi joined here by fellow Finns Jorma
Hynninen - who I remember most vividly as a fine Macbeth at Savonlinna
some years ago - Laura Hynninen and Marko Ylönen; the latter
very much a stalwart of the Bis Sibelius Edition. As usual with
these Fuga issues the recording is masterminded by Mika Koivusalo,
whose organ recordings have set new standards for this repertoire.
The works collected here cover the early part of Sibelius’s
career, from around 1895 to 1916, the poets ranging from Maeterlinck
to Shakespeare, all translated into Finnish. Texts are not given,
but the song titles and ‘thumbnails’ give one a fairly
good idea of their content. The recital opens with
Sigh, sedges
sigh, the first of two items from the
Six Songs, Op.
36. It’s delightful, the harp and organ combining to create
a pleasing, almost orchestral, amplitude. Jorma Hynninen sings
with warmth and intelligence, although the surging and rather
powerful organ accompaniment in
Black roses does stretch
him to the limit.
The dominant organ part in
Flower of friendship, from
Eight
Songs, Op. 57, is just as challenging for him, but at least
this setting allows him to make the most of his more expressive
- and more secure - middle and lower voice. This does highlight
questions of balance, though, and some listeners may feel the
artists are placed much too far forward. It’s a similar
situation on Fuga’s festive disc -
review -
and while this closeness isn’t unpleasant it can be a little
fatiguing if you’re listening to this all in one sitting.
That said, the songs are varied enough,
Diamonds on the March
snow distinguished by some wonderfully fluid, if somewhat
oversized, sounds from the harp,
Driftwood by some eloquent
cello playing from Marko Ylönen. What a pity that he struggles
to be heard over the organ at times.
The
Hymn to Thaïs is a splendidly sonorous affair,
singer and organist more evenly matched, Maeterlinck’s
Three
blind sisters prefaced by some lovely, meditative harp figures.
Again, the latter favours Hynninen’s lower and middle registers
and he sings with great feeling throughout, the organ relegated
to a more distant murmur. The original guitar accompaniment to
the two
Twelfth Night settings,
Come away, Death and
Hey
ho, the wind and the rain, is very well carried over into
the harp writing; indeed, in the latter the harp sounds remarkably
like a mandolin. All very different from the brooding intensity
of
On a balcony by the sea, the organ offering a wider
range of colours than we’ve encountered thus far. Jorma
Hynninen is at his most expressive here, even rising to the big
moments with aplomb.
That contrasts nicely with the nimble, barrel-organ-like accompaniment
and higher spirits of
Serenade, Kiviniemi careful not
to overwhelm the vocalist. And what a strange little postlude,
very quirky indeed.
Sing out and praise the Lord and the two Op. 77 settings,
Praise
the Lord, my soul and
From the bottom of my heart, are
three devotional pieces, the first and third made more plangent
by the addition of the cello. Ylönen is much more easily
heard in the second, his playing rich and lyrical alongside the
harp and organ. There is no voice here, which tends to emphasise
the somewhat exaggerated balance. As lovely as this piece undoubtedly
is, it’s apt to sound much too sweet and cloying when it’s
heard this close.
Of the last three items the Op. 86 setting
Longing is my heritage is
one of the most
heartfelt, Jorma Hynninen at his ardent
best in
To evening. The final track,
The song of the
cross spider, from Sibelius’s
King Christian Suite, is
perhaps more naturally recorded, the singing and playing very
assured indeed. In general, though, the balance remains a matter
of taste, and I suspect many listeners might find it all a little
overpowering at times. Which is a pity, given that Koivusalo’s
organ recordings are so very accomplished. That said, balancing
these unusual forces, each with their own powerful musical personality,
would tax even the most experienced engineer.
Sonically, then, this not in the same league as Fuga’s
organ-only discs, and musically these arrangements don’t
always work as well as they might. I doubt anyone would prefer
them to the originals - helpfully collected in Volume 7 of BIS’s
Sibelius Edition - and I certainly wouldn’t say this is
a particularly good example of Kiviniemi’s formidable keyboard
skills. Nevertheless, Fuga’s production values are as high
as ever, with a good-quality booklet and lucid liner-notes. Think
of this disc as a sweet, full-bodied ‘pudding wine’,
a postprandial treat best enjoyed in moderation.
Dan Morgan
Jorma Hynninen
(baritone) 
