Where did this come from?

 

My sources point to RCA.

I only mention this, since RCA pawning off a recording to Chandos seems unusual. Especially so, as there is no mention of RCA in the media.

As to dates, these performances came from the mid-70s on RCA Gold Seal's Banks of Scotland series. Eventually, they were gathered together on Chandos in the mid-80s (in a fatbox), and remastered on the same label in 2004 (in a slimline).

I notice Chandos took off the word complete from the 80s set for the reissue. This recording certainly carries more tone poems than most, yet I am sure there are some other symphonic poem-like works from Sibelius floating around, not contained in this set.

Some might be lured in by the 3CD set on DG from Neeme Järvi. Indeed, it carries all of the selections from this set except The Dryad. Where does their extra CD come from? Well, DG adds the full Lemminkäinen Suite, Karelia Suite, and King Christian Suite, as well as some smaller numbers.

But what is here under Sir Alexander Gibson are 10 big-hitter tone poems. Gibson directs with strength and forward motion, not to mention noticeably powerful brass coming from the Scottish National Orchestra. I thought the ensemble had accrued their hard-hit qualities when Järvi took over the orchestra in the 80s, but apparently Gibson had them in crackerjack shape by the sound of these performances.

Included in the set is Luonnotar with soprano Phyllis Bryn-Julson. Having recently heard Phyllis Curtin with Leonard Bernstein, I can't imagine two completely different approaches. While Curtin raises the roof with harried over-the-top drama, Bryn-Julson's is world-weary and melancholic, bordering on an atmosphere filled with spine-tingling creeps.

Of the orchestral poems from Sibelius, The Bard and The Dryad are not oft heard. The Bard unsurprisingly centers around the harp, although I love how Sibelius gives the nervy three-note motive to the violas. He does the same with the wonderful folk melody in En Saga, even if the horns upstage them at their final big utterance. The Dryad is more of a mystery, as it tends towards the atmospheric, only to occasionally dabble with the hijinks of the fey in musical terms.

If there is anything listener's take Gibson to task for, it is the swift tempo in Tapiola. On the other hand, if there is anyone who can somehow make faster Sibelius sound natural and non-manic, it is the Scottish conductor Sir Alexander. The same might be said of the Spring Song, but golly I really like it here. The work bears a beautiful endless melody which circles around and around, but by pushing it along, Gibson makes the tune work wonders, although the cadences arrive most abruptly. So too, Pohjola's Daughter gets a fast ride, even if the drama and terror don't reach the heights of the Bernstein performance I just heard.

On the other hand, I never got on with Sibelius' more atmospheric pieces. I am thinking works such as The Oceanides, which just seems to last forever without doing anything at all, no fault of these performers - this one is totally on me! While Night Ride and Sunrise is repetitive in its endless gallops, and takes a good while to arrive anywhere, at least its music has character.

The remaster thankfully warms the orchestral sound, and you can really hear the Glasgow acoustic in Finlandia making quite a decay at the beginning. Truth be told, Chandos should have added Alexander Gibson's recordings of Lemminkäinen and Scènes Historiques for a blockbuster total package. Oddly, the CD booklet feels like cheap magazine/paper material, quite unusual for Chandos who usually produces a superior physical product. Wishes being kept to the side, this is really a terrific set of Sibelius for anyone who wants the most substantial of the composer's tone poems.

 

 

 

 

Work
En Saga, op. 9 (18.12)
Spring Song, op. 16 (7.12)
Finlandia, op. 26 (7.25)
The Dryad, op. 45/1 (5.44)
Pohjola's Daughter, op. 49 (12.35)
Night Rise and Sunrise, op. 55 (15.02)
The Bard, op. 64 (7.47)
Luonnotar, op. 70 (9.13)
Oceanides, op. 73 (10.43)
Tapiola, op. 112 (15.39)

Soloists
Phyllis Bryn-Julson, soprano

Performers
Scottish National Orchestra
Sir Alexander Gibson, conductor

Label: RCA; Chandos
Year: 1977; 1985 & 2004
Total Timing: 1.50.00
    CD1: 55.48
    CD2: 54.12
  

 

 

 

 

 

 

If the worth of this set of Sibelius tone poems can be measured by selling price, particularly the 2004 remaster, they are rare to find and pricey when listed online.

In general, Sir Alexander leans towards brassy drama and flowing tempos - all to the better. A swell collection!