Candid or Posed?

 

My guess is the former, but there are certainly elements of the latter.

In the cover photo, the director of the YL Male-Voice Choir, also known as the Helsinki University Chorus, does the nicest job looking like he was caught approaching a performing location with the ensemble, despite his arms not swinging. The three in the back give away anything planned by the photographer, although the four or five without sunglasses says otherwise.

No matter, yet it is important to have the ensemble on the cover, as the choir premiered 11 of the choral pieces on this recording in the early 20th Century, showing its direct lineage with the Finnish composer Jean Sibelius. Plus, another three selections received premiers on this particular recording, at least the versions as performed here. Seeing as there are 21 tracks over 79 minutes, these differences make for a rather important record, despite earlier recordings by this same group and director.

The fourteen a cappella partsongs are intelligently broken up in the program by seven choral/orchestral works. This affords the listener to not get bogged down by the same type of music over the whole recording, and I greatly appreciate the variety. Not that Sibelius was afraid to challenge singers in his a cappella works, for they can be frighteningly difficult, yet partsongs are generally designed for public use, so ease of singing and uncanny consonance can often be commonalities.

An example of the composer's furious a cappella writing is ably seen in My Brothers Abroad. Listen to the angular melody and the wild leaps Sibelius gives the singers, not to mention pivots to other key centers. This isn't the only place where Sibelius could sound complex in his choral writing on this recording, but it is a strong example of the challenges he gave singers. It should be noted, Matti Hyökki programs all six of the op. 18 set, a rarity for sure.

Four major cantatas are included as well, ones ranging from 7-12 minutes in length, plus three patriotic numbers with orchestra are included which are shorter. While Rakastava has never done much for me in any of its forms, The Captive Queen and The Origin of Fire both offer musical substance and character of great interest. The latter displaying a primal musical landscape with a baritone opera scena attached, and the former an exquisite work unto itself. The Fishermen's Brides also uses orchestra to great effect, showcasing the dangerous musical spray of the sea most characterfully.

The burly singing of the male chorus is foremost in the patriotic orchestral numbers, but I enjoy Sibelius' strange modal harmonies as well, raising these flag-wavers above their genre brethren.  I had not heard The March of the Finnish Jäger Battalion before either, and I look forward to hearing its sister op. 91 choral march as well.

All would be for nought if the performers weren't up to the task, but nothing could be further from the truth.  For the choral/orchestral works, Osmo Vänskä leads the Lahti Symphony Orchestra, a partnership which has gained quite a favorable reputation in Sibelius over the years. I will admit the orchestra doesn't have as much to do in some of these works, although in the few I mentioned above, the choral/orchestral interactions are more numerous, perhaps setting them aside as something special.

And, of course, the Ylioppilaskunnan Laulajat (YL) are persuasive singers. Their lower-ranged singers seem to inhabit some of the Russian choral traditions I have heard on record. In some of the pieces, the tenors have a distinct nasal-focused sound; I wonder if this is cultural or a choice from Hyökki for characterization, for it isn't a consistent application. All together, however, the singers provide a robust and sensitive approach to all of the pieces on the program.

If you have the BIS label's Essential Sibelius or Sibelius Edition Vol. 11 sets, you may have many of these performances already. I see op. 31 nos. 1 & 2 are taken from Vänskä's Finland Awakes album, although they are relatively short pieces. I only noticed because the change of acoustic sounded familiar to me, and indeed they are re-instituted here. BIS includes all of the song texts and translations into English, for those who are interested.

But, if you are looking for a recording of Sibelius' choral music, including ones with orchestra, this is a persuasive release. Previously unreleased versions are performed here, and having the same Finnish chorus used by Sibelius himself is a remarkable piece of history.

 

 

 

Works
Six Songs, op. 18 (11.49)
Rakastava, JS 160b (6.28)
Origin of Fire, op. 32 (11.20)
Fisherman's Brides, op. 33 (8.42)
Captive Queen, op. 48 (9.21)
Laulu Lemminkäinen, op. 31 no. 1 (4.08)
Har du mod?, op. 31 no. 2 (1.38)
March of the Finnish Battalion, op. 91a (2.23)
Hymn, op. 21 (3.55)
In the Moonlight, JS 114 (1.53)
To the Fatherland, JS 98b (1.47)
My Brother's A Broad, JS 217 (3.13)
To Sea, op. 84 no. 5 (1.59)
Two Songs, op. 108 (6.19)
Finlandia Hymn, op. 26 (2.05)

Performers
YL Male-Voice Choir
   Matti Hyökki, conductor
Lahti Symphony Orchestra
   Osmo Vänskä, conductor

Label: BIS
Year: 2008
Total Timing: 79.46

 

 

 

An important set of Sibelius' choral music, methinks.

Sure, this choir has recorded programs of Sibelius' choral music before, but the mix of orchestra with a cappella pieces is well programed here.

Only maddening is the repackaging of two short pieces from an earlier recording, plus all of these choral/orchestral works were further reissued onto their Origin of Fire recording on BIS.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Find more Sibelius recordings HERE!