Sibelius: Songs for Male Choir

 

What a difference intent makes!

I had mentioned on a recent blog post of Sibelius' mixed choir partsongs (BLOG) that I wasn't feeling too aligned with the composer's a cappella choral music.

However, when it is sung as passionately and characterfully as this ensemble does, one is really taken away with the music. The Helsinki University Choir even makes me enjoy Rakastava, a longer work which I haven't really connected with in its other forms. Here, they really make a case for it, with a fine showing from the vocal soloists.

And I can say the same for the rest of the program, which includes 25 a cappella male chorus partsongs. This recording on Finlandia Records predates this same performing team's production on BIS (BLOG). While there is some carry over of literature between the two, the BIS recording has a number of orchestrated choral works as well, while this one is purely a cappella, with enough different material between the two recordings to make both essential listenings.

Despite the purely a cappella attribute mentioned above, The March of the Finnish Battalion comes attached to the Helsinki Garrison Band, and color me surprised when the instrumental ensemble appeared. Perhaps it was gathered from a recent project at the time. After all, there is a special note saying two songs had to be dropped from the 2LP edition when transferring over to CD. I will be searching out their missing Guard of the Bridge and Triumphal March of the Viipuri Singers, for sure.

Best of all, the male-voice YL choir makes you feel surging passion, sorrow and pain, patriotic pride, intimate solemnity, and jubilant ecstasy across these choral pieces. The ensemble really draws the listener in to each of these individual works, ones which could sound rather similar in one sitting with another, perhaps lesser, singing group. Kudos to Matti Hyökki, the director of the YL, who presents Sibelius' music in its very best light.

Finlandia Records prints the original texts and English translations for each song, as well as individual liner notes for each work as well. The voices are captured closely in the Helsinki church recording location, perhaps adding to the effectiveness of their fine singing. Really a fine outing from every direction!

 

 

Soloists
Peter Lindroos, tenor
Pertti Saurola, baritone

Works
Finlandia Hymn, op. 26 (2.01)
Rakastava, JS 160b (7.02)
Nine Songs, op. 18 (18.16)
Five Songs, op. 84 (13.24)
Two Songs, op. 108 (6:30)
Two Songs, JS 224 (3.33)
The Moonlight, JS 114 (1.53)
Hymn, op. 21 (4.15)
Likeness, JS 120 (1.42)
Jonah's Voyage, JS 100 (2.42)
March of the Jaegers, op. 91/1 (2.22)
Fridolin's Madness, JS 84 (2.29)

Performers
YL Male-Voice Choir
   Matti Hyökki, conductor

Label: Finlandia Records
Year: 1987
Total Timing: 68.19

 

 

Different enough from Matti Hyökki's later BIS release to make this Finlandia Records one stand all on its own with little need of comparison.

And both are quite worthwhile as well, presenting Sibelius' male-choir partsongs in their very best possible light.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Find more Sibelius recordings HERE!