[SACD-R][OF] Sir Colin Davis, London Symphony Orchestra - Jean Sibelius - Symphonies Nos 1 & 4 - 2008 (Orchestral)

Colin Davis easily has the sweep & grandeur of these works under his fingertips. An excellent program of Sibelius music! I have been a big fan of Sibelius for a while now & consider his symphonies on a par with those of Mahler & Bruckner.
** DSD recording **
BBC Review of the series:
Consistently confident & exuding an unshakeable stamp of authority. Here, assembled & repackaged, are Colin Davis’s recordings of the Sibelius symphonies made live with the London Symphony Orchestra between September 2002 & July 2008. You also get the composer’s early symphonic poem for soloists, chorus & orchestra, Kullervo.
1st, some background: Davis championed Sibelius’s music in UK & USA before it became mainstream. Cue the lazy PR spiel that he’s among the world’s leading interpreters of the Finn’s music. In truth, Davis’s early Sibelius recordings with the Boston Symphony Orchestra have dated. Added to that, audiences have recently begun to accept, as definitive, the cool, often sparse interpretations offered by Finnish artists that reveal more of the inherent darkness & light in the music.
But none of that lessens the impact of these recordings, which are at best very fine indeed. The mature Davis has a way with the music’s architecture like few other conductors. The pace of the expansive 2Second & 5th Symphonies is masterful. Combined with the innate warmth & pretty much faultless playing of the LSO, it makes for some of the most readily satisfying performances available.
So, when Sibelius’s ‘big tunes’ arrive, they seem to do so just at the right time. In the 5th symphony’s final movement, Davis holds back at the moment the Swan theme modulates, but other than that the tempo doesn’t change: it’s emotionally effective, but also steers a satisfying course between the purist Finns & the schmaltzy Americans.
A sense of structure & direction impresses in the more elusive symphonies too, particularly the eerie 4th, which hangs together as well as Karajan’s. Kullervo is an unmitigated triumph: LSO Live’s sometimes boxed-in sound engineering can impede elsewhere, but here it only adds to a vivid sense of earthbound journeying. The Chorus delivers uncannily authentic Finnish pronunciation.
Vladimir Ashkenazy’s ongoing cycle with the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic is a clear current rival: it offers a 7th symphony of greater vulnerability & more clarity & balance elsewhere. But any cycle boils down to musical sense & structure. The LSO’s consistent confidence & warmth can exhaust, but wrapped up in it is an unshakeable stamp of authority.
~Andrew Mellor 2009
SA-CD.net reviews of this disc:
by Luukas:
Sir Colin Davis was great Sibelius interpreter, & his recordings got many acclaimed awards. Davis recorded 3 Sibelius cycles: 1st with Boston Symphony Orchestra & 2 others with LSO. His last cycle – this is the 1st disc – was live from the Barbican Hall, London.
I have many recordings of Sibelius 1st Symphony. My 1st introduction was Leif Segerstam’s performance with Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra (Ondine). This is also very good recording; it is dramatic & live concert’s feeling comes very close by 5.0 surround sound.
1st movement, Andante ma non troppo, (11’54”) begin’s lonely clarinet’s quiet melody. Here it is very beautifully performed: Andrew Marriner (1st clarinetist) plays touchingly & sensitively. Main theme is peaceful, but it isn’t too slow. Osmo Vänskä’s interpretation with Minnesota Orchestra is much quicker: 1st movement’s total time is only 9 minutes!
2nd movement, Andante (ma non troppo lento) (9’27”) is very beautiful. Davis really understands this. He groans with Tchaikovskian melody. It is touching experience. The fast middle scene is powerful, & Davis reaches its freighting feeling very well. (MWC says ‘frightening’ I assume)
3rd movement, Scherzo (5’15”) is just OK. Its performance is quite normal. But the emotionally finale, (Quasi una fantasia): Andante (12’59”) is this performance’s real culmination. Strings singing melody is unforgettable, & Davis gives his all knowledge to it. Dramatic moments are like thunders.
4th Symphony (1910-1911) is different work. It is dark composition, it doesn’t contains happy end. Davis’ interpretation is excellent.
Neil Hutchinson’s & Jonathan Stokes’ engineering is also very good. For example my subwoofer switched on when the bass drum strikes in the finale.
by threerandot:
Colin Davis easily has the sweep & grandeur of these works under his fingertips. An excellent program of Sibelius music! I have been a big fan of Sibelius for a while now & consider his symphonies on par with those of Mahler & Bruckner.
These are exciting performances with Davis bringing out the excitement & intensity of these pieces in large, bold gestures. The LSO are 1st rate & have no visible trouble playing these symphonies. Both performances are memorable & the 4th has all the brooding mystery & intensity one could wish for. The 1st movement of the 4th has wonderful & exciting climaxes that these works truly deserve.
With a 1st rate DSD recording there is no detectable harshness & plenty of air & warmth. Strings are lush & beautiful & the balance is just right. The rear speakers bring out the ambience of the original location beautifully.
This is a disc for true Sibelius fans & all I can say is I want more Sibelius on SACD, especially recorded in DSD. There is a wonderful selection of Mahler recordings now released. Now how about more Sibelius on SACD? Are the labels listening?

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