Sibelius: Kullervo [Hybrid SACD]
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CD Details
Performer: Peter MatteiComposer: Jean Sibelius
Conductor: Colin Davis
Performer: Monica Groop
Orchestra: London Symphony Orchestra
Edition: Music CD
Format: Hybrid SACD - DSD, Import
CD Release Date: 2006-02-14
Music Label: Lso Live UK
Soundtracks:
- Introduction (Allegro Moderato)
- Kullervo's Youth (Grave)
- Kullervo And His Sister (Allegro Vivace)
- Kullervo Goes To Battle (Alla Marcia)
- Kullervo's Death (Andante)
Music reviews of Sibelius: Kullervo [Hybrid SACD]
Music Review: Sibelius's Symphony No.0 ?
Rating: 5 Stars
<< If you thought Anton Bruckner was the only one who wrote a zeroeth symphony, you're wrong. Jean Sibelius just did that, in the form of his (actually unnumbered) Kullervo Symphony, Op.7, a gigantic work in five movements for two soloists, chorus and orchestra >>
Months ago (Fe-Mar 2006, to be more precise), i wrote down my first impressions of this album and, quite frankly, was rather skeptical and found overall the performance to be improperly prosaic and somewhat lacking in atmosphere. A rather dry--if not triple sec--approach was not (to my ear) the perfect component for such an evolutive work as Kullervo. Now, as i am writing the present review for Amazon.com, i begin to regret what i wrote initially in Google Groups and wonder why i've been so wary about it--with the result to dismiss an overall excellent recording. Nonetheless, my opinion has changed to the positive and, at the risk of contradicting myself, after listening anew to this CD (after several months) i thought perhaps i should rectify my judgment.
All things considered, the LSO live's is not a bad version. Far from it, i think it shows marvelously how the work can sustain the scope of various interpretations. The performance is superb, with impressive sound quality, openness and clarity. Like the Mahler symphonies i've been listening to intensely this year, Sibelius's Kullervo takes advantage from different readings, showing the work through the lens of contrasting perspectives. It all further demonstrates why Kullervo stands as the great work it really is, a masterpiece invariably moving and attractive. This "live" version from the Davis/LSO partnership is, first and foremost, dynamically driven. The LSO plays to perfection and nearly everything seems to click into place. The soloists are expressive and the chorus competent (if not quite on a par with the finest choruses from Finland). I'll get back on that a bit later.
While i'm on the subject of different interpretations, i think its worth mentioning 2006 as a great harvest year for Kullervo with no less than three new commercial recordings within the span of twelve months! For the last few decades the work has gained in popularity, in a way unthinkable to the composer and the original publishers in the context of their time. Based on the snippets i've heard lately, Ari Rasilainen's version (CPO, recorded December 2005) appears to be quite promising. They employ a Finnish male chorus with a fine and incisive diction to liken with the best. Rasilainen studied conducting under Jorma Panula's guidance at the Sibelius Academy. His Kullervo, much in the way of the very first performance in 1892, is made from a mixture of Scandinavian and German executants. I've also heard the newly available (and long-awaited) version from Robert Spano and the Atlanta S.O. (Telarc CD 80665, November 2006 release). The latter is a sensational account and is, formally, nothing short of breathtaking. Prior to the recording sessions, the first concert of May 2006 was described as a groundwork full of promise. I like the fact of listening to an account of Kullervo with a different flavor. The performance notably includes Nathan Gunn - a warm and powerful baritone voice. The mezzo Charlotte Hellekant, in spite of a fine voice, doesn't match the likes of Groop or Paasikivi. I couldn't figure out Spano bringing less than a great realization of the score, and this is exactly what he has done: Splendid music all the way and some impressive chorus singing (in Finnish), this with Telarc's lauded sonics (a superb DSD recording). By the way, their booklet cover image is magnificent.
Interestingly, the Davis LSO live CD goes for 72 minutes--roughly the total time of both Spano and Rasilainen--while the first Davis LSO recording on RCA clocks in at a leisurely 81 minutes. There seem to be two `schools': The Davis one, that is--the first Davis, in lengthier timings (76-80+ min.), and the Berglund one, typically shorter (about 70-75 min.). Note that i didn't use the word `lengthier' in a necessarily negative way. Neither of the two `schools' can claim to be the better nor there is one clearly superior to the other; a question of interpretation is at the heart of this topic. Venial caveats aside, the first Davis is very good in its one-of-a-kind interpretation. Of Davis, i've drawn comparisons between his first and second accounts (I- LSO, studio, Walthamstow, 1996; II- LSO, live concerts, Barbican, 2005). Here are my subjective preferences:
1.Introduction - Here i like both; still, i marginally prefer Davis I for its sheer authenticity.
2.Kullervo's Youth - Davis I this time; i like the broad tempi and the atmospheric, chilly melancholy of the earliest recording. The Davis II is slightly more abrupt, albeit with clearer sound, and comprises interesting things.
3.Kullervo and his sister - Davis II, definitely; very good soloists in Davis I and still better ones in Davis II, especially Monica Groop. Improved articulation and intonation of the chorus in Davis II.
4.Kullervo goes to war - Davis II, again; much in the vein of the authoritative Berglund (EMI) or Jarvi (Bis), it sounds more mercurial and has more fire than Davis I.
5.Kullervo's death - Both are great, but i have a penchant for Davis II; the first Davis is more `held back' and, if anything, seems more aloof in timbre. The second Davis has enormous power where the Davis I seems to bolster slightly less tension. In any case, I and II conclude in a triumphant surge. Davis II gets the last word over the other in terms of sound quality and the chorus is more persuasive.
I've previously shed some ink about this symphonic work on Amazon.com (Vanska and P. Jarvi). The St.Matthew Passion excepted, Kullervo is the greatest classical work i have heard so far. For sure, the work isn't flawless: Still, who cares when the music is so good and is hued with so profound gravity? The work is a drama and, in its intensity, conveys vehemence, turmoil and despair. But, despite the woe, there is light and there is a glimmer of hope in the distance. One of the facets of Sibelius's Kullervo Symphony is that it is like a journey through an experience of loneliness, a complete loneliness amidst the bleak milieu of the nordic wilderness. Yet, that kind of `isolement' isn't entirely devoid of life and movement. In addition, the context of the work isn't deprived of a certain form of spirituality. Kullervo, as a central character, is the raison d'etre of the narrative; he is not only the anti-hero but he is, as well, the best example of a victim of fate, a sort of counter-image of the sacrificed child if you will. The storyline is complex in its puzzling simplicity and comprises neurotic and erotic schemes. The subjacent, barely suggested Oedipus complex is often stated in respect to the events surrounding Kullervo and his family. It is a valid notion, in my opinion, but should not eclipse the primary traits and motives related to the legend.
Kullervo is, essentially, an episode from the Kalevala. The fact that Sibelius was once in contact with Larin Paraske could warrant the likelihood in his using of some suggestive power inspired by the old runic chants of Karelia. Virtual Finland explains this with arresting details: "In 1890, Jean Sibelius was converted to Karelianism by the music of Robert Kajanus. He also received inspiration from meeting folk poetry singer Larin Paraske. The symphonic poem Kullervo, finished in 1892, was Sibelius' first composition with a Kalevalaic theme. He had already made a trip to Karelia that same year." The arcane sources linked to Finnish mythology and ancestral poetry confer the work some of its dark, appealing beauty, though it is basically the composer's genius which made it a uniquely fascinating work in the first place. Most of the `magic' is to be found in the music, primarily (however, i will be the last to argue over the significance of chanted words, for by their tone they add much to the symbolism and confer a lyrical quality to the music).
The `Flying Inkpot' (web) depicts the central movement thus: "The 25-minute third movement is the heart of Kullervo where the choir and vocal soloists first appear. [...] The music is powerful: the choir sings mostly in unison, achieving a chant-like rawness which is very direct in its communicative evocation of that primal harkening we associate with myth. Add to this a relentless five-beat ostinato maintained by the orchestra, the work is as original as it is rooted in the past. Even more ingenious is the fact that it is written in 5/4 time (another famous example is `Mars' from Holst's The Planets), which takes into account the Finnish language's predominant first-syllable emphasis." As soloist, Monica Groop is a reference in respect to the work and is on a par with the distinguished Karita Mattila (Jarvi, Bis) and Eva Lisa Saarinen (Berglund), and she's a shade better than Lily Paasikivi (Vanska) The brilliant Jorma Hynninen is, so to speak, Kullervo personified (four recordings) and even the warm and generous voice of Peter Mattei isn't quite a match, although the latter's concert and studio contributions are uniformly pretty good. Personally, i marginally prefer Hynninen, Laukka and Viitanen. The LSO Chorus is a very good group with fine diction and a somber tone, but it will not shake the columns of the Helsinki University Male Choir (known as `YL' in Finland). The chorus of the newly released Atlanta Symphony Orchestra on Telarc is also a bit better in respect to their distinctive qualities.
Ivan March in Gramophone says that "the epic sweep of the new Davis account is irresistible," but also notes that "the recording, although extremely vivid in impact, is less than ideal: It is forwardly and artificially balanced, the LSO violins often not flattered, and at its first entry the chorus seems right on top of the listener. One hardly recognizes the Barbican acoustic at all." In contrast, the latest LSO live flies rather on the swift side, a la Berglund, and seems to emphasize the martial--let's say heroic--aspects thanks to a steady dose of energy. This is more `yang' than the `yin'-inclined nature of the 1996 account. The DSD recording makes it clear that this is one of the best Kullervos in matter of sound (notwithstanding the small aforementioned problems, mainly an outcome of the recording venue). True, there are the ineffable Barbican Hall acoustical `properties' which contribute to the dry sonics i have mentioned previously. David Lewis of AMG wrote that the dry ambience of the live Barbican "adds to its excitement and electricity": This is a view to which i can subscribe only in part. Yet, this certainly is an impressive account at any rate. Here and there we can discern the `layers of sound' that should bring back to mind Bruckner, a procedure or feature which the young Sibelius was using as soon as in his earliest compositions (though obviously not to the extent of Bruckner). I've been very pleased to discover things in it i previously didn't notice, such as some wonderful bass lines and subtle rhythmic effects from the string section. The LSO members play boldly and with excitement for their conductor; the winds and, especially, the brass glow emphatically in an ensemble whose sound is a tad bigger than the earlier account. The third movement is majestic and makes me think of Wagner or, indeed, Bruckner. The daring `Kullervo Goes to Battle' is probably the best since Berglund. The conclusion is colossal and has a sort of Straussian quality, if i dare say. At that point, the choral symphony goes full circle when the tragic tale concludes with Kullervo's Death--mirrored by the resurging theme of the first movement.
I couldn't agree more with Ivan March (in his review of the Davis) that the recording by Vanska (Bis) is still "a first-class account" and is "dramatic and powerfully atmospheric." There are now many fine accounts on disc and none of them is a leftover. In all, the LSO live Davis is warmly recommended even if it does not displace Vanska (still my favorite), Jarvi and the two Berglunds as `benchmark'. My review goes for the SACD *and* the standard audio CD (not surprisingly, the SACD happens to reveal a fuller, deeper sound). Good news to have such great discs of a deservedly great work. The new readings from Spano and Rasilainen are also worth looking for and should warrant high ranking in the catalogue.
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Description of Sibelius: Kullervo [Hybrid SACD]
Although he withdraw it a year after its successful premiere, Sibelius's early Kullervo symphony is laced with the atmosphere and creativeness that would characterise his later works, coupled with a tragic tale from Finnish folklore.Kullervo recounts the story of its eponymous hero. After alonely childhood, Kullervo grows up to become a determined warrior. He seduces a girl only to discover she is his long-lost sister and in remorse throws himself on his sword. Despite the tragedy, the work evokes the beauty of the Finnish countryside is an orchestral tour-de-force, offering stunning cameos for its soloists and chorus.
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