Sibelius - Symphony No.2, The Oceanides, Pohjola’s Daughter
£11.88
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Label: Halle
Cat No: CDHLL7516
Format: CD
Number of Discs: 1
Genre: Orchestral
Release Date: 7th May 2013
Contents
Artists
Halle OrchestraConductor
Mark ElderWorks
Pohjola's Daughter, op.49Symphony no.2 in D major, op.43
The Oceanides, op.73
Artists
Halle OrchestraConductor
Mark ElderAbout
It is coupled with the dramatic Pohjola’s Daughter - an orchestral show-piece with the Hallé here at the height of its powers, and the less well known and deeply evocative musical portrait of the sea The Oceanides. Together, the performances of these works perfectly illustrate the renaissance that has been achieved at the Hallé under Sir Mark Elder.
The 2nd Symphony was recorded live from sell out concerts in the Bridgewater Hall, of which critics said: “The Sibelius reading was more arresting still… The whole elaborate, superbly integrated argument never lost focus for a moment.” (Sunday Times).
Sound/Video
Paused
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1Pohjola's Daugher, op.49
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2The Oceanides, op.73
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3Symphony no.2 in D major, op.43 - I.Allegretto
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4Symphony no.2 in D major, op.43 - II.Andante, ma rubato
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5Symphony no.2 in D major, op.43 - III.Vivacissimo
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6Symphony no.2 in D major, op.43 - IV.Finale: Allegro Moderato
Europadisc Review
The Hallé have a long association with the Second Symphony, having given the work its British première under Hans Richter in 1905, and the orchestra’s impeccable Sibelian credentials bear tangible results in a reading that is both thrilling and deeply considered. Elder’s reading is a spacious one, with the first movement building slowly, and throughout the ebb and flow of ideas he is careful not to overplay his hand too early. Antiphonally divided violins aid the textural clarity enormously, and there’s a wonderful warmth to the string sound. Such is the depth of the musical involvement that there is never the slightest hint of the music dragging.
In the second movement, the mysterious pizzicato opening and the lugubrious bassoon melody help to build a mood of ominous brooding, against which the more animated music emerges the more finely etched and excitable. The mighty brass interjections have particular potency, followed by string playing of fragile delicacy, and all the while the underlying tension builds inexorably. If there is a slight edginess to the upper strings above the stave, it is more than made up for by the warmth of their low registers.
The scurrying string quavers that open the third movement are deftly animated, with dynamic gradations well observed, whilst the oboe melody of the ‘trio’ section steadily takes on more and more poignancy. As with so much about this performance, the build-up to the finale is perfectly judged. Once it arrives, Elder is again careful to keep power in reserve after the initial fanfares, so that the music has a natural flow and never gets bogged down. The waves of tension are handled with tremendous skill, whilst the final pages blaze without any suggestion of bombast or sonic overload. This is a recording that throws fresh light on many aspects of this familiar work.
If the Symphony is reason enough to buy this disc, the couplings — two of Sibelius’s finest tone poems in exceptionally evocative performances — are arguably even better. The story behind Pohjola’s Daughter is taken from the Finnish national epic, the Kalevala, but the music was also strongly influenced by Strauss’s Ein Heldenleben. Thankfully there is no Straussian pretension to this performance, recorded in February 2007 at the Bridgewater Hall. From the opening cello solo and the rasping of stopped horns to the delicacy of the harp figuration surrounded by a halo of glacial strings, every detail registers with the greatest clarity, without detracting from the sense of natural space. Climaxes are thrilling, the Psycho-like stabbing chords in the development making full impact, and the sense of involvement with the unfolding story is palpable.
In the less familiar Oceanides (composed in 1914 shortly before the Fifth Symphony), Elder brings out the music’s latent impressionism, whilst never losing sight of the fact that this is unmistakably the music of the fully mature Sibelius. Woodwind solos suggesting the cries of birds are beautifully realised, and the important contribution of the two harps is ideally captured. The slow-building force of the turbulent waves comes across with elemental power: oboes and cor anglais are ideally acerbic, and the brass dissonances overwhelming. The recording (made in August 2006 at BBC Studio 7 in Manchester) is remarkably atmospheric.
With detailed notes from Stephen Johnson in English, French and German, and a full list of orchestral players (always a nice touch), this disc is soundly recommended!
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