Sibelius: Symphony No 5 - the finale judgement

 

 

Recently I saw someone recommending a recording of Sibelius' Fifth Symphony on a CD, this was a reading which I thought to be quite lacklustre.  I had a rehearing and the finale of the reading in question seemed to me unengaging compared to other versions I had heard including what I might deem my "go to" reading.  The finale of this symphony is I think all you need to listen to to get a handle on the interpretation and the performance. It is a make or break section of the symphony.  The only other place where one might test the mettle of a reading is the subsumed scherzo (sometimes marked Movement 2 but always played without a pause after movement 1),  But even if the scherzo is a strong test - and it's basically a test of raw nerve, balance and orchestral accuracy - it's not a watertight one.  Assurance on the finale would be needed too.

So I set about listening to 36 recordings of the finale of Sibelius 5 - either in my collection or on YouTube - to assess the merits of various readings especially some of those which have not made the transition into classic status.  My previous post covered Sibelius 5 on record.  I covered many of the familiar names in that list and I added in some of the most promising CD recordings and two of my choices were videos: one a studio performance and the other a concert performance which is on YouTube only.

Ashkenazy/Philharmonia	Karajan II/Philharmonia 1960
Baribirolli/Halle O	Karajan III DG/BPO 1965
Berglund/COE	Karajan IV EMI/BPO 1977
Berglund/Helsinki	Karajan I/Philharmonia 1955
Berglund/Bournemouth	Koussevitzky/BSO 1935
Bernstein/NYPO	Lintu/Finnish RSO (YouTube)
Bernstein/VPO	Maazel/VPO
Blomstedt/SFSO	Oramo/CBSO
Celibache/Swedish RSO	Ormandy/Philadelphia I 1954
Collins/LSO	Ormandy/Philadelphia II 1978
Davis I/Boston SO	Kondrashin/RCO
Davis II/LSO RCA	Sakari/Iceland SO
Gibson/SNO	Salonen/Swedish RSO (YouTube)
Jansons/Oslo PO	Saraste/Finnish RSO
Jarvi I/GSO BIS	Sargent/BBCSO
Jarvi II/GSO DG	Segerstem/Helsinki PO
Kajanus/LSO	Vanska I/Lahti SO
Kamu/LahtiSO	Vanska II/Minnesota Orch

It's a remarkable roster of great Sibelians (or perhaps that should be allegedly great Sibelians) but on comparison there seemed to be some clear winners and losers in terms of overall impact - which I judged on three broad criteria - sonics, interpretation and orchestral performance.

The top few - in alphabetical order - perhaps surprisingly are:

Jarvi, (2003 DG);

Kajanus (1932, HMV);

Karajan (1955, EMI) & (1965, DG);

Lintu (2020, YouTube);

Maazel (1966 Decca);

Sargent (1959 Decca) &,

Segerstam (2007, Ondine). 

The bottom three also surprising given their reputations, or the reputations of their readings of this work:

Collins 

Gibson 

Colin Davis (Boston SO)

The middle are middling and there are some who recorded the work in their youth and may do better next time and some conductors do get better second time.

Three things about this exercise are worth noting.

First and this is perhaps the most important: in any given work one's "go to" recording is not as it turns out (unsurprisingly) the last word.  It may have a strong emotion or intellectual tie in your heart, but it always worth listening to the rest to hear things you may have missed (even in one's "go to"!) and then finding room in your heart of more.  The 8 amazing readings I have heard and probably another 4 or 5 in the group below that mark are well worth hearing for insights, expression and excitement.

Second, the tendency to try to find more in the music is somewhat annoying, especially if it is then highlighted by engineers.  The highlights and half-lights in Sibelius should sometimes be merest hints and not examined under bright lights.  Worst of all is those engineers who highlight something they can see in the score and then bodge the recording of the low brass completely in the climax.

Finally there is nothing - but nothing - like a clear interpretation, clear recording and a keenly played reading.  Wilful disregard for what the composer wants is unforgivable and so many conductors old and new indulge in this. The one reading which impressed me with its lack of tinkering or mannerism, fine playing, unassuming conducting and brilliant recording was Sargent with his orchestra the BBC Symphony orchestra.

So please let me know about your go to readings which I might explore and add to the list.  In particular I could find no recordings by female conductors and I would like to feature some.

And if you'd like to see my notes on the good ones and the bad ones - let me know.