Interview, Osmo Vänskä on Sibelius

This summer saw the completion of Osmo Vänskä's Sibelius symphonies cycle with the Minnesota Orchestra on BIS, his second survey of these works for the label: reviewing the final instalment back in July, my colleague James described it as 'an outstanding achievement in every way' and argued that 'even if you already own Vänskä’s earlier cycle with the Lahti Symphony Orchestra, I think that these new performances are simply unmissable'.

In the first of a series of short interviews with the artists featured on our Top 10 Recordings of 2016, I spoke to Mr Vänskä over email earlier this week to find out how the two cycles compare from his point of view…

Sibelius has been a fundamental part of your repertoire for several decades. Tell me a little about your earliest encounters with his music, both as listener and performer: who were your main inspirations and influences when it comes to approaching this repertoire?

When I was a kid the radio at home was on whenever there was classical music playing but we weren’t allowed to listen to jazz or any popular music. My parents brought me and my two brothers to many concerts by our small local orchestra, but one time the much larger Helsinki University Orchestra came to town which had a full string section and their performance of Sibelius 5 conducted by very young Leif Segerstam is to this day, one of my most vivid and fond memories. As an adult, one of the most important Sibelius conductors for me has been Paavo Berglund.

It’s twenty years since your recordings of the complete symphonies with the Lahti Symphony Orchestra – how much has your perspective on the works altered since then (through performance experiences, further study or reflection)?

I think that my basic idea of the symphonies is still the same as during that time when we recorded them in Lahti, but all the years since have given me many “new” ideas and experiences about music and particularly life in general. I am not the same person as I was twenty years ago, and therefore I can’t help but approach the pieces slightly differently.

Following on from that, what different qualities do the Minnesota musicians bring to these works, either in terms of the basic sound of the orchestra or in terms of the dynamics between you and the players?

Every orchestra is quite different, and The Minnesota Orchestra has given me more possibilities for doing all kinds of music just based on the larger size of the ensemble. I have a great working relationship with the players and we have built up a lot of trust over the years, so we all thrive off each other’s energy and musical ideals. I am lucky enough to have had long tenures with the orchestras in Lahti and Minnesota, and I have learned so much from both experiences.

Finally, can you reveal anything about future recording projects with the Minnesota Orchestra?

We have already started a recording cycle of all the Mahler symphonies with No. 5 and 6, but I have no idea what will happen when we complete that project.

Recent and related recordings from Osmo Vänskä