Sibelius: Tapiola, Op. 112

“A mixed Sibelius bag from Karajan: a portentous No. 4, a graceful and purposeful No. 6, and Tapiola of elemental power. Rattle conducts a vividly dramatic No. 5, Berglund a fine, no-nonsense No. 7.” BBC Music Magazine, May 2011 ****

“If Beecham's mood-finding in Pelléas et Mélisande is hit-and-miss, his and the RPO's way with the other works is spellbinding: Tapiola here has an almost agonising wildness and beauty. Clear, substantial sound for the vintage.” BBC Music Magazine, April 2008 *****

“EMI’s Great Recordings of the Century is exactly what it says: these classic interpretations warrant a place in everybody’s collection” The Times

“Massive, craggy performances which testify to Karajan's exceptional rapport with Sibelius. Many may prefer the less ponderous, airier tempos of Vänska, Beecham or Gibson, and En Saga's build-up is rather calculated, but Tapiola's storm gathers with unequalled power.” BBC Music Magazine, January 2006 *****

“Superlative performances and the excellence of the recording, extraordinarily vivid and realistic, cannot be too strongly emphasised.” Gramophone Magazine

“Ashkenazy makes a superb job of Finlandia, which boasts some of the most vibrant, powerful brass sounds on disc.
More than 30 years separate En Saga and Tapiola, yet both works are quintessential Sibelius.
The latter is often praised for the way Sibelius avoided 'exotic' instruments, preferring instead to draw new and inhuman sounds from the more standard ones; and the former is, in many ways, just as striking in the way the orchestration evokes wind, strange lights, vast expanses and solitude. Both works suggest a dream-like journey: En Saga non-specific, though derived from Nordic legend; Tapiola more of an airborne nightmare in, above and around the mighty giants of the Northern forests inhabited by the Green Man of the Kalevala, the forest god Tapio (the final amen of slow, bright major chords brings a blessed release!). Ashkenazy's judgement of long-term pacing is very acute; the silences and shadows are as potent here as the wildest hurricane. And Decca's sound allows you to visualise both the wood and the trees; every detail of Sibelius's sound world is caught with uncanny presence, yet the overall orchestral image is coherent and natural.” Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010

“The four Legends first began to surface in Sibelius's mind in 1893, at the same time as he was working on his Kalevala opera, The Building ofthe Boat, the prelude to which became The swanof Tuonela. It isn't the only thing from the opera that found its way into the Legends. The lovely A-minor idea for muted strings in the middle section of Lemminkäinen in Tuonela is also among the sketches, where Sibelius scribbled over it the words, 'the Maiden of Death'. In the opera she would have rowed Väinämöinen across the river to Tuonela. In the tone-poem she symbolises the very opposite, the loving mother whose ministrations return Lemminkäinen to life. In 1954 Sibelius reversed the order of the inner movements so that The swan preceded Lemminkäinen in Tuonela. Segerstam disregards the composer's wishes and places them in the old order; there's a case for this – you otherwise have two highly dramatic pieces (Lemminkäinenin Tuonela and Lemminkäinen'sHomeward Journey) placed alongside each other.
Segerstam gets very good results from the Helsinki orchestra, which responds with a keen enthusiasm that's inspiriting. The performance is free from excessive mannerisms, and his account of Tapiola is very impressive. He tellingly evokes the chilling terrors and awesome majesty of the Nordic forest.” Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010