Sibelius: Karelia Suite, Op. 11

“Real magic, from Sibelius's friend and rival Kajanus in well-transferred 1930s mono sound. The performances are fast, perhaps to fit 78rpm discs, yet rich and spirited.” BBC Music Magazine, June 2013 *****

“Monteux's warm, large-scale reading - his only commercial Sibelius - reminds us the Second was written in Italy.” BBC Music Magazine, June 2013 ***

“well-paced and finely-conceived … fresh recording quality and admirable body” Gramophone Magazine (Symphony)

“I have been impressed by the sheer quality of the sound. It is bright without being overlit, rich without being excessively opulent, clean without being clinical: it is remarkably vivid and lifelike, a tribute to the Decca engineers of the day … The Vienna Philharmonic plays superbly well and Maazel's reading of the Karelia Suite has an authentic flavour and has genuine atmosphere” Gramophone Magazine (Karelia Suite)

“Gibson was a much under-recorded conductor, so this reissue of his tight-reined, yet sweepingly intense way with early Sibelius is especially welcome. The RPO responds to him in classy style.” BBC Music Magazine, May 2011 ****

“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

“Of all the cycles of Sibelius's symphonies recorded in recent years this is one of the most consistently successful. Ashkenazy so well understands the thought processes that lie behind Sibelius's symphonic composition just as he's aware, and makes us aware, of the development between the Second and Third Symphonies.
His attention to tempo is particularly acute and invariably he strikes just the right balance between romantic languor and urgency.
The Philharmonia plays for all it's worth and possesses a fine body of sound. The recordings are remarkably consistent in quality and effectively complement the composer's original sound world.” Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010

“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

“Most impressive. In its keen intelligence, fiery snap and thrust, Petri Sakari's account of the four Legends proves more than a match for the finest. The Iceland SO may not be world-beaters, but they respond to their thoughtful young Finnish maestro's illuminating direction with clean-limbed zest and commitment to the cause (their winds are an especially personable bunch).
Perhaps the highlight of the new set is Lemminkäinenin Tuonela, which, like Segerstam and Salonen before him, Sakari places second (reverting to the composer's original scheme), and where he distils a relentless concentration and pin-sharp focus (only Segerstam is more gripping in this brooding essay). No one should miss out on the heady opulence of Ormandy's magnificent Philadelphia strings in those glorious singing lines of Lemminkäinen and the maidens ofthe island, but the Icelanders play their hearts out, and anyway Sakari gives a dramatic reading of bold contrasts and strong symphonic cohesion.
No grumbles, either, about The Swan ofTuonela or Lemminkäinen's Homeward Journey which is firmly controlled, dashingly detailed and genuinely exciting (as opposed to merely excitable).
Sakari's rewarding Legends comes very near the top of the heap alongside (though, ultimately, not ahead of) Segerstam, Saraste and Ormandy. In the popular couplings, Sakari's unhackneyed approach once again pays dividends, though his unusually brisk (and ever-so-slightly hectic) tempo for the main portion of the Karelia Suite's opening Intermezzo isn't always convincing . None the less, this is quite a bargain. Eminently pleasing sound, too: free of gimmickry and tonally very true.” Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010