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Date: | Mon, 1 Nov 1999 18:58:21 -0800 |
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Just wanted to let how impressed I was by Colin Davis' (kinda) new Sibelius
symphony cycle on RCA. I felt as though I was listening to Sibelius for
the first time.
A few observations: The woodwinds really chatter, the string tremolos
sizzle with electricity, and attention is paid to more than just the
dynamics--there are so many moments of exquisite timbral shading--even
the tympani rolls are riveting!
Davis seems specially attuned to Sibelius' sound world and special brand
of orchestral color. *Finally* those isolated bass/tympani "garumphs" in
the fourth mov't of the Second Symphony, (just a little beyond the Allegro
Moderato marking), sound rough-hewn, rather than reminding one of a bizarre
Shostakovich parody.
Davis never lets the rhymic underpinnings flag--especially helpful in
the lush massed-string/harp moments of the first symphony, (which can sound
too much like Tchaikovsky), and the finale of the Fifth. The finale of
the Fifth has always perplexed me. I love the grand chorale-like ending,
but I have never been persuaded by the hammer-stroke coda. Davis brings
out the contrapuntal/rhythmic elements of the chorale so that the hammer
strokes grow out of the mass textures, rather than seeming tacked on.
The recordings are first rate. I have to repeat again how enjoyable and
enlightening these performances have been--this is music I've been
listening to since high school. A cliche I know, but the music really
comes to life.
John Smyth (oh, and the Sixth is a beautiful work--esp. the first mov't)
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