Sibelius - Symphonies 6 & 7, The Tempest
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Label: Alpha
Cat No: ALPHA1130
Format: CD
Number of Discs: 1
Genre: Orchestral
Release Date: 28th February 2025
Contents
Works
Symphony no.6 in D minor, op.104Symphony no.7 in C major, op.105
The Tempest: Suite no.2, op.109
Artists
Gothenburg Symphony OrchestraConductor
Santtu-Matias RouvaliWorks
Symphony no.6 in D minor, op.104Symphony no.7 in C major, op.105
The Tempest: Suite no.2, op.109
Artists
Gothenburg Symphony OrchestraConductor
Santtu-Matias RouvaliAbout
This volume concludes the complete Sibelius symphonies performed by the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra under Santtu-Matias Rouvali. This series has already won numerous awards around the world and reaches its climax here with two of Sibelius’s greatest symphonies: Andrew Mellor writes in his introductory text that “we hear music carried by forms of gravitational energy reminiscent of those that govern the course of a river”. Rouvali has also chosen to record eight extracts from Sibelius’s incidental music for Shakespeare’s The Tempest. First performed in March 1926, it is one of Sibelius’s final orchestral works and is certainly his most fascinating composition for the theatre.
Sound/Video
Paused
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1Symphony No.6 in D, op.104: 1. Allegro molto moderato – Poco tranquillo
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2Symphony No.6 in D, op.104: 2. Allegretto moderato – Poco con moto – Poco a poco meno piano – Tempo I
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3Symphony No.6 in D, op.104: . Poco vivace
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4Symphony No.6 in D, op.104: 4. Allegro molto – Allegro assai – Doppio più lento
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5Symphony No.7 in C, op.105
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6The Tempest, op.109: 1. Chor der Winde. Largamente assai [No.4]
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7The Tempest, op.109: 2. Intermezzo. Andante con moto [No.20]
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8The Tempest, op.109: 3. Tanz der Nymphen. Allegretto grazioso [No.26]
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9The Tempest, op.109: 4. Prospero. Largo [No.8]
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10The Tempest, op.109: 5. Lied I. Allegretto moderato [No.22]
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11The Tempest, op.109: 6. Lied II. Un poco con moto [No.31 bis; No.33]
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12The Tempest, op.109: 7. Miranda. Allegretto [No.14]
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13The Tempest, op.109: 8. Die Najaden. Poco con moto [No.6]
Europadisc Review
Since 2019, one of the most notable Sibelius cycles of recent years has been unfolding on the Alpha label. The recordings by the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra under their chief conductor Santtu-Matias Rouvali have met with widespread critical acclaim, and indeed the first two releases (of the first two symphonies, with fascinating couplings) each earned a place in our Top Ten releases of 2019 and 2020. Now the cycle reaches its conclusion with the two works which conclude Sibelius’s remarkable symphonic journey: the Sixth and Seventh symphonies.
These two works are of very different cut: the Sixth a four-movement work, but one in which harmonic destabilisation, light, airy textures, and an often studious avoidance of conventional thematic material, seem to defy orthodox categorisation, the Seventh a compact yet wide-ranging single movement whose music, punctuated by a thrice recurring trombone motto, hints at some unspecified narrative or ritual.
Few orchestras can boast such rich depths of tone as the Gothenburg orchestra at its best (something it has in common with Germany’s Bamberg Symphony Orchestra), and this might lead one to conclude that it was ill-suited to the elevated airiness of the Sixth Symphony. In fact nothing could be further from the truth: under Rouvali’s constantly attentive direction, the Gothenburg players (and particularly the strings) have a gripping incisiveness which introduces a wild, primordial element to complement the suggestions of northern forests. In the middle section of the first movement, the strings toss their scalic figuration to and fro, the violas placed antiphonally to the right of the conductor/listener, while there’s a gnarly elementalism to the mysterious build towards the movement’s close.
The woodwind play their crucial part superbly in the elusive slow movement, and again the sonorous yet wonderfully fluid strings as well as richly-hued brass add to the splendid panoply of colours. Rouvali’s care over detail and rhythmic acuity (his early career was as percussionist in the Lahti and Finnish Radio symphony orchestras) is never at the expense of the overall momentum and unfolding musical logic. The Poco vivace scherzo combines an insistent springiness with moments of sonic grandeur, a veritable symphonic shapeshifter, and no detail escapes Rouvali or the engineers.
From the intensely penetrating opening, through the gripping Allegro assai to the frozen mystery of the closing pages, the final movement is thoroughly riveting: as compelling and immersive a conclusion to this Cinderella symphony as we’ve heard. Sandwiched between the glorious Fifth Symphony and the concise and (relatively) straightforward Seventh, the Sixth is often overlooked by many. Rouvali’s splendid account places it firmly alongside these works at the apex of Sibelius’s symphonic achievements.
The Seventh is another immensely rewarding performance, richly detailed (the horns and brass on marvellous form), broadly conceived, but sweeping in its trajectory. Though captured in digital stereo rather than surround sound, the listener feels completely absorbed into the sound-picture, at the ideal vantage-point to catch the tiniest textural detail while appreciating the silky suppleness of the strings, the chattering of the woodwind and the thrilling impact of brass and timpani. For those who find the quieter passages of Osmo Vänskä’s Lahti performances on BIS just a shade or two too elusive, Rouvali provides a most compelling answer. The central ‘storm’ passage is hypnotically turbulent, and the concluding, glowing C major feels every bit earned by conductor and audience.
As with other recordings in the series, the symphonies are complemented by a well-chosen ‘filler’: a spellbinding account of a suite from Sibelius’s late incidental music to Shakespeare’s The Tempest. From the haunting harp-and-strings textures of the opening ‘Chorus of the Winds’ and the ghostly transparency of the Intermezzo, via the classical playfulness of the ‘Dance of the Nymphs’ and Hispanic castanets of ‘Lied II’ to the exultant pages of the concluding ‘Nyads’, this is an engrossing performance. At its core is the magnificently heartfelt figure of Prospero himself: the character with which Sibelius (inevitably) identified, and portrayed here in resplendent detail.
A century on from the composition of these works, this disc breathes new life into the music, and sets the seal on the most compelling Sibelius cycle of recent years – one which can take its place alongside such established classics as Vänskä and Berglund without necessarily displacing them. Might we hope for a complementary account of Tapiola at some point? Even without it, Rouvali has here consolidated his place among the very finest Sibelians in the catalogue.
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