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Whereas Ashkenazy produced a big, bold, extrovert version that is packed with power and presence, Berglund is, for me, more introspective and questioning with his interpretation. Ashkenazy’s opening movement is a statement whereas I find Berglund’s to be more of a question. Different approaches are what it is all about but Berglund is, for me, too hesitant and tentative with this music; the delivery of the musical statements lack body and breadth when compared with Ashkenazy. Momentum and breadth do build up towards the end of the movement and the mood does change and ends strongly enough.
Berglund’s vision is much more suited to the second movement where the delicate opening theme is played with a beautifully light touch. There is almost a sense of mischief in the early variations. However, just for balance, we also get a nice sense of menace later on and the movement ends beautifully and delicately.
The “moto perpetuoso” section of the final movement once again lacked a bit of weight for me. The horn section when it arrives is very fine though but again it is slightly questioning or hesitant. The conclusion is quite positive and assertive and ends on a positive note.

I have raised some issues that I personally have with this recording. That is not to say that it is a bad recording; it certainly is not that! It has some very fine playing and it is recorded in a slightly colder acoustic which I normally prefer with Sibelius. Like all of Classical Music it can all come down to a matter of interpretation and with this particular work I simply prefer the bigger, bolder approach that Ashkenazy takes over the more contemplative Berglund.

I like this recording. To me, it sounds very unhurried and this may be what makes it so appealing. I would also add that it ends with one of the most satisfying culminations of this piece. The seven separated and emphatic chords are judged to perfection on this recording. The Davis BSO recording that I praised yesterday, I think, slips up slightly on this detail by dragging the tempo a little too much. Perhaps trying to make the chords sound too monumental...

The first movement of this version takes 14:26 minutes but it is beautifully paced and a lovely, expansive reading. The brass and the woodwind instruments are very distinct in this movement. This first movement is a somewhat pensive reading for me; it is not an overtly loud statement or a questioning one either but somewhat contemplative.
The second movement is a lovely performance. The strings have a beautifully rich and full sound and the recording captures this very well.
The “moto perpetuoso” start to the third movement is done well here; it is well paced and has a nice sense of tension about it. The weak point in this performance is the brass in this movement. The brass performance is somewhat insipid in this movement and as a result the Thor theme does not have any great power or presence, the brass being inexplicably recessed in the recording.

Although this recording does not have the power of the Ashkenazy performance it is still a fine performance overall and one that I like.

I think that the first movement opens very well in this performance and is quite expansive leading into a section that has good tension to it through the playing in the strings. I also like the conclusion to this first movement as it has a nice sense of drama to it.
I felt that the middle movement did not have the required sensitivity of playing, particularly in the strings, for this movement. It is not badly played but it is just a little heavy on the touch. More delicacy and lightness is required for this movement I feel.
The final movement opens well and the Thor theme is played well enough but lacks just a little conviction. The movement moves along well and the conclusion, while not being totally emphatic, is quite good.

The first movement of this version has a lovely “feel” to it. It feels lighter yet questioning. The mid to end section of the first half of this first movement moves from eerie to menacing. It is interesting that Jansons actually separates out the first two original movements (although still running them into one another); the track listing shows four tracks, not the usual three for this work. The second half of this first movement also has a lighter feel and texture and has a really fine conclusion.
The second movement is played with lovely conviction. The strings sound wonderful and the snarling brass is very effective.
The third movement commences with a high voltage electric charge. The horn theme has the appropriate conviction in the playing and therefore makes a fine statement. This movement builds to a very fine, powerful conclusion with the brass sounding wonderful.

Fergus, my friend, your recent contribution to this thread have been more than wonderful. I wish I could review performances like you do. Too bad I don't have the Asterhazy performance because I am not intrigued. I shall listen to the Sanderling, Sakari and Janssons recordings and let you know what I think.

Cheers,

Matt.

Very sorry for neglecting this thread over the last few days.

Friday, I borrowed the Maazel/VPO/Decca cycle from the library at the university where I work. I was very intrigued by it as I have never listen to it before and somebody recently asked me if I prefered that cycle to the Maazel/Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra/Sony that I may have championed a little bit too much recently :) .

From the VPO set, I have only listened to the 5th (apparently the 1st and 7th are something else) and I compared it to the versions that I already own. In other words, on that evening I listened to back to back the following versions of that work:

- Maazel/VPO/Decca
- Maazel/Pittsburgh Symphohy Orchestra/Sony
- Sakari/Iceland Symphony Orchestra/Naxos
- Vanska/Lahti Symphony Orchestra/BIS
- Berglund/ Helsinki Symphony Orchestra/ EMI Classics

So what do I think ?

First, the Maazel/VPO/Decca is different than the other ones. I don't know if it is the orchestra of the 'Decca' sound but this version is louder than the other ones. It is also very brassy and more romantic than anything else that I have listened to before. This made the 3rd movement particularly special to me and among my favorites. I found the flute and the woodwinds of that version to sound different and not as clear-cut as other versions that I own. It is a shame because, like I mentioned before, the flutes are rather important in that work.

The Sakari is the first one that I ever listened to and so was the one that I used to compare for the longest time and I agree that it is not the strongest performance of this cycle. That being said, it is still very nice and among the finest that I have.

Paavo Berglund is a great Sibelius conductor and I would gladly listen to him anytime but this version that I own is not my favorite. The third movement of his 5th is the fastest that I have heard and I feel like it takes away from the heroic quality of this movement.

The Vanska/Lahti Symphony Orchestra is a great cycle in my opinion. The sound quality is top-notch and clear and the playing is very nice. Again, it is a cycle that I will happily go back to.

This leads me to the Maazel/Pittsburgh cycle. For the last month, I have listened to this cycle over and over and found the 5th to be quite nice. I find this cycle to be a real bargain and for the price I paid I find it to be a real delight. I find the fifth from this cycle to be precise, strict and enjoyable. It reminds me a lot of the Sakari cycle but I cannot explain why. That being said, I think that I am not as trilled by the whole cycle like I was 2 weeks ago. The second movement of this version is my favorite among all the versions that I have heard so far.

The good think about Sibelius' work and his fifth is that there are no bad recordings (as far as I know). And I feel like it comes to ones preferences as to what to expect.

Here is how I would rate the fifth symphony from the different cycles that I mentioned:

Sakari
Maazel/VPO
Maazel/Pittsburgh
Vanska
Berglund/Helsinki Symphony Orchestra

Oh and I really don't like to be negative about recordings so writing this is difficult for me :).

It is absolutely not scientific and could be different tomorrow morning :). I shall now explore the Naxos Library that I have access to to listen to other versions.

I am planning to listen to the Sanderling, Janssons and Vanska/Minnesota over the next week. I wish I could have access to the Karajan, Davis (both BSO and LSO) and Bernstein :( .

Feel free to talk about any recordings that you would like to and I would be especially curious to hear from those who are listening for that piece for the first few times.

Question for all: Would you consider this piece to be relatively quickly accessible or not ?


Personally, I think that it is the case and contrary to a lot of pieces in that category, I don't get tired of listening to it over and over :). A sign of a masterpiece in my mind :).

Matt.

ravel30 wrote:
Question for all: Would you consider this piece to be relatively quickly accessible or not ?

That is a difficult question for me to answer Matt because I have been listening to the music of Sibelius for a long number of years and I cannot remember when I actually heard it first. However, I do believe that I have always found it very accessible and very appealing.

ravel30 wrote:
Question for all: Would you consider this piece to be relatively quickly accessible or not ?

No, not really, I did like it when I bought the Sanderling/BSO recording, but it wasn't my favourite orchestral piece in the set. I would consider the First and Third "easier on the ear" from the outset but the Fifth does reward repeated listening, this is a purely personal stance you understand.