Tone Poems

by

Jean Sibelius

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With 70 minutes playing time, this selection of five of Sibelius' wonderful tone poems is quite generous - and all the more attractive for including two famous but seldom heard works: The Oceanides and The Bard. The Icelanders play with enthusiasm and fine understanding of this very Nordic music - and their slightly unpolished, almost rustic approach suits the music well. The difficult Tapiola (Sibelius' final masterpiece) is given a very fine, at times nearly hypnotic reading with real magic and sense of wonder. En Saga is fine too, though marred by some ridiculously loud timpani on a couple of occasions. The three shorter poems too are beautifully realized.

I find the sound quality less than ideal - the overall impression being buttom-heavy and slightly woolly, with occasional balancing problems. The sound seems slightly inconsistent from piece to piece and the recording/mastering level is disturbingly low. Still, crank up the volume, there is very much to enjoy here!