Sibelius: Kullervo, Op. 7
|
Our Price: $20.98 Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Buy Used: from $11.00 (click here) Category: Music CD See more new music releases 
|
|---|
Buy this Music CD at online store in your country
Canadian Music Store
Canadian Music Store
Free Music Notes for Sibelius: Kullervo, Op. 7
Free Music Review: Must-have recording of an atmospheric masterpiece
Hit: 5 Stars
I know just about every version of Kullervo as yet recorded, and I'd say that this is, by a comfortable margin, the most impressive of them all. V?nsk? and his musicians completely inhabit this magnificent music. One can barely believe that Sibelius had serious plans to destroy this work, and we can only thank Providence that he didn't get round to actually doing so. Youthful, at times na?ve it may be, but this ambitious choral symphony is one of the most overwhelming things the composer ever wrote, and an undoubted work of genius. It brims with original and instantly memorable melody, rhythm and orchestration - the notorious sextuplets in the first movement may be the bane of oboists the world over, but what a sound, what inspiration! The hallmarks of later, mature Sibelius are already in evidence throughout (runic inspired melody, ostinato rhythms, woodwind melodies in thirds, widespread use of triplets) - yet many listeners will probably find this work more easily accessible than the concentrated spareness of the somewhat esoteric late works. The lure of this particular recording is enhanced by spacious, natural, wide-ranging sound.
In five tableaux, Kullervo tells the tragic story of the eponymous hero from Kalevala, the Finnish national epic compiled from folk poetry in the mid-nineteenth century by Elias L?nnrot. The introductory first movement sets the scene. Over undulating string figuration clarinets and horns intone the lofty, wide-ranging main theme of the symphony; there is an instant sense of vast, windswept landscapes and dark, autumnal woods. The mystery is enhanced by V?nsk?'s observance of the mezzoforte marking. After the strings have given their impassioned rendering of this melody, woodwinds introduce a more folk-like second idea. A solo horn adds a mournful motif starting with a falling second that will return in the final movement. The strings elaborate this idea in a passage carrying the seeds of the funeral march that appears towards the end of the movement, which will return in the finale.
The second movement, "Kullervo's Youth", is taken more slowly by V?nsk? than by any of his competition. Rightly so - it is marked Grave, and as much as a lullaby it is a dirge. (Being the son of a mother who repeteadly tried to kill him, and eventually sold him as a slave to a couple who delighted in tormenting him, Kullervo's youth can hardly be called a happy affair.) This is a movement of profound beauty, its brooding main theme offset by heartrending harmonies. The sweet-natured second theme has again a more folks-songlike character, and is shot through with rapid descending scales from a solo violin, like flashes of light. V?nsk?'s feeling for atmosphere is as unerring as the response from the Lahti players - unapologetically, he adds over 4 minutes to the reading by, say, Colin Davis, whose march-like, foursquare approach leads much of this piece straight into ruin.
The dramatic core of the work is reached in the extended third movement, "Kullervo and his sister". Folk-influence is strong here, as exemplified by the vigorous 5/4 time. After an exuberant orchestral introduction, the male chorus enters to recount the story of Kullervo's fateful meeting with a girl who turns out to be his supposedly dead sister. Many conductors cannot resist the temptation to go for a spectacular, all-out choral entry, but V?nsk? sticks to Sibelius's mezzoforte marking - it is part of his meticulous long-term planning, with the culmination of the symphony projected towards its very end. Which is not to say that the singing of the Helsinki University Chorus lacks anything in energy, on the contrary. Eventually, Kullervo and his sister themselves appear on the stage and the choral cantata mutates into an operatic scena. Some listeners may be taken aback by the semi-sprechgesang entry of the singers (the soprano at the premiere complained that some musicians at the first rehearsal doubled up with laughter after she had uttered her opening phrase), but soon enough the solo singing blends in magically with orchestral backgrounds full of subtle beauties. The dialogue between baritone and soprano leads up to the catastrophic, incestuous love-scene: here Sibelius has written passionate music that makes the spine tingle, full of dissonant beauty and underpinned by an insistent pounding rhythm - clear foreshadowings of Bartok's Bluebeard. Now Kullervo tells the girl who he is, and in an extended passage carried forward by an obsessive galloping motif the sister then recounts her own history. The tender nature imagery that is evoked in the orchestra is handled with exquisite sensitivity, and the emotional shadings of the vocal part are no less perfectly judged by Lilli Paasikivi. At the end of her monologue a hollow, fff wind chord leads into a four-bar silence - exactly observed, unlike in any other recording. The movement concludes with Kullervo's lament, underpinned by fierce chords on the full orchestra - Raimo Laukka is extremely impressive here, sounding completely sincere.
The fourth movement, "Kullervo goes to war", is the most conventional of the five. The singers are silent while the orchestra engages itself with a catchy march-tune that is restated in ever more complex, ever more exhilarating variations. Midway, the great main theme puts in an appearance disguised as a heroic fanfare. Thus we arrive at Kullervo's death, the final movement, where the brutal end of the tragedy is conjured up from shady beginnings. The first movement's horn call is heard, adding to the sense of foreboding. The gradual, inexorable crescendo of the chorus is riveting, and reaches an almost unbearable intensity when Kullervo drops himself on his sword, overcome by the shameful memory of his sin. The funeral march now returns, and the symphony concludes with a darkly majestic restatement of the main theme, surrounded by stormy strings. It is the culmination of the well-graded, perfectly controlled crescendo that V?nsk? has built up over the symphony as a whole, and his finale has greater emotional impact than any other I've heard. It has the power to haunt you for days. This simply demands to be heard.
Free Music Review: Beautiful and Inspiring
Hit: 5 Stars
This is the best version of Kullervo I have heard. So beautiful, this powerful opus will stay in your memory and on cold winter days will inspire you and give you strength. Free Music Review: Sibelius' Best
Hit: 5 Stars
I hear Kullervo as orchestrated poetry. It has a tone, rhythm and pace which remind me of what Finland must be like---vast forests, green meadows, sparkling lakes, snow. The mood is somber, even tragic, as was the life of Kullervo, a Finnish warrior. This, combined with the singing in Finnish, gives the work a haunting character-a bit like Carmina Burana by Carl Orff. It has at least five "endings" with the crash of drums and cymbals, etc.-I love that. The work, to me, seems totally Finnish in that it has no similarity to any of the classic European composers--it is refreshingly different.Free Music Review: A Tale from the Kalevala.
Hit: 5 Stars
THE PREMIERE of this huge work was given in Helsinki, on April 1892, Sibelius conducting. It was an enormous success for the young composer : "He had created music of great originality and individuality in his very first major effort. True, the influence of Bruckner, Tchaikovsky and others was unmistakable. Though no flawless masterpiece, it has imposing dark roughness, full of sparks of genius." The work is at once ancient and contemporary. It has a distinctive, archaic tonal quality comprising elements foreseeing the mature Sibelius---and beyond. Perhaps this is why Kullervo is a timeless work, revolutionary and refreshing for a nation in a quest of its own identity.
''Despite its successful premiere, the ever self-critical Sibelius withdrew it from the world, and only allowed the third movement to be performed in celebration of the centenary of the publication of the Kalevala in 1935. The work was not performed in its entirety until 1958, and received its first recording only in 1970 under Paavo Berglund''. Whether Sibelius feared that later revisions to the score would alter it too much or simply ruin its mythic nature is unclear.
Kullervo is an episode from the Kalevala ; the score was sketched by Sibelius in the early 1890's and is based on the poetry and folk legends of his native Finland. According to Kimmo Korhonen and the Finnish Music Information Center, "although he never used actual folk tunes in his music," Sibelius "was influenced by the older Eastern tradition, with which he had become acquainted for instance through the singing of the famous Ingrian runo singer Larin Paraske". I think this facet of Kullervo is important, because it denotes a strong source of inspiration for the composer, also determining many later works to some extent. The interesting notes by Andrew Barnett (for this album) also observe that "numerous themes and motifs in Kullervo show the influence of runic melody, although such melodies are not quoted directly". Is it not coincidence that the work has such evocative powers, since it is impregnated by very old incantations? It seems also interesting to note the strange affinity that connects the early work with the vision of forests found many years later in Tapiola : Sibelius has gone full circle, the charm is broken.
This orchestral epic is a genuine choral symphony (at least in part) and, indeed, the work is often associated with tone poems---the main reason it is called a "symphonic poem". It is, as well, in a direct link with works such as Tulen synty ('The Origin of Fire') and the Four Legends. The story of Kullervo is the rather dark adventure of a tragic fate (in a Shakespearian sense). I'll quote an article from the Guardian Unlimited (UK) : ''Sibelius explores the edges of the Wagnerian operatic world that fascinated him as a young composer. The story is profoundly Wagnerian too : Kullervo falls in love with a girl he encounters in the woods and seduces her, only to discover that she is his long-lost sister. She kills herself, and he goes off to war to escape his guilt, only eventually to kill himself too''. The texts behind the music of Jean Sibelius are sombre. The "gruesome, bloody battles" between two ancient tribes, the images of guilt, despair and suicide, and the doomed conclusion to Kullervo might seem repulsive at first. However, the music sparkles like a sudden light coming out of a dark room ; the result might sound more like hope than despair. Because the conclusion is so tragic, one can easily forget the translucent beauty of the melodies, the subtleties and contrasts lost and found within the work. The nationalist context linked to this early work is undeniable (the same is true of 'Finlandia', often seen as Sibelius's patriotic hymn). Still, there's more than merely nationalistic visions. Basically, the phenomenon goes beyond any political thread, though fully justified in the context. Kullervo is a journey, a journey that portrays the story of a soul, but also a story of survival---a Tale of life and death---where a tragic fate comes to an end in a climax of hate and vengeance. In fact, this chef-d'oeuvre deals with some of humanity's great concerns and ruminations. Many of the themes in Kullervo bring to mind how "current" it sounds. There's an Oedipean quality (the story is also vaguely related to Hamlet) in the tribulations and conflicts that permeate the texts. Thus, the powerful, and eminently universal, nature of the Kalevala was intrinsically suitable for music. Kullervo contains passages merged with the characteristic Sibelian grandeur we usually find in some, if not all, of the seven symphonies. Every recording conveys the depths and shadows of that great Scandinavian epic (not unlike the legends of the Valhalla, with Thor and Odin, although the context is, obviously, different).
The Introduction has something that recalls 'Finlandia', but i still find this instrumental theme to Kullervo ''more universal'' in its chant. No wonder the work had such a profound effect and, as a result, a great impact upon the listeners in 1892. Throughout this long work (more than 80 minutes on this disc) we can hear the echoes of some Slavic themes (analogous to pre-Russian folk music) : Tchaikovsky or Borodin. Still, Kullervo has the epitomic quality of being "genuine" Sibelius. Vanska goes for a softer sound than is usual, at the very opening, but soon floods with his orchestra in full rapture. This movement is hymnic in quality. The second part depicts the youth of the hero. After the epic scale of the Intro, the slow movement flows with clever continuity. This movement alone contains a few examples of the most beautiful music made by the famous composer. His melodic timbres have depth and the easy flow of the work make for rarely heard naturalness, shaped with grace and conviction. The central section ('Kullervo & his sister') opens landscapes of a vibrant, moving northern ethos. It presents the characteristics of a cantata, as does the last movement, although the orchestral part is more prominent than is usual in a cantata (as Bach demonstrates). The vocals highlight the narrative of this work. Under Vanska, the magnificent string tone and brass section of the Lahti Symphony unveil a sense of 'live' music : This recording is first-rate quality, certainly among the best on the label as concerns sonics. The recording was done in the Sibelius Hall (city of Lahti), an example of "new technology and modern wood construction", where acoustics were expertly designed by Artec Consultants of New York. The soloists, Lilli Paasikivi (mezzo soprano) and Raimo Laukka (baritone), are both outstanding---Laukka, although he does not equal Jorma Hynninen for sheer intensity, is excellent. His voice has the required "heroic" tone, vigorous, dark and profound. Paasikivi has a "first class" voice ; in my opinion, she manages to equal or even surpass Marianne Rorholm (Salonen, L.A. Phil.), though she does not quite possess the particular tenebrous timbre of Karita Mattila (Neeme Jarvi, Gothenburg). Choral parts are remarkably well-done by the Helsinki University Chorus (known as YL), no doubt the best chorus in the world to render this repertoire. The coordination and "melting" of choral and orchestral blocs are executed seamlessly. The huge dynamic range provides a solid background to this masterpiece. The recording venue also gives that sense of space one can feel (that sense of air needed to achieve a stereophonic illusion of "grands espaces" typical of Finnish landscapes). 'Kullervo goes to war' and the finale ('Kullervo's death') are simply glorious under Vanska. Fully in control of his musicians, Finnish conductor Osmo Vanska proves he's a master in the genre. In the 'goes to war' section, for instance, one can actually hear a distinctive, unobtrusive Russian-like tone---but with just the right degree of vagueness. This is much like a sort of Scherzo, either rustic or modern in its musicality. Still, no one---including Vanska---can beat the high energized version, with that little extra in terms of lucidity and grandeur, of the first Berglund recording. There's a bit of truth in the argument of some people who say there Sibelius did really find "his own voice". The last movement begins quite like a requiem ; the Intro---theme to the first movement---sorts of reappears toward the end, announcing the conclusion of this (long) journey, but here it sounds gloriously different and has greater power in its culmination. A great ending to a great work.
The somewhat long pauses encountered during the course of the work might seem odd ; it must be said that Vanska, apparently, follows exactly the original score---as it was intended by the composer. Timings are also another interesting matter : At 80'34" the version under review is the second longest one, just under Colin Davis's LSO recording with a duration of 80'59". Paavo Jarvi's ends at about 79 minutes, while Panula (on Naxos) closes at 72'34". As a contrast, Berglund's classic 1970 recording has a duration of 71'45", while Neeme Jarvi (on Bis) concludes at 68'49". Breitkopf & Hartel (publishers of the score) suggests an average total time of 72 minutes (in order, roughly 14-16-25-10-15). My opinion is that timings alone do not necessarily mean "better" or "worse", as far as music is concerned. All the recordings i have mentioned, no matter the flexible timings, are at least very good. The integrity of the work, its very raw nature and the fact that the score requires a certain level of comprehension (this also demands a certain knowledge of the composer), is probably more important. Timings reveal a different approach but, in the end, they do not determine, per se, the qualities of a specific version. On that point, Davis and Vanska take some parts more slowly than others, but they do not drag---they certainly do not lack intensity or verve, as those are truly fine versions. Vanska's account has a "mythic" quality which is not without its magnetic effect. In any case, each different interpretation adds something in the understanding and growing appeal of this relatively underestimated work by Jean Sibelius.
In conclusion, it was -and still is- a huge moment in music. I think Kullervo contains, perhaps, "the most beautiful music in the world". Too bad the composer dismissed the work for some reasons. Kullervo was much more than just another early-stage work by a great composer. It was the promise of all the works to come and sounds like the table of contents of a creative life. It doesn't mean the piece is flawless, but it is neither clumsy nor amateurish. According to David Hurwitz of Classics Today, ''There are no bad recordings of Sibelius' epic Kullervo Symphony, only good and a bit less so.'' That's absolutely right. There are good and great versions on disc : The budget priced Naxos directed by Panula is highly recommendable as it is a very good and enthusiastic performance. Paavo Jarvi (on Virgin) is quite probably the top performance next to Vanska and Berglund. I do like, as well, the performances by Salonen and Saraste (both very good explorations of the work, with the advantage of the great Hynninen). Segerstam has recorded Kullervo with Laukka (on Chandos) in a significant, cutting-edge performance. And, last but not least, Paavo Berglund (two recordings, especially the first one which remains the touchstone) and the classic Colin Davis (on RCA). Neeme Jarvi's account (on Bis) is also a very fine, if not great, recording of Kullervo---thanks primarily to a top notch Hynninen whose contribution is vital. My reference is Vanska. His "no compromises" approach is stamped with nobility and grandeur. I think his reading, while imperfect in minor areas, is a step forward and, thus, can stand comparison with the powerful Berglund (solid interpretation, great sound and, yes, the magic is there). Perhaps, the Vanska is now a version against which all other Kullervos should be judged.*****