Sibelius: Symphony No. 1 in E Minor, Op. 39. Yannick Nézet-Séguin, conductor; Orchestre Métropolitain de Montréal. ATMA Classique ACD 22452.
(This is another recording that came out last year, but which I'm covering here now because I'll soon review the third release in the series at Classical Candor. I'll also review the second installment here [Sibelius Symphonies 3 and 4] in days to come.)
I could ask this question: why do so many contemporary orchestral performers record standard repertoire that is sluggishly played and annoyingly tampered with? But I already know the answer: people will nevertheless continue to buy and praise these recordings, much because they're new. And that's a shame, because I think there are better things Yannick Nézet-Séguin (henceforth YNS) and the Orchestre Métropolitain de Montréal could be doing if they're just going to churn out second-rate renditions of well-trodden repertoire. Nobody except collectors needs this particular Sibelius 1...not with so many good alternatives. I'll add that nobody needs to pay full-price for a disc that ONLY contains Sibelius 1 and has no accompanying works. Not even if it were a good Sibelius 1...which this isn't, particularly. The label should have include a tone poem or suite, at least. We don't need to return to the worst days of Deutsche Grammophon-style run time rip-offs.
Alright, I guess I'll jump in. The biggest problems here are lurchy tempi and messy playing when the texture thickens. After a nice clarinet opening in the first movement, I got the sluggishness right away in the horn continuation of the main theme. From that point on, YNS intermittently slows the tempo unprompted by any score direction, and apparently when he wants to be expressive or "make the music his own." This is especially frustrating at climactic points that need to have vigor, but instead merely fizzle out (particularly noticeable around Rehearsals K and P-Q in the score). The difficulty is that this all obscures the musical architecture. In an expressive, late Romantic symphony such as Sibelius 1, we don't need to "add more sugar"...we should better hear the main lines of argument.
Similar issues afflict the second movement. I initially thought the section would fare better after a nicely played opening theme. But soon, right at the climax directly preceding Rehearsal D, it was apparent that this would be more of the same. YNS should direct this at tempo and not tinker. Most frustratingly, he underplays the Poco sollecitato markings around Rehearsal H, while adding rallentandos etc. where there are none. (Predictably, he follows Sibelius's actual slow markings with special relish.) The quicker parts toward the end (around Rehearsals M-O) lag when they're supposed to be breathtaking. A sharper articulative attack, missing throughout the whole, adds to the trouble.
The deficits in playing are most pronounced in the Scherzo. YNS and Company actually start with a nice, brisk tempo. But then odd things start happening. The forte timpani statement of the main motive is much too loud...probably an sff instead of a firm, judicious f. (It doesn't happen quite this way again in the repeat.) More seriously, the ensemble playing at times becomes messy. The quick runs in the woodwinds don't sound like they're "together," giving the whole a rickety feeling. The middle section is okay, I guess, but could use a bit more life. The stretto at the end is pretty decent.
I'd say that on the whole the finale receives the best performance. The Allegro molto is acceptably lively. And while the grand climax at Rehearsal U toward the end is a BIT slow (ditto the coda), they're played with appreciable sweep and feeling. The first statement of the Andante theme earlier in the movement just drags along, though. Here, directly before Rehearsal G and the latter part of this long melody, we get one of YNS's slow phrase endings. Combine this with the following group of rests, and it seems like *forever* before we hear the continuation. It's another "spark on the nose" moment in a recording that is rife with them.
This isn't the worst Sibelius recording I've ever heard. But it's a fairly inauspicious beginning to a symphony cycle that presents all kinds of interpretive challenges. A conductor whose feeling for symphonic architecture could be better, and musicians whose ensemble playing could be much sharper, would seem to have a tough road ahead. I'll be interested to see if they can improve on this effort. Here's hoping.
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