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Karelia Suite Version using original movements from complete music for Karelia
King Christian II, op.27 (1898)
Pelléas et Mélisande (1905)
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Lahti Symphony Orchestra · conducted by Osmo Vänskä
BIS-CD-918
(Complete Sibelius Edition Vol.43)
[78:25] full-price
Includes Swedish vocal texts with translations in English.
by The Inkpot Sibelius Nutcase
Still, if
I were the producer (and since we are raiding Sibelius' recycle bin like
nobody's business), I would include "The founding of Viipuri Castle" and
perhaps even the finale with Finland's national anthem. For more details
of the original Karelia Music, please pop by my 13½-Kb review.
WITHIN
Sibelius’ output of more overtly-"Romantic" pieces, one of my favourite
has always been the suite for Kung Kristian II (King Christian
II). Set to the historical play of the same name by Adolf Paul (1863-1942),
the story tells of the tragic love and life of the 16th century Danish
monarch, who spent the last 27 years of his life in prison.
The play
was completed in March 1897. Sibelius composed four pieces, scored for
small orchestra, for its premiere at the Swedish Theatre, Helsinki, in
February 1898. In the summer, Sibelius added three more movements, this
time for a much larger orchestra. The first four are, in order, the mournful
Elegy which acted as an overture; the pastoral Musette followed
by the Minuet, both featuring folk dance music; and finally the
most significant I think, the simply-constructed Fool's Song of the
Spider. The latter opens the last scene of the play as the Fool (a
dramatic convention of wisdom disguised), sings of the tragic condition
of humanity's state of freedom, of how "everyone strives with the spider's
net/ And everyone falls inside".
This is
the first recording of the complete theatre score. Generally, I find that
the Lahti Symphony and Vänskä have a way of propelling the music very
convincingly. There is just this sense of unhurried momentum in the phrases
that spreads through the entire orchestral picture. And as always, the
Lahti strings impress with rich tone and pointed playing. Occasionally,
the treatment sometimes could do with a little more rubato in the broad,
lyrical melodies. For example, I find this rendition of the beautifully
sunlit Nocturne (oops, that's contradictory) not quite as heartwarming
as the DG performance by the Gothenburg Symphony under Neeme Järvi (reviewed
here).
Nevertheless,
this quintessentially post-Romantic music has its moments of warmth and
feeling, such as in the understatedly tragi-heroic tone of the yearning
Fool's Song. Here the opening half of the theme seems almost nostalgic,
but the latter is laden with much sadness. The singing by baritone Raimo
Laukka is moving and richly complements the music; the ominous harp-embellished
opening flowing away with his sweetly melancholic song.
For the
Suite as we know it today, Sibelius extracted the Nocturne, Elegy,
Musette, Serenade and Ballade, in that order. Strings were
added to the woodwind passage in the Musette and the fugue (recorded
here for the first time) of the Ballade was shortened. Of the
rest, only the Fool's Song retains a measure of popularity. In
fact, when it comes to Sibelius' more instantly appealing orchestral pieces
- other than the Karelia Suite and Finlandia, I wish more
orchestras would consider playing the King Christian II Suite,
which one of the first of the composer's orchestral works to reach international
concert halls.
No.1 is
famous as At The Castle Gate, with its rich opening theme for strings.
The scene depicts the opening of the main gate at King Arkel's castle
with optimistic, "dawning" overtones, reaching a majestic climax.
No.2 became
Mélisande in the concert suite. It is a gentle scene, with a sad
cor anglais melody crying quietly over a field of muted string sighs.
Mélisande is sitting by a spring in the forests, crying. The music floats
forward by way of its form as a slow waltz. The Lahti Symphony's clean
playing and feeling for atmosphere, combined with their always reliable
wind players, make for a very beautiful reading.
I am full
of admiration for the orchestra and conductor's capacity for dramatic
unity as they seamlessly continue into No.3 (later known as At the
Seashore). This is a highly atmospheric, almost eerie piece depicting
Pelléas and Mélisande watching the departure of the latter's ship. The
ominous growling of the basses echo the surging undercurrents of the sea
- a Sibelian hallmark. As the CD notes say, the strange overhead cries
of the woodwind seem to depict birds soaring high above the gloomy scene,
appropriately described as "dark impressionism" by Erik Tawaststjerna
(the famous Sibelius biographer).
As quickly
as it fades, the Lahti winds waltz into a lightly cheerful waltz, faintly
ominous, in No.4 (renamed "By a Spring in the Park" in the suite). Here
the couple walk to a park and stop by a spring. What I admire about this
performance is the way Vänskä keeps the tone of the orchestra just below
being really "happy", and thus keeping the mood within the theatrical
context (which is tragic). Likewise, No.5 which depicts "Mélisande at
the Spinning Wheel" - dark and made ominous by the symbolic presence of
the wheel (of fate?) and its incessant spinning portrayed by a stubborn
viola trill acting as a pedal.
No.6, "De
trenne blinda systrar" ("The Three Blind Sisters") is sung here by mezzo
Anna-Lisa Jakobson. The somewhat cryptic song on (the fading of) hope
is replaced in the suite by woodwinds.
Now for
the new bit: No.9 is a prelude before the tragic scene of Pelléas' death.
Featuring a dialogue between solo cello and cor anglais above a doom-laden
string figure, it is quite in tone with the dark music described above.
Praise again for the Lahti SO cor anglais soloist for his/her penetratingly
focussed solos.
The music
ends with the resigned sadness of The Death of Mélisande. The Lahti
Symphony's strings are capable of very atmospheric undertone, whispering
in true pianissimo as they do here at the end of the music. The
role of Mélisande was once played by Harriet Bosse, third wife of Swedish
playwright August Strindberg. The CD notes describe how, "[l]ying on my
deathbed in the last act, the orchestra played The Death of Mélisande.
I was so moved that I cried at every performance."
More "original
versions"? The truth is, this is not the "original version" of the Karelia
Suite - the Suite is the familiar one with the cor anglais,
not the baritone. What we have here, though, is not a bad idea; it is a
compilation of the original movements (Intermezzo, Ballade and Alla
Marcia) from the complete music for the Karelia
tableaux. A logical thing to do for the record producer here, offering those
who may not have invested in the complete Karelia Music album a chance
to hear the interesting differences in the music. The most significant of
these will be the very appropriate return of the melancholic cor anglais
melody in the Ballade to the voice, a baritone. As I have noted in
my full review, it is here evocatively - no, heartbreakingly - accompanied
by solo horn and pizzicato strings.
The additional three pieces are the Nocturne and the interludial
Serenade , both with ear-pleasing melodies, and the more epic-toned
Ballade, with a hint of the Lemminkäinen Legends.
MAETERLINCK’S play Pelléas et Mélisande, made more famous
in the Debussy opera, also provoked music
by Schoenberg and Sibelius, among others. As above, the arrangement in
the orchestral suite is more well-known. In the original incidental music,
written in 1905, Sibelius (right, in the same year) had composed ten numbers,
including one song. For the suite, only one movement (No.9) is omitted
and Sibelius also gave each movement a name (as opposed to the nondescript
numbers). So, although this is the world-premiere recording of the complete
theatre score, it effectively simply means we are getting just one new
movement above the suite.
Easily the most immediately appealing of all the numbers is No.7, a "pastorale"
played Andantino. I first heard this piece many years ago, and
its sweetly tranquil melody has never left my memory. Again, the fluid
treatment by the gorgeous Lahti wind section, playing in characteristic
Sibelian thirds, is most welcome - very pastorale indeed. In addition
to the catchy pizzicato figure on cellos accompanying the winds, listen
too for the violins in their quiet soaring accompaniment to the fluttering
flutes - a picture of serenity, of little birds flying over the glorious
day-lit scene. The mood continues with a joyous Entr’acte (No.8
in the theatre score), a prelude to the couple's secret rendevous in the
park.
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426: 11.3.1999 ©Inkpot Sibelius Nutcase
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| Concert Reviews |
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| SIBELIUS |
The Symphonies
The First Symphony An Inktroduction
The First Symphony Survey of Recordings
The Fifth Symphony An Inktroduction
The Fifth Symphony Survey of Recordings
The Seventh Symphony An Inktroduction
The Seventh Symphony Survey of Recordings
Lahti/Vänskä Cycle: Nos.1 & 4 | 2 & 3 | 5 & 5 | 6 & 7, Tapiola
The Bournemouth Symphony/Berglund Cycle (1970s)
Iceland/Sakari Cycle: Nos. 1 & 3 | 2 | 4 & 5 | 6 & 7 | Four Legends
More Symphonies reviews at the Inkvault
Kullervo This Way Lies the Future: An Inktroduction with further links
The Violin Concerto Original and Final Versions on BIS
Other Orchestral Works
Tapiola The Forest's Mighty God: An Inktroduction
Neeme Järvi and the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra - Tone Poems on DG:
Karelia Suite, The Oceanides,
Luonnotar, King Christian Suite, Finlandia
En Saga, Excerpts
from Kuolema, The Bard, Tapiola
Finlandia and other Tone
Poems A Double Decca compilation
The Stuff of Legend
Karelia Complete
Music for the Pageant (BIS)
Karelia & Press Celebrations
Complete Music (Ondine)
King Christian and Pelléas et Mélisande Complete Incidental Music
The Bard of Sibelius
Everyman and Belshazzar's Feast Incidental Music (BIS)
The Origin of Fire and other Choral Works
The Tempest - Sibelius' Farewell (An Essay and inktroduction)
The Tempest Suites with Segerstam/Helsinki PO (Ondine)
Choral Music
Music for Mixed Choir
(BIS)
Chamber Works
Early Chamber Music Vol.I
and Vol.II (Ondine)
Complete Youth Production for Violin & Piano Vols.1 & 2 (BIS)
Piano Music Vol.2. Gimse (Naxos)
Books
Sibelius Phaidon
20th Century Composers