![]() ![]() For me, while still tops, they lack a little the fire they had before. The former had long changed its leader, from the formidable Natalia Prischepenko to the excellent Vineta Sareika, but the ensemble sound had taken a different direction, softened noticeably. For a long time, I have preferred the Artemis (Erato) and the Belcea (EMI). Kudos!įirst Desk Ladies There are now many women-led String Quartets, even completely female ensembles. Bravo! And the Sibelius coupling is also very fine. Befitting his being Carl Nielsen competition winner, his account of his stylistically elusive concerto is simply the best I have heard (most are pedestrian in comparison). Johan Dalene BIS has championed this Swedish violinist, whose playing is quite refined. I must say the OdP played with fire and idiomatically - sign of chemistry (and that Paavo Jarvi had done a good job previously)! I just streamed the 2021 Bruckner 9th (Orchestre de Paris) and it was very good, impressive for one so young. Marvelous young man! Incidentally, Makela has many full videos on youtube, all works that I like, and I plan to stream them all. I actually don’t overly mind the indulgence of Rouvali, but Makela is less imposing on the orchestra, more refreshing and breathing together with his orchestra - more visionary. ![]() 1 (I like it) and 2 (Alpha the latter deemed CD from Hell by Classicstoday), seems to have hit a pause button. But I’d want the CD set! In passing, his compatriot Matthias Rouvali, who has recorded No. The great thing is, for some reason Decca has loaded the entire cycle on to youtube, and you can listen for yourself. ![]() I have no doubt this is my favorite complete cycle now, bar none, especially as it is abetted by Decca’s glorious sound (and bargain pricing). Although it may disappoint those who look for grand gestures and Tchaikovskian inklings, it is a highly refreshing cycle, unlike any other, and I have heard them all. In this cycle, as a whole, Sibelius is neither hot youth at the start nor older barren landscape at his end, but constantly shifting in minutiae, sometimes more sensuous and vocal, sometimes questioning, but not all all sentimental. No fear, here they are delivered! As the Guardian critic alluded to, it is true the finale of 5th (which is next to 2nd in popularity) is not as romantic in its peroration as some (say, LSO/Gibson, RCA/Decca, long an audiophile staple, and still available in 200 gm LP), but Makela is not without merit as he positions it much closer to the more economically aesthete sound world of the 6th. Consider the Finale of the 2nd and Largo of the 4th, such great music that if you do not get goose pimples or get swept off your feet the performance is not good enough (and most are not). True, Makela’s meticulous treatment surely emphasizes Sibelius as a modernist, though in general the big moments are not remiss, even for the romantically inclined. Not so long ago, I heard Oslo live (incidentally, Sibelius) and marveled at their refinement, and here they rose to even greater heights (higher than those achieved by Jansons and Petrenko). Although Makela can micromanage and stretch things a bit, his excellent rhythmic articulation, careful dynamic scaling, and the utterly beguiling coloristic playing of the Oslo seem almost operatic, Wagnerian, and hold one’s attention all the way, with the strings and winds and brass seemingly coming after you in wave after wave, and that is what Sibelius (or, for that matter, Bruckner) is about. For my taste, while I understand the latter’s complaint of episodic treatment, I think he misses the point. Most highly praised it (the Gramophone review is particularly insightful, a good example of the reviewer’s art). This is brand new, and so far critical reception is limited to the UK. Klaus Makela The name is completely new to me, and what a surprise! At the age of 26, the Finn is already at the helm of the Oslo PO (following Vasily Petrenko) and Orchestre de Paris (following Paavo Jarvi)! He has signed an exclusive contract with Decca (only the third conductor to do so, after Solti and Chailly) and the first release is a Sibelius Symphony cycle with the Oslo. Streaming Classical (22-5): Sibelius, Bacewicz, Dido, Gershwin ![]()
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