Kullervo

"Vänskä now revisits Sibelius's first exercise in large-scale symphonic form ... Tempi are more or less the same as before, though perhaps instrumental detail is highlighted more obviously this time; whether that's down to Vänskä's conducting or to the balance of the recording is hard to say".

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"Dausgaard is not a man to dwell unduly ... Taking the bait, the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, big as always on brass and percussion, respond to any detail and every intention. Dausgaard brings plenty to the table. The rhythmic bite and string articulation ... generates febrile electricity and tautness from the onset, the tutti climaxes attacked powerfully, the voicing of sound-print chords and solos keenly judged. ... With Dausgaard at the helm, a creative, thinking, energised music-maker, might we hope for Hyperion to pursue more of the Sibelius canon?".

"The players are in prime storytelling mode, painting in dark but clear colours, conjuring up the landscapes of the Kalevala, the Finnish national epic. Dausgaard has the measure of this music, with its slow, tick-tocking, inextinguishable pulse, its sense of fast movement against vast immobility: a bird skimming low across a Nordic lake. There's a crackle of excitement every time he shifts up a gear and the orchestral cogs find their groove ... Helena Juntunen sings the sister with poise and bite, and while Benjamin Appl may not be the kind of gravelly baritone you might expect for Kullervo, his lieder-singer's control serves him well ... The only drawback is that the Lund Male Chorus could do with more heft, though they are lively storytellers".

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"Hannu Lintu inszeniert mit dem Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra ein imposantes Breitwand-Klanggemälde, ohne dabei die feinen instrumentalen Details zu vergessen. Kullervo und seine Schwester, die den zentralen dritten Satz bestreiten, sind mit einem originalen Geschwisterpaar besetzt: Johanna Rusanen ... besitzt ... noch jugendliche Ausstrahlung, auch wenn die Stimme deutlich das hochdramatische Fach erkennen lässt, das sie heute singt. Ville Rusanen klingt mit seinem hellen, sehr kernigen, ein wenig an Jorma Hynninen erinnernden Bariton deutlich lyrischer. Die beiden Männerchöre erzielen starke Wirkung in ihren erzählerischen Kommentaren im 3. und 5. Satz".

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"London Symphony og Colin Davis, det lyder godt, ikke? Men strygerne klinger fladt om kap med det skarpe messing i en tydeligt manipuleret liveoptagelse af Sibelius ungdommelige Kullervo- symfoni. Til gengæld kan man, trods den kiksede produktion, mærke suset fra en medrivende koncert på denne nytilføjelse til London Symphonys gør-det-selv-projekt af et plademærke kaldet LSO Live".

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"Osmo Vänska's Sibelius ... has always been distinguished by detail, rhythmic precision and poetic luminosity ... This new live recording is better throughout, gaining perhaps from more extrovert Minnesota playing, with the YL choir ..., excellent if slightly mature soloists and SACD sound".

"Schwelgerisches geht der düsteren Legende bei Vänskä ebenso ab wie überzogene Aufregungen, nicht aber der epische Atem dieser Musik, die hier quasi objektiviert erscheint: in den arkaisch rauen, blockigen Chorklängen ebenso wie in den herb schmerzlichen Düsternissen der Solopassagen. Schwer zu knacken, aber lohnend".

"Die vorliegende Aufnahme aus Helsinki setzt solche Stimmungen wunderbar in Klänge um und zeugt von einer ausserordentlichen Einfühlung in die Eigenart dieser Musik. Die rein finnische Besetzung garantiert Authentizität".

"That fire remains an essential element in any good performance, and happily this one burns well ... But Segerstam's more poetic, even reflective reading is a compelling alternative".

"Every unorthodox texture, ostinato and accompaniment makes its mark; the Brucknerian discontinuities are relished as musical theatre, with silences tense and dramatic. Even the battle movement, which can sometimes seem the most conventional, has stunning beauties ... It's good to have a focused youthful chorus ... Like Helena Juntunen and Benjamin Appl, they put across the tense drama of Kullervo's unhappy meeting and sexual union with a woman he only finds out afterwards is his sister ... Kullervo may not have triumphed, but the Scots and their Danish chief conductor absolutely do here".

"På koncertindspilningen hører vi, at Dausgaard var omhyggelig med ikke at forskønne partituret. Der er uperfekte steder i 'Kullervo', indrømmer han, og hans opførelse forsøger ikke at skjule dem ... Det største bonus er artikulationen. Dausgaards skotske orkester nyder alle de mærkelige hjørner, nervøse trækninger og eksperimenterende teksturer ... Dausgaard får en fin og charmerende atmosfære frem i andensatsen ... Sangen på albummet er en blandet fornøjelse".

"The Finnish orchestra pays homage to the great Finnish composer's symphony, deeply rooted in Finnish culture. A win all round. Despite a slightly muted start, the orchestra springs into action when the voices join".

"Hannu Lintu legt eine hochauflösende Wiedergabe von Sibelius' früher Chorsinfonie 'Kullervo' vor: minutiös ausgeleuchtet, mit Details, die man noch nie gehört zu haben meint, dabei mit dramatischer Wucht ... Die tragische Begegnung des Titelhelden mit seiner Schwester wird vom Geschwisterpaar Rusanen eindringlich verlebendigt".

"Good recording, though the acoustic is just a little dry thanks to the full house ... given both the excellence of the newcomer and its competitive price this is now a first choice".