The BIS label's Sibelius series, presenting the composer's orchestral music under the batons of Osma Vänskä and then Okko Kamu, has been uniformly excellent. Like other releases in the series, this one was recorded at the Sibelius Hall in Lahti, Finland, which, though recent, seems as though it was custom designed for his music in the clarity with which it reproduces the variety of textures in the upper registers of the strings. The moderate-sized Lahti Symphony Orchestra is a gem. Is there another city of 100,000 anywhere ...
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The BIS label's Sibelius series, presenting the composer's orchestral music under the batons of Osma Vänskä and then Okko Kamu, has been uniformly excellent. Like other releases in the series, this one was recorded at the Sibelius Hall in Lahti, Finland, which, though recent, seems as though it was custom designed for his music in the clarity with which it reproduces the variety of textures in the upper registers of the strings. The moderate-sized Lahti Symphony Orchestra is a gem. Is there another city of 100,000 anywhere in the world that has reached this level of accomplishment? Listeners used to mighty English or German readings of Sibelius might find the orchestra a bit quiet, but, especially in a work like Sibelius' incidental music for The Tempest, Op. 109. Vividness of texture is more important than power, and Kamu and the Lahti orchestra provide that in abundance. Sibelius was one of the last major composers to write incidental music for plays, the direct ancestor of modern film music, and The...
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