Sanderling’s Dark Take on Sibelius

We never got quite enough of Kurt Sanderling in Los Angeles. And certainly some of the slo-mo interpretations of his last stints with the Los Angeles Philharmonic failed to tell the story of this justly revered musician.

The comprehensive story of the conductor, now past 80 and no longer traveling far or frequently from his Berlin home, is contained in a set of the seven Sibelius Symphonies recorded with his Berlin Symphony during the 1970s (Berlin Classics 2059, 4 CDs, mid-price).

These are deep, dark, monumentally authoritative readings. They are also remarkably un-idiosyncratic. This is slow conducting of the Klemperer sort: The rhythmic spine is so firm, the architecture so clearly delineated, that only the clock, not the senses, tells us how much time has elapsed.

Predictably, it is in the most probing of the symphonies, the mysterious Fourth, the radiant Fifth and otherworldly Seventh, that Sanderling and his responsive players reach their peak and challenge or surpass the worthiest recorded competition.

The lean-toned strings and brass of the (erstwhile-East) Berlin Symphony are perfectly suited to Sanderling’s reflective manner. A more lush ensemble tone might have resulted in ponderousness. The filler material is enticing, too, notably a juggernaut-ominous “En Saga” that is a masterpiece of suspense and sustained musical flow.

Anyone wishing to understand why Paavo Berglund is held in such high regard as a Sibelian in his native Finland need go no further than EMI’s reissue of his 1987 recording of the magnificently lowering “Tapiola.”

The Helsinki Philharmonic, not normally world-beaters, here play like inspired demons, the cries of the solo winds ripping through the virtually vibratoless strings, while the conductor masterfully negotiates the score’s tricky balances and rhythmic shifts.

A hypnotic reading, then, of Sibelius’ last and arguably finest symphonic poem, and one that carries a nifty bonus: the four “Lemminkainen Legends” in solid performances by Eugene Ormandy and the Philadelphia Orchestra in one of their last recorded collaborations (EMI 65176, mid-price).

Another of Sibelius’ final works, written in 1924--between the Seventh Symphony and “Tapiola”--is his incidental music to Shakespeare’s “The Tempest,” some of it familiar through the composer’s own concert suite.

The wonders of the complete, hourlong score were not generally revealed until last year, with its first recording, from the enterprising Lahti Symphony under conductor Osmo Vanska (BIS 581).

Typically, after nearly three-quarters of a century of neglect, the first recording is followed within a matter of months by a second, this time from the Finnish Radio Symphony under Jukka-Pekka Saraste (Ondine 813).

For those who care, the language of this new recording is that of the production’s original Danish (don’t ask), while BIS’ is in Finnish. The differences between the two recordings might seem trivial. Both do the music justice, and then some.

Ondine’s vocal soloists include the Finnish all-stars--mezzo Monica Groop and tenor Jorma Silvasti--both of whom will make their presences felt in Los Angeles next season, and baritone Jorma Hynninen. And they deliver handsomely--but no better than BIS’ accomplished, non-stellar lineup. And, more important, the Ondine recording lacks the spatial sense conveyed by BIS’ production, whose adherence to the letter of the score’s indication of the placement of voices and solo instruments around, behind and above the stage greatly enhances the “magical” aspects of the music.

Either way, “The Tempest” is ideal listening for the home, where the brief, glistening wisps of instrumental fantasy, interspersed among the big numbers, achieve the impact that would be denied them in the illusion-shattering reaches of the concert hall.