It was in conversation with Jean Sibelius that Gustav Mahler declared that a symphony should contain the world, though the Czech-Austrian composer was generally dismissive of the Finnish master’s music. Had he lived long enough, however, he might have been surprised to learn how the evolution of Sibelius’s symphonic language came to influence generations of musicians right up to the 21st century. 

These days, Sibelius cycles are as common as Mahler cycles, with many of the finest produced by outstanding Finnish conductors (who are currently legion) working with Finnish orchestras. This new set, recorded live with the Helsinki Philharmonic under Jukka-Pekka Saraste, is up there with the best and well worth acquiring if you are looking for a well-judged, scrupulously played set. Yes, there’s applause at the end of some, though not all, and occasionally the recorded balance is ever-so-slightly awry, but Saraste knows these symphonies like the back of his hand and as such is a terrific guide.

The First Symphony opens with a sinuous and especially eloquent clarinet solo the first of many occasions on which Saraste allows his orchestral soloists time and space to make their mark. This kind of organic rapport makes for refreshing listening. This symphony in particular strikes a balance between Sibelius’s heart-on-sleeve youthful enthusiasm and the works of his maturity presaged here and there and skilfully picked up by the insightful conductor. There’s a hushed nobility about the Andante, a shapeliness to the Scherzo and a brooding, Tchaikovskian passion drawn out in the finale.

The Second is more straightforward, with phrasing full of character and attention paid to the score’s manifold colours and dramatic throughline. It’s in the brooding second movement that the storytelling is at its finest, before the fleet Vivacissimo broadens into the patriotic rhetoric of the finale. The Third is amiably done, with earthy strings, fluttering woodwind and perky brass. Occasionally the internal balance is just off, something which may not have bothered ears in the concert hall but is more discernible here. Nevertheless, the performance teems with detail and packs the appropriate punch.

The jewel of the set is the Fourth in a reading full of mystery and imagination, from a darkly brooding opening where themes seem to rise up from the very earth (in a superb cello solo) to the spiky Allegro molto vivace (shades of Janáček). A bleak, barren slow movement leads into a vividly sprung finale with glorious clarinet solos (again), whooping horns and a lonely, pensive conclusion. The Fifth is similarly atmospheric, its radiant nature imagery a relief after the wastelands of the Fourth. The orchestral power is frequently thrilling as is Saraste’s unforced handling of tempi. Brass are especially magnetic, Ondine’s natural sound lending it all a terrific weight. The light, springy finale builds to a superbly judged conclusion.

The Sixth is underpinned with a nostalgic ache, the textured string sound opening up to reveal the composer’s many layers and his interweaving of fragmentary melody. Sarasate gets the mood changes just right in what is Sibelius’s most mercurial symphony. The Scherzo is as welcome as a northern breeze on a sunny day; the finale ideally spacious. Saraste ensures the music has room to breathe and build before winding back and tapering off into the void. The Seventh rightly stands as a summation of all that has come before, the orchestral sound wonderfully clear with fluid tempo changes drawing attention to the recurring thematic fragments and the conductor’s hand firmly but unobtrusively guiding the symphonic journey.

Saraste recorded these works with the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra in the late 1980s, a fine set that is still available on Sony. These recordings, however, possess a greater urgency and a degree more flexibility it terms of phrasing. Coupled with Ondine’s more spacious sonic engineering, this set is definitely one for the library.

Listen on Apple Music

Composer: Sibelius
Works: Symphonies Nos. 1 to 7
Performers: Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra/Jukka-Pekka Saraste
Label: Ondine ODE15252T (3CD)