Herbert von Karajan was an excellent Sibelius conductor, and this disc contains mostly excellent performances of the six listed works. En Saga is thrillingly powerful, with one of the most exciting climaxes on disc. It would have been even more so if EMI and the Berlin Philharmonic could have figured out how to capture the bass drum with more impact; but with strings and brass going at full tilt there’s little cause for complaint. Indeed here, and in Finlandia and Tapiola, there’s none of that slickness that often afflicts Karajan’s work in, say, the standard German repertoire. He projects the menacing opening of Finlandia as have few others, bringing an almost expressionistic violence to the piece, and no one has ever captured the storm at the end of Tapiola with greater impact. Both Valse triste and The Swan of Tuonela are incredibly beautiful as well as atmospheric, and only the Karelia Suite comes across as somewhat droopy compared with the best performances. The analogue sonics are better than the digitals (Karelia and Valse triste)–but minor caveats aside, this is a powerful memento of Karajan’s gifts, and pretty stunning by any standard.
