This is a collection of live performances from 1999 and 2000 showcasing Richard Kapp’s considerable flair for Sibelius. The Philharmonia Virtuosi may not have the orchestral heft (certainly not the brass muscle) of the Boston Symphony, New York Philharmonic, or the Lahti Symphony (to name just a few ensembles that have recorded distinctive Sibelius performances), but Kapp makes telling use of the band’s strengths, highlighting its colorful and pungent woodwind section–a vital component in this music. The strings are no slouches either, as Kapp makes clear with the lush carpet of sound at the opening of Pelleas & Melisande, and with the beautiful timbre he cultivates for Kuolema’s “Scene with Cranes” and in the Rakastava Suite. Even more than his attention to the music’s texture, Kapp is distinctly alert to its rhythms, whether in Valse Triste’s grimly graceful lilt, or the lively jaunt of Pelleas’ Entr’acte. The Virtuosi musicians play with vibrant energy and imagination, clearly relishing this delightful music. Essay’s close-perspective recording affords intimate detail, though this comes at a slight loss of depth and space. In sum, an uncommon Sibelius disc that’s well worth hearing.
