Sibelius’ piano music is little-known and undervalued, partly because some of it admittedly isn’t very interesting, but more because his personal style is so inextricably bound up with his inimitable use of the orchestra. Hearing these piano transcriptions of orchestral works, most made by Sibelius himself, we can banish at once the question of musical quality. These are all highly regarded, popular pieces, and in their new guise it’s particularly easy to tell what works well for the keyboard and what does not, a process that fans of the composer surely will find engaging and enjoyable all by itself. Let it be understood up front that all of this music is, for the most part, excellently played by Henri Sigfridsson, and very well recorded too.
Indeed, perhaps most fascinating are those pieces that fare worst in pianistic dress, because they highlight just how innately orchestral Sibelius’ thinking was. Here are a few examples: The big brass and timpani crescendos at the opening of Finlandia obviously fare poorly as a piano solo, and the relentlessly chordal writing that follows really needs the timbral variety supplied by the full orchestra; Mélisande at the Spinning Wheel, so sinister in its original version with whirling strings and whining oboe, loses much of its atmosphere when its various distinctive elements turn monochrome; the Karelia Suite’s Intermezzo sacrifices most of its charm and all of its Romantic evocativeness, and Sigfridsson’s hasty tempo, while understandable considering what he is dealing with, does nothing to help.
On the plus side, the Entr’acte from Pelléas sparkles delightfully in Sigfridsson’s hands, as does the Musette from King Kristian II (the original short suite, heard here without the Nocturne and Ballade). Khadra’s Dance from Belshazzar’s Feast also works quite well. In general, anything of an obviously dance or march-like character transcribes effectively, as you might expect, and Sigfridsson’s light touch in the various waltzes, “Triste” and otherwise, serves the music beautifully. The three major song transcriptions (The Three Blind Sisters from Pelléas, the Ballade from the Karelia Suite, and the Song of the Spider from King Kristian II) also make attractive piano solos, consisting as they do of characterful melodies with simple accompaniments.
This, then, is an extremely appealing disc to enjoy on its own terms, but if you are a Sibelius collector and know the originals well, it will sound all the more intriguing, and its acquisition accordingly becomes all the more urgent.
