Whoever put together this Sibelius disc for the Decca Legends series really knew what they were doing, as these three performances are arguably the best of the lot from Lorin Maazel’s surprisingly durable Vienna cycle from the 1960s. The disc begins with an incredibly rich, strong downbeat from the Vienna Philharmonic’s high-powered double basses and cellos, quickly and impressively establishing the dark, gloomy atmosphere of Sibelius’ most pessimistic symphony. Everything moves along like clockwork (but never mechanically!) without any of the lethargic feel that permeates Maazel’s later Pittsburgh remakes for Sony Classical. As is often the case with the Vienna Philharmonic, strings, horns, and timpani dominate the sonic picture. However, that combination works just fine for Sibelius’ almost Brucknerian canvases, and especially in these three works. The Seventh Symphony finds both Maazel and his Viennese players surprisingly agile and fleet-footed through the work’s tricky Allegro development passages, while the grand vistas of the symphony’s concluding pages are executed with all of the nobility and dignity that one possibly could ask for. Tapiola returns us to the gloomy atmosphere of the Fourth Symphony. Again, Maazel delivers the goods to great satisfaction, although the forest storm is still more frightening on Hans Rosbaud’s version, which is available on DG Originals. All in all, this would be a great addendum to anybody’s complete Sibelius collection, and a first choice for anyone wanting these three particular works. Decca’s classic Sophiensaal-era recordings are a joy to listen to when remastered so well.
