In this all-Sibelius disc, violinist Ava Bahari delivers an account of the Violin Concerto that combines heft and exuberance, while conductor Santtu-Matias Rouvali's dramatic sensibility perfectly suits the Four Legends of Lemminkäinen.
Ava Bahari: An Enthralling Storyteller
Bahari is an enthralling storyteller, investing every phrase with musical intention. The opening Allegro moderato is a silvery-toned tour de force, supported by Rouvali and the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra's gossamer textures. Yet there is plenty of heft and a suitable darkness to the collective sound when required. The slow movement offers a lyrical oasis before conductor and soloist kick up their heels in a chuckling account of the exuberant finale.
Rouvali's Dramatic Nous
Sibelius's Four Legends of Lemminkäinen premiered in 1896, after which the composer revised the score twice. Rouvali's dramatic nous suits these colourful works well while offering clues to the full-blown symphonies ahead. Lemminkäinen and the Maidens of the Island is packed with lusty incident, rising to a series of sensual climaxes. Orchestral solos are distinguished – the heartfelt cor anglais, for example, in an especially foreboding Swan of Tuonela – and every now and then intriguing suggestions of folk music are revealed behind the classical veneer.
Masterful Contrasts
The menace of Lemminkäinen in Tuonela is masterfully sustained over 17 spine-tingling minutes, in stark contrast to the swashbuckling triumph of Lemminkäinen's Return. This recording marks the latest instalment in Rouvali's Gothenburg SO Sibelius survey, pairing a bracing account of the Violin Concerto with the proto-symphonic Lemminkäinen Suite.
