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Title: Disappointing
Review: There's no contest if you're trying to decide between this and the two Philips 2-fers: the Philips recordings are more flowing, better-recorded, and contain more drama and attention to the long line and long argument--so important in Sibelius. Based not just on these but his other recordings recently, Colin Davis seems to be softening in old age. Compare literally any section side by side and you'll find the climaxes here more muted (the tympani is particularly dull and "thuddy"), the string-playing less taut, and the overall conception far less edgy. The sound is a little fuzzy too. The most interesting item is Kullervo, where Davis fares better than the rest, but overall these strike me at least as anonymous, faceless performances--fat and plummy and boring. Maybe Davis said it all in his first outing with the BSO. I wonder why he felt this set to be necessary. I didn't detect any new insights.
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