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COPYRIGHT 2001 Sensible Sound
In Issue 83, Tom Lyle and I compared two recordings of Finnish composer Jean Sibelius's Symphony No. 4. In that comparison, both Tom and I favored the RCA Victor release featuring Sir Colin Davis leading the London Symphony Orchestra (RCA 09026-68183-2, coupled with Symphony No. 1), which was released in 1996. Just as we were completing our comparison, a classic recording of the Sibelius was re-released as part of the Decca Legends series, Lorin Maazel's 1968 recording featuring the Vienna Philharmonic (Decca 289 466 995-2, coupled with Symphony No. 6 and Tapiola). Tom and I decided that we had enjoyed listening to this music so much that it would be fun to continue our comparison by matching the Davis disc against the Maazel. As always, we have prepared our remarks independently: other than deciding that these were the two CDs that we wanted to compare, we have not discussed these recordings with each other. Because this is an even-numbered issue, Tom will lead things off with his observations, and then I will offer my view of these two recordings.
TL: These are two very different versions of this symphony. On the Decca version, the VPO's playing is breathtaking, but delicate it is not. Tempos are quick, and Lorin Maazel seems to muscle his way through the score. At least that is the way the recording portrays it, because it comes across as sounding very aggressive. The transfer from the...
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