Sibelius: Pohjola's Daughter, Symphony No. 2

Album review

Colin Davis has firmly established himself as a master interpreter of the symphonies and tone poems of Jean Sibelius, and his great recordings of the late twentieth century have been favorites for many fans of this music. It should come as no surprise that Davis' 2005 recording of the perennially popular Symphony No. 2 in D major and Pohjola's Daughter on LSO Live is an excellent addition to his impressive catalog given the intelligent interpretations of this conductor, the responsive playing of the London Symphony Orchestra, and the extraordinary direct stream digital sound that is a feature of this label's releases. Recorded in September and October 2005 in London's Barbican, the LSO conveys the misty atmosphere and heroic strength of these works; the levels of energy and expression are high and sustained throughout these performances, and there are neither weak spots to detract nor mistakes to disappoint. Considering that these concert recordings have almost no detectable audience noise, and that the orchestra is always clearly audible, even at a low volume, there are no reasons to regard this package as inferior in any way to Davis' digital recordings of the same pieces for RCA, or his earlier analog recordings for Philips. The reproduction of this standard CD release is only slightly less vivid and realistic than the hybrid SACD, which features stereo and 5.1 multichannel mixes.
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