Santtu-Matias Rouvali continues his Gothenburg SO Sibelius survey with this latest instalment pairing a bracing account of the Violin Concerto by Swedish violinist Ava Bahari with the proto-symphonic Lemminkäinen Suite.
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 Gothenburgers’ gossamer textures, yet there is plenty of heft and a suitable darkness to the collective sound when required. The slow movement is a lyrical oasis before conductor and soloist kick up their heels in a chuckling account of the exuberant finale.
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. 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.
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