5 stars – The Guardian
Composer: Jean Sibelius
Performers: Katarina Karneus (mezzo) & Julius Drake (piano)
Label: Hyperion
Recording details: June 2001, All Saints, Durham Road, East Finchley, London, United Kingdom
Tracklisting:
. Lieder op. 17: Nr. 6 An den Abend (Illalle)
· Belsazar op. 51: Das Lied des jüdischen Mädchens (Den judiska flickans sang)
· Lieder op. 36: Nr. 1 Svarta rosor (Schwarze Rosen)
· Lieder op. 36: Nr. 2 Men min vägel märks dock icke
· Lieder op. 36: Nr. 3 Bollspelet vid Trianon
· Lieder op. 36: Nr. 4 Säv, saäv, susa (Wehe, wehe, Schilf)
· Lieder op. 36: Nr. 5 Marssnön (Märzschnee)
· Lieder op. 36: Nr. 6 Demanten pa marssnön (Diamant auf dem Märzschnee)
· Lieder op. 57: Nr. 5 Jag är ett träd (I Am A Tree)
· Lieder op. 57: Nr. 8 Necken (The Watersprite Or The Elf-King)
· Lieder op. 37: Nr. 1 Den första kyssen (Der erste Kuß)
· Lieder op. 37: Nr. 2 Lasse liten
· Lieder op. 37: Nr. 3 Soluppgang
· Lieder op. 37: Nr. 4 Var det en dröm? (War es ein Traum?)
· Lieder op. 37: Nr. 5 Flickan kom ifran sin älsklings möte (Mädchen kam vom Stelldichein)
· Lieder op. 90: Nr. 6 Vem styrde hit din väg? (Who Has Brought You Here?)
· Lieder op. 90: Nr. 1 Norden (The North)
· Lieder op. 50: Nr. 1 Lenzgesang
· Lieder op. 50: Nr. 2 Sehnsucht
· Lieder op. 50: Nr. 3 Im Feld ein Mädchen singt
· Lieder op. 50: Nr. 4 Aus banger Brust
· Lieder op. 50: Nr. 5 Die stille Stadt
· Lieder op. 50: Nr. 6 Rosenlied
· Lieder op. 13: Nr. 4 Varen flyktar hastigt (Frühling schwindet eilig)
· Lieder op. 13: Nr. 1 Under strandens granar
Robert Layton, who has provided the booklet notes for this CD, describes the treasure-trove of Sibelius’s songs as one of music’s best-kept secrets. The composer wrote a surprisingly large number of songs throughout his life, and anybody who responds to the Nordic spirit and subject-matter of the symphonies and other orchestral music will find much to please them here. They are tuneful, passionate and evocative of the northern latitudes. Virtually all of them are in Swedish which, although he was Finnish, was Sibelius’s first language, but the Opus 50 set is in German. There are no less than seven settings of the composer’s favourite poet of the northern landscapes, Johan Runeberg, including two of Sibelius’s best-known songs, ‘The Tryst’ and ‘The First Kiss’. Our singer is the delightful Swedish soprano Katarina Karnéus, sometime winner of the Cardiff Singer of the World Competition.
What the critics say
Gramophone 2002/7
A superb recital of Sibelius’s unjustly neglected songs
Sibelius’s songs have taken a long time to come in from the cold. After all‚ the few that are relatively wellknown (Black roses and Op 37 No 5‚ ‘The Tryst’) are passionate enough to have come from Italian opera‚ and others which over the years have found a place in the repertoire have a span of phrase and a melodic surge that encourage the voice to rise thrillingly‚ as in ‘The Tryst’s’ predecessor‚ ‘Was it a dream?’. The tingle of a Nordic chill in among this is in fact a further excitement of the blood. Given a voice that can combine the sparkle of sunlight on snow with the dark splendour which lies at the heart of those black roses‚ an entire programme of Sibelius’s songs offers not an austere pleasure but almost a rich indulgence. To those specifications concerning the singer there needs then to be added others about the pianist; and from both artists there must be a ready supply of imagination. Katarina Karnéus and Julius Drake answer these calls magnificently. The voice is firm and resonant‚ purest in quality in the upper DtoF region and of ample range in both directions. In Julius Drake she has a pianist who extends the normal field of vision‚ and the two work together to great effect. This is now an area where the record catalogue provides plenty of choice‚ and it has been good to see how well the KarnéusDrake combination survives competition. In the opening song‚ To evening (‘Illalle’)‚ Karita Mattila‚ Soile Isokoski‚ Anne Sofie von Otter and their respective pianists come up for immediate comparison and none is half so good in ‘building’ the verses. Where Mattila‚ golden in tone as she is‚ gives the line simply as repetitions in a sequence‚ and Isokoski‚ with shading and additional refinements‚ does much the same‚ von Otter adds a freedom nearer to the spoken word‚ but still does not ‘build’. Karnéus and Drake work on it with such effective graduations of power and intensity that everything is enhanced – the vocal line‚ the piano’s tremolandos‚ words‚ mood‚ the poemaspainting‚ the song as miniature epic. In some others – ‘Little Lasse’ in Op 37 and the remarkable ‘Tennis in Trianon’ of Op 36 are examples – von Otter and Bengt Forsberg bring a further sophistication‚ more rightfully placed in the second example than the first. I still wouldn’t hesitate to make this new issue a prime choice if looking for a single disc of 25 to represent Sibelius’ output of roughly 100 songs. Not all the best are here – but in such matters do you really want all the best? Suppose you take to them ‘in a big way’: isn’t it far more satisfying to know that some of the best still remain to be heard?
Edward Greenfield, The Guardian, 12 July 2002
5 stars
Sibelius’s songs only occasional reflect the weighty originality of his major works. Yet here, in inspired performances, Katarina Karneus and Julius Drake bring out new dimensions. Even the handful of songs that have become widely popular, like Svarta Rosor (Black roses) and Sav, sav, susa (Reeds, reeds, whisper) are transformed in performances that sharply bring out the contrasts of mood, the range of emotion and the sense of drama, as in the overpowering tragic climax of The Tryst. It is a magic partnership, giving fresh insights in every song. Vivid sound, very well-balanced.