Superb Sibelius/Salonen/LA Phil at the London Barbican

Esa-Pekka Salonen with the Los Angeles Philharmonics: Sibelius 2nd Symphony; Return of Lemminkainen; Salonen´s Wing on Wings. Barbican Centre, November 1st 2008.

Esa-Pekka Salonen is currently touring (some of) Europe with the Los Angeles Philharmonics playing his first ever complete cycle of the Sibelius symphonies including works by additional Finnish composers such as Kaija Saariaho and himself under marketed as Sibelius Unbound.

Salonen´s own superb composition Wing on wing from 2004 is a piece for orchestra and two sopranos plus the loud-speaking voice of architect Frank Gehry of the Walt Disney Concert Hall. for which this piece was written. The sopranos had to literally run between the stage and balcony to make their wordless solos on time in this very accessible piece focusing on rhythm and rich string textures. If had been told this was Stravinsky from the period of Firebird and Sacre, I would have believed them.

Sense of rhythm and energy are some of Esa-Pekka Salonen´s biggest assets as a conductor, and suffice to say that this evening´s Sibelius 2nd symphony as well as Lemminkainen´s Return were absolutely superb. Salonen brings this very special quality to Sibelius music, never just pretty, always with that dark undercurrent just beneath the surface.

And what a seriously superb orchestra the Los Angeles Philharmonics is: Razor-sharp precision in the strings, a stunning brass section and quite obviously very committed.

I assume this Sibelius cycle will be released on CD or DVD at one point, which will then be a clear must-have.

DVD: Kaija Saariaho - L´Amour de loin

Kaija Saariaho: L´Amour de loin. Finnish National Opera 2005. Production: Peter Sellars. Cast: Gerald Finley, Dawn Upshaw, Monica Groop. Conductor: Esa-Pekka Salonen. Further information here.

I was virtually blown away by the sheer beauty of the music in Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho´s first opera L´amour de loin, which now has appeared on DVD in a Peter Sellars production from the Finnish National Opera.

Saariaho´s music is both lucid and transparent with a dream-like quality, describing moods rather than events, a quality matched by the relative absence of action in the opera as well. Saariaho obviously knows how to work with a large orchestra and the orchestration is simply exquisite.

L´Amour de loin is based on medieval French poems about about A Troubadour falling in love with A Countess he has never seen. A Messenger travels between them. When they finally meet, he dies in her arms. Short on physical action, the opera explores the various feelings of the protagonists such as doubt, longing, insecurity. In that respect the work bear resemblance to Debussy´s Pelleas and Melisande. And to Tristan and Isolde. Gregorial church music seems to have inspired Saariaho as well and the almost oratorial quality including an invisible choir commenting on the action bears resemblance to Stravinsky´s Oedipus. That said, Kaija Saariaho´s language is unique and highly individual.

Peter Sellar´s setting is very simple: A tower, where the lover/loved lives; water; a boat for the Messenger travelling back and forth between the Troubadour and the Countess.

Esa-Pekka Salonen draws a wonderfully transparent sound from the orchestra and all three protagonists convince.

Only one thing I cannot help but wish for: While there is surely a lot of wisdom to gain from French medieval poetry, I would have appreciated if Saariaho had chosen a more modern textual source for her opera - to experience this outstanding music in a more contemporary context would have been fascinating. However, this is merely an afterthought.

Dawn Upshaw and Monica Groop:

The bottom line (scale of 1-5, 3=average):

All singers: 5

Peter Sellars: 4

Esa-Pekka Salonen: 5

Overall impression: 5