If the idea of a piano sonata by Sibelius suggests rugged harmonic individualism coupled with heroic structural innovations, the reality suggests an earnest attempt to write a great piano sonata by a not yet mature great composer with a limited command of keyboard technique. In this the third volume of
Folke Gräsbeck's survey of the complete piano music of Sibelius, the Sonata in F major from 1893 along with transcriptions of the Wood Nymph and two movements from the Karelia Suite are the highpoints of a collection of rarely if ever recorded works. And despite
Gräsbeck's brilliant performances and dedicated interpretations, low high points they are. The sonata aims high and means well, but it's too derivative in its gestures and too long for its development and quickly wears out its welcome. The Wood Nymph is second-rank early Sibelius that sounds ill suited to the attack and decay of the piano. The Intermezzo and Ballade from the Karelia Suite are first-rate early Sibelius, but they sound harsh and unidiomatic on the keyboard. And those are the high points. The Allegretto in F major from sometime between 1895-1896 is blandly insipid. The Lento in E major from 1897 is vapidly seductive. The Marche Triste from 1899 is overly dramatic. And none of it is at all identifiable as Sibelius. While assuredly one of the great symphonists of the twentieth century, Sibelius was for the most part an indifferent composer for the piano, and for the most part the music on this disc will be of interest only to specialists. BIS' sound is clear and crystalline.