The Fourth descends, sinking inevitably downward into the abyss of nihilistic air and fuliginous light, while the Seventh ascends, rising ineluctably upward into the empyrean of radiant air and luminous light. In these performances by
Herbert von Karajan and the
Philharmonia Orchestra of London recorded by
Walter Legge,
Sibelius' Fourth and Seventh ideally embody the Janus-faced quality of his art at its best.
Karajan, later the most refined of narcissists, was in
Sibelius the most passionate of advocates and his interpretations here are true to the music's own heroic nature. The
Philharmonia, then the finest of England's orchestras and always the best of studio orchestras, was here polished, powerful and sumptuously colorful.
Legge, then the finest of English producers and still one of the finest A&R reps ever to sign an act, was here at the apex of his relationship with
Karajan and the sound he achieved is still among the most immensely attractive ever recorded. For fans of
Sibelius,
Karajan, the
Philharmonia, or
Legge, these recordings are self-recommending. Even the inclusion of the pot-boiling Finlandia as a curtain-raiser does nothing to diminish the magnificence of the Fourth and Seventh. Besides, one can always skip it.