This is the second of Paavo Berglund's two recordings of Kullervo, the symphonic poem-cum-symphony with which Sibelius made his breakthrough in Finland in 1892. It originally appeared on two full-price discs with the finale placed on the second together with Oma maa (''Our native Land'') and Tulen synty (''The Origin of Fire''), both valuable additions to the Sibelius discography. When comparing the present performance with Berglund's pioneering 1971 account, I noted ''a much greater lyrical intensity in the shaping of phrases and altogether greater fantasy in the treatment of detail... almost every point is better made in this new account which is fresher and comes more from the heart than its predecessor''. At that time I marginally preferred the greater warmth of the 1971 analogue recording but there is no mistaking the clarity and presence of this excellent Matrix issue. The level is the same as on the old two-disc version and definition sounds to me as good or even better. This present issue is recommendable on all counts, both artistically and in terms of sound.

-- Robert Layton, Gramophone [7/1994]