Second, he's very attentive to melodic accentuation and inflection (indeed, his En Saga is almost a revelation in this respect), and this gives the music life and textural interest. He secures excellent, concentrated playing from the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, and if I have any reservation, it's that Franck's preference for broad tempos mutes some of the excitement of Lemminkäinen's Return--though here again, the slower initial tempo does permit him (almost alone among conductors) to follow Sibelius' instructions exactly and make a huge accelerando, doubling the tempo leading into the coda. So there you have it: conducting that is idiomatic, intelligent, and respectful of the score, but also nicely individualized. Ondine's recorded sound is warm and very naturally balanced, lacking only the last amount of definition at the bottom end (always a problem in En Saga, with it's soloistic bass drum writing). A winner.

--David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday.com