Philharmonia Orchestra
Théâtre du Châtelet, Paris, May 24 2005 Philharmonia Orchestra. Sir Andrew Davis, conductor. Soile Isokoski, soprano. Sibelius: The Swan of Tuonela Strauss: Four Last Songs Beethoven: Eroica I’ve been wondering for days quite what to write about this concert, and why it was so hard to pin down. I’ve come to the conclusion that, despite various things it had going for it, in the end it was bland, and the blandness was probably down to the ever reasonable, ever measured, ever British Sir Andrew Davis, standing in for Dohnanyi, who is ill. Bland isn’t a kind word to use about Soile Isokoski. Her recording of the Four Last Songs is the best recent one I’ve heard, closest yet to Lisa della Casa’s, and a great deal more satisfactory than one famous American diva’s. She is a scrupulous singer, shaping and phrasing beautifully, and with a gorgeous upper medium which is what these songs most call for; but she is scrupulously unspectacular and un-diva-like. So although, of course, the Philharmo...