I’ve found plenty to enjoy in previous instalments within Petri Sakari’s Iceland SO Sibelius series for Naxos, and this new anthology is no exception. Not only is the recording admirably detailed and wide-ranging (as one might expect from the experienced team of producer Chris Hazell and engineer Simon Eadon), the Reykjavik-based orchestra respond with an eager application and (most importantly) the genuine freshness of new discovery that help compensate for the hard-working strings’ comparative lack of tonal clout.

In Sakari’s hands, En Saga unfolds with enviable naturalness and clean-limbed vigour (splendidly explicit bass drum throughout – very important in this work), yet the dusky mystery of the coda and Lento assai section at fig P (11'59") is also very well conveyed. There’s just a hint of fluster about that tricky Poco a poco stringendo into the headlong Allegro molto either side of fig Q (13'27"), but the brass playing has terrific snap a bit later on (try from 14'18"). In Pohjola’s Daughter Sakari brings an abundant narrative flair and red-blooded, almost Lisztian physicality to Sibelius’s thrilling inspiration (how much longer, by the way, must we wait for a reissue of Sir Colin Davis’s incomparable Boston SO account on Philips, 3/82).

As for the remainder, The Bard slumbers potently, and Sakari steers a confident, observant course through The Oceanides, though a touch more enchantment wouldn’t have gone amiss (the tight balance doesn’t help). Tapiola, too, receives a stimulating, purposeful interpretation with a gripping climax to its famous storm. On the debit side, unless my ears are deceiving me, Sakari instructs some (if not all) of his double-basses to play an octave lower than marked in the closing bars (Neeme Järvi, in his more distinctive and intense Gothenburg remake, shows exactly how it should be done). Otherwise, I greatly warmed to the unforced honesty of Sakari’s performance.

Small gripes aside, this Naxos collection represents excellent value for money. If the programme appeals, don’t hesitate.