In January Kristjan Järvi released, with his young Baltic Sea Philharmonic, a recording of his own reduction of Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake (2/16), a work that his father has also recorded (complete) to great acclaim. Now it’s Henk de Vlieger’s ‘orchestral adventure’ based on Wagner’s Ring, a cycle that on many levels is about the questioning of paternal authority – and this new recording comes into direct competition with one by Järvi senior.

De Vlieger’s arrangement obviously has its casualties: Wotan is one, as are Sieglinde and Siegmund, since Die Walküre is essentially represented only by the Ride of the Valkyries and the Magic Fire Music. There’s a fair bit of changing as well as chopping, as the music doesn’t necessarily appear in the order Wagner himself sets out. The challenge for the conductor is to ensure it makes sense on its own terms, which both Järvis do by creating their own tempo relations, as well as imposing a certain ‘symphonic’ smoothness.

An example in Kristjan’s case is the way he matches a very fast-flowing opening Rhine with a swift Immolation Scene – rather too swift, in fact. The Magic Fire Music, fast at first, settles down into a slower tempo, which then winds down further as it settles into the Forest Murmurs (realised with beautiful tenderness here). The Ride of the Valkyries is exciting, but I’m not sure I really warm to the conductor’s tempo adjustments at the start of the Funeral March.

Sony’s sound is spacious and airy, and matched by playing from the orchestra that is lucid and virtuoso but occasionally lacking in Wagnerian heft. The violins, in particular, strike me as a little short on character, and they lose some of their accuracy towards the end (the booklet names a pair of ‘live recording producers’, but doesn’t state unequivocally whether the recording was live, or when it was made).

It’s an enjoyable disc, nonetheless, and an impressive showcase for Järvi’s band. Järvi père’s account, with the added bonus of the Siegfried Idyll as coupling, is probably more recommendable, however, assuming that this ‘orchestral adventure’ appeals in the first place.