In the 12 years since the last of Jarvi's recordings of Tubin's symphonies for BIS appeared, no one has touched them (the incomplete 11th aside) so this new cycle from Alba is most welcome. BIS omitted, and still does, No 11 (Jarvi eventually recorded it for Virgin, 5/97, though ironically Volmer beat him to it, 1/96), which Alba will include, making theirs the first fully complete cycle.
If you never caught up with BIS's set, then a treat is in store. Tubin was a fine symphonist, albeit not in Shostakovich's or Holmboe's league, and both these powerful works are typical of him. The subtitle of the Second (1937), Legendary, derives from tales of the Estonians' ultimately futile resistance to the Teutonic Crusaders in the 13th century. In it, Tubin had not quite attained his mature voice, but it is still a remarkably assured and impressive work. The Fifth, by contrast, written in 1946 after Tubin had settled in Sweden, is a typical product of his mature style: indeed, one of the most impressive of all the symphonies.
Volmer's accounts are very strong overall, and he shows a good sense of the music's structure. If I was forced to choose, though, Jarvi's do shade the decision, especially as BIS's older recording is still clearer than Alba's. Compare the opening few minutes of No 2 - the BIS sound reveals orchestral detail half-obscured on the newcomer (it sounds like Rautavaara at one point), a combination of better balance and clearer sound. However, this is a minor quibble, and two points in favour of Alba's set - if the standard is maintained - will be its inclusion of the 11th, and using only five discs to BIS's seven.
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