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Editorial Reviews

One of the great legends among low voices was Finnish bass Kim Borg, who was noted for his outstanding proficiency in operatic roles like Boris Godonov and Don Giovanni. Nevertheless, Borg -- whose voice was certainly strong, but was strained somewhat in projecting to the third balcony -- was an artist better suited to the recital format. Borg preferred Scandinavian and Slavic art song repertoire, and his 1958 recording for Deutsche Grammophon, Kim Borg Singt Lieder von Jean Sibelius, was a high watermark for the propagation of Sibelius as a composer of song. At that time, most listeners outside of Finland had never heard Sibelius' songs at all, outside of "Come Away, Death," which was adopted by Marian Anderson into her recital repertoire some time before. Since then, that song and certain other pieces, such as "Black Roses," have become staples of the art song literature.

This reissue is an entry in Deutsche Grammophon's Spotlight series and contains the 10 songs featured on the original 1958 album, a selection of three songs by Sibelius' fellow Finn Yrjö Henrik Kilpinen -- one being previously unreleased -- and stereo remakes Borg made of two Sibelius songs in 1960. The packaging is minimal in the extreme; no texts or translations into any language are included, and indeed, Kilpinen's full name isn't even given in the track listing. The monophonic 1958 recordings have not aged well; they are a little thin and lacking in the full warmth of Borg's singing, though they have a bit more presence than the stereophonic remakes. Nevertheless, Kim Borg Singt Lieder von Jean Sibelius provides the best evidence of Kim Borg's work as a recitalist, and presents him in material that he dearly loved. You can tell just by the expressive manner in which he sings these numbers, an undeniably moving and memorable experience. Uncle Dave Lewis, All Music Guide

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