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Short notes on Sibelius Seven Symphonies

For those interested in Sibelius Symphonies, there are 3 that i consider worth consideration. Kurt Sanderling/Berlin Sym. Orch. ( can be had for $15!! on a new budget label, i paid $40 on Berlin Classics). Sir John Barbirolli/Halle Orch.(his second recording cycle 1966-1970, EMI 724356729926) Leif Segerstam/Danish Radio Sym. Orch. On Sym #1 there is one i would highly recommend (my favorite), Stokowski/National Phil.Orch (Sony label #7464632602. On Sibelius' op.7 Kullervo, Segerstam does a truly spectactular performance. In a few days i'll have the new recording by P. Jarvi/Royal Stockholm P.O., and will post a note.
tweekerman
pls1
432 posts
 
Anyone who likes Sibelius should listen to Vanska with the Lahti orchestra especially #5.
newbee
4,751 posts
 
Tweekerman hit the nail on the head with his $15 budget recommendation of the 7 symphonies. Sanderling's set has been around for a long time for a good reason. It's a great place for someone just coming to Sibelius to start out.
gs5556
1,213 posts
 
Also, Colin Davis and the Boston Symphony Orchestra is worth a mention.
bianchi27
189 posts
 
I am not a big classical music fan, I probably have less than 30 cd's but I absolutely love the first movement of his first symphony, especially around the 3:00 and 9:00 marks. If I listen to this before shopping I can't help but hum it while going down the ailes.
tweekerman OP
473 posts
 
Yes the 2 cressendos in the first movement are spectactular. The recording that really comes through here is Rozhdevensky/London S.O. which is not avaliable on CD, only rare vinyl. You can contact Princeston Record Exchange, i bet they have it. However the finest performance of the 1st Sym. is the Stokowski/National S. O. You will soon become a classical fan, it's great symphonies like Sibelius #1 that sparked my interest with classical music.
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