# SS 06.09.14 - Sibelius #7



## realdealblues

A continuation of the Saturday Symphonies Tradition:

Welcome to another weekend of symphonic listening!

For your listening pleasure this weekend:

*Jean Sibelius (1865 - 1957)*

Symphony No. 7 in C major, Op. 105

1. Adagio - Un pochettino meno adagio, etc.

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Post what recording you are going to listen to giving details of Orchestra / Conductor / Chorus / Soloists etc - Enjoy!


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## realdealblues

I usually go for Bernstein or Berglund when listening to Sibelius, but I just got Karajan's 1960's Box Set a couple weeks ago and haven't had a chance to listen to a lot of it yet so I'll give this one a listen over the weekend.

View attachment 50415


Herbert Von Karajan/Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra


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## Blancrocher

I'll be trying something new to me as well: the performance by Osmo Vanska and the Lahti SO included in "The Essential Sibelius," which I downloaded for peanuts from Amazon last year. I've enjoyed a couple other symphony performances from this set, so I'm looking forward to it.


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## ptr

I'll dig out two versions I haven't listened to for a while:










*Royal Philharmonic Orchestra u. Thomas Beecham* (HMV/EMI)










*Göteborgs Symfoniker u. Neeme Järvi* (Bis)

Järvi's Bis Cycle has for long been my favourite Sibelius Symphony Cycle! (Still is)

/ptr


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## senza sordino

I love the symphonies of Sibelius.
These are my two versions that I'll listen to this week-end.
View attachment 50423

View attachment 50425


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## Mahlerian

Berglund/Bournemouth


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## Marschallin Blair

senza sordino said:


> I love the symphonies of Sibelius.These are my two versions that I'll listen to this week-end.
> View attachment 50423
> 
> View attachment 50425


"Waiter, I'll have the Berglund Bournemouth; hold the Colin Davis BSO." _;D _


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## Vaneyes

*Sibelius*: Symphony 7, w. RPO/Beecham (rec.1955).


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## Marschallin Blair

For the entire reading, but most especially for how Segerstam does the last five minutes or so with the strings.









Also for the entire reading. A bit more muscular than the Ondine Sergerstam; and with that fantastic Ashkenazy build-up and climax midway through the score.


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## Cosmos

I don't own this one :/ any performance recommendations?


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## csacks

Nice and dark symphony. I will listen to Osmo Vansk ant the Lathi Symphony Orchestra.


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## GioCar

^^^ I'll also go for the Vanska/Lahti SO.


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## Skilmarilion

Mahlerian said:


> Berglund/Bournemouth


Ditto.


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## Marschallin Blair

Cosmos said:


> I don't own this one :/ any performance recommendations?


Yeah: The post above your post.


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## realdealblues

Cosmos said:


> I don't own this one :/ any performance recommendations?


Bernstein/NY
Segerstam/Helsinki
Maazel/Vienna
Davis/Boston
Vanska/Lahti
Ormandy/Philadelphia (2nd recording from late 70's)

I think there's really lots of good ones for this particular work.


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## Mika

Maazel & Vienna


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## Jeff W

Paavo Berglund with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra and Osmo Vanska with the Lahti Symphony Orchestra for me.


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## Haydn man

csacks said:


> Nice and dark symphony. I will listen to Osmo Vansk ant the Lathi Symphony Orchestra.
> View attachment 50434


This will be my choice also


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## Alypius

Berglund / Bournemouth:


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## Alypius

Cosmos said:


> I don't own this one :/ any performance recommendations?


Cosmos, All of the ones that people have been posting are excellent. BIS offers a great performance of all 7 symphonies + important tone poems by Osmo Vanska & the Lahti Symphony for a mere $8 download. I strongly recommend it.

http://www.amazon.com/Sibelius-Complete-Symphonies-Lemminkäinen-Concerto/dp/B004Z4ZN4A/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1409957370&sr=8-5&keywords=sibelius+vanska

If you want the CDs, the Paavo Berglund & the Bournemouth Orchestra has recently been reissued and remastered. The 4-CD set is a gem and a bargain. It's $19 on Amazon (with autorip -- which means you get the mp3s immediately) or around $13 via Amazon sellers:

http://www.amazon.com/Sibelius-Complete-Symphonies-Jean/dp/B0091JQH2Q/ref=sr_1_sc_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1409957688&sr=8-1-spell&keywords=sibelius+berglung


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## nightscape

All in on Vanska/Lahti


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## CyrilWashbrook

I love the seventh. There are a number of very good recordings of it. Vänskä/Lahti was the first version I heard and is my most frequent choice. However, I'll take a listen to one that I haven't encountered before, namely the Naxos recording by Petri Sakari and the Iceland Symphony Orchestra.


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## Richannes Wrahms

I'll go with Berglund too.

There are various performances on YouTube but all of them have something wrong (typical lack of enough rehearsal: horns and timpani too loud, bad handling of tempo changes, incompetent trombonist, poor woodwind articulation, etc...)

This is the best one:





This one is decent:


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## brotagonist

c'n://core/Sibelius/Symphony7/Karajan/BPO










As I have done somewhat regularly of late, I will likely also seek out another version or two on YT.


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## omega

Colin Davis' cycle with RCA label is certainly not his best (much better with LSO label); but it's the only one I have.


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## schuberkovich

How is this so far down the list!?


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## ptr

schuberkovich said:


> How is this so far down the list!?


It is a very random list, position of the works say very little about their music history importance, well at least for the first 1000 symphonies!

Better enjoy the possibility of chairing Your enjoyment then mulling over what order the symphonies come!

/ptr


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## hpowders

omega said:


> Colin Davis' cycle with RCA label is certainly not his best (much better with LSO label); but it's the only one I have.
> View attachment 50481


Sibelius is not my favorite composer but I like what Sir Colin Davis did with them in his Boston Symphony cycle of the symphonies which I possess.


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## Art Rock

Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra/N. Jarvi (BIS, 1985, 21 min)

His final published symphony (he destroyed the extensive sketches for the eighth) is a condensed one movement work, by far the shortest in his repertoire. In many ways it has the feeling of a symphonic poem, be it that one has to make up the story as the music plays along - and indeed, it turns out that Sibelius used fragments of an unpublished symphonic poem throughout this composition. For me, this is an elusive work, full of beautiful sounds whenever one pays full attention, but admittedly the mind (at least my mind) does tend to wander off occasionally. After a more concentrated listening session, I still rank it as important though - even though for me it is by a small margin the weakest of the seven symphonies.


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## MagneticGhost

I wasn't aware that today's SS was Sibelius 7. But as luck would have it, I've been listening to Sibelius all day.
Including the set above.


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## TurnaboutVox

I went with the version I own - _someone_ has to stand up for Simon Rattle around here.  
I might see if Berglund is on Spotify tomorrow.

* Jean Sibelius

Symphony No. 7 in C major, Op. 105*


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## AClockworkOrange

As it is a relatively short piece, I am going with two recordings:
- Sir Thomas Beecham & the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
- Sir John Barbirolli & the Hallé Orchestra


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## senza sordino

I listened to Davis and Berglund this morning. Both are pretty good as performances but the engineering was clearly superior on the Berglund. The Davis was split into five tracks and you can hear the edits, but the Berglund is one track of 25 minutes with no audible edits. It also sounded more present on the Berglund. 

Nevertheless, it's a terrific symphony. I like the tight sense of unity, it's one piece of music. It's full of melancholy but not sad in any way. I dreamed of the Finnish countryside, trees, mountains and glacially sculpted land.


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## Mahlerian

TurnaboutVox said:


> I went with the version I own - _someone_ has to stand up for Simon Rattle around here.


I am liking this for the fact that if you do, I don't have to!


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## PetrB

TurnaboutVox said:


> I went with the version I own - _someone_ has to stand up for Simon Rattle around here.
> I might see if Berglund is on Spotify tomorrow.


It's on Youtube now, live performance, BBC orchestra, 2002


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## PetrB

senza sordino said:


> I listened to Davis and Berglund this morning. Both are pretty good as performances but the engineering was clearly superior on the Berglund. The Davis was split into five tracks and you can hear the edits, but the Berglund is one track of 25 minutes with no audible edits. It also sounded more present on the Berglund.
> 
> Nevertheless, it's a terrific symphony. I like the tight sense of unity, it's one piece of music. It's full of melancholy but not sad in any way. I dreamed of the Finnish countryside, trees, mountains and glacially sculpted land.


I tried the Berglund, live, BBC orchestra from 2002. Unfamiliar with the work, it starts with an ascending scale then goes to something very Wagner / _Tristan und Isolde_-like, after which absolutely nothing further held my ear's or mind's attention in any way (I dropped out about half-way through the first movement). It seemed like a mere shell of Sibelian rhetoric, and all that was evoked was a sense that the poor man had already run out of anything to say, which I can say is absolutely not the case up through his symphony No. 6.


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## TurnaboutVox

OK, this is a really searching version, I really like this, it's the real deal.

Sibelius - Symphony No. 7 in C major, Op. 105
Bournemouth SO, Paavo Berglund [EMI, rec. 1973]


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## Rhythm

I too listened to Berglund's performance on YT.

*Symphony No.7 in C major*, op.105 completed 1924 by composer Jean Sibelius.


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## Richannes Wrahms

PetrB said:


> I tried the Berglund, live, BBC orchestra from 2002. Unfamiliar with the work, it starts with an ascending scale then goes to something very Wagner / Tristan und Isolde-like, after which absolutely nothing further held my ear's or mind's attention in any way (I dropped out about half-way through the first movement). It seemed like a mere shell of Sibelian rhetoric, and all that was evoked was a sense that the poor man had already run out of anything to say, which I can say is absolutely not the case up through his symphony No. 6.


The thing is more in the lines of Bruckner's 7th and Sibelius own 'The Oceanides' which shares a similar three-part structure. You are judging a works without listening to it completely, on those lines Mahler's 2nd is just better-orchestrated Bruckner pastiche. I recommend you (and everyone) to try the two surviving movements of the *original version of 'The Oceanides'* (the first movement is lost) which might be more of your liking. Sibelius later consistently watered down the work for easier performance (I really, really HATE him for that, IDIOT!!, those magnificent harmonies, it would have been your GREATEST SYMPHONY!!!). The (complete) 'Yale version' retains some of the original darkness but the damage had already been done.

Spotify link (labeled as 'Suite for Orchestra'): https://play.spotify.com/album/0eNzvULa7PhCxrwVYEjslK


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## Richannes Wrahms

^^ Perhaps not the greatest symphony but as good as Tapiola. That early version is still somewhat unfinished and I got a bit enthusiastic. Good moment for my computer not allowing me to save the edit.


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## D Smith

I took the opportunity to listen to this piece twice; first, the Colin Davis/LSO recording I already had, then with Vanska and the Lahti Symphony, which I had not heard before. It made Davis seem sleepy by comparison. Vanska’s performance was majestic, organic and not overly emotional. I appreciate this symphony more every time I listen to it, it is truly original.


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## Tero

Can't go wrong with Vänskä most of the time. The new set by Kamu and Lahti is a welcome addition to Finnish orchestras. Kamu never had a complete cycle before.


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## Brahmsian Colors

Cosmos said:


> I don't own this one :/ any performance recommendations?


Yes. Maazel with the Vienna Philharmonic


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## 89Koechel

Certainly agree, 'bout Maazel/VPO. Maybe Lorin M never performed ANYTHING better than his old cycles (Decca/London) of Sibelius & Tchaikovsky works! … Also, maybe one could mention Beecham (again), and Ehrling and/or Koussevitzky.


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## Heck148

Bernstein/NYPO- well-paced, most convincing, big sonorities, fine trombone solo work...

Rozhd'sky/USSR - unique!! recorded in '62, this one is worth it just for the trombone solo!! :lol::lol:

Typical Russian brass playing from that period - the guy is absolutely blowing his *ss off the whole time - edgy, crass, blatty, loud as h*ll, _*molto*_ vibrato, really strident!! It does have an effectiveness, tho....
The performance overall is quite good....as I said, it's ....unique....


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## techniquest

I'm really pleased that this symphony is getting a bit of 'round 2' treatment just now.
Despite hearing it a couple of times, it's not a symphony with which I'm familiar so it's time for another shot - this time to listen rather than just hear. I have the Berglund, Berstein and Storgards cycles to choose from.


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## flamencosketches

I'm listening now to the Berglund/Bournemouth recording. I've heard this maybe 5 or 6 times but it always kind of goes over my head; I can't say I really understand this music, but I keep trying. Maybe I need to hear a different recording. 

@techniquest, what Mahler cycle is that in your avatar pic?


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## starthrower

The Bournemouth set sounds wonderful to my ears. Warm analog sound with no harshness. That's what I'm always looking for. EMI, and DG can be hit and miss with sound quality but this set sounds great to my ears. A friend of mine is listening to the Leaper recordings on Naxos and he digs it.


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## mbhaub

Great symphony - will spin Blomstedt, Maazel (Pittsburgh) and maybe old Koussevitsky.


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## Becca

About 4 months ago I did a blind comparison of the Sibelius 7th. As usual I included some live concert performances. Here are the ones that I chose...

A - Simon Rattle / Royal Danish Orchestra - live from a Danish Radio broadcast available on YouTube
B - Alan Gilbert / New York Philharmonic - live from a commercially available CD
C - Evgeny Mravinsky / Leningrad Philharmonic - live/Tokyo
D - Thomas Beecham / Royal Philharmonic - studio
E - Alexander Gibson / Scottish National Orch. - studio

And here is a link to the thread to see the comments.


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## techniquest

flamencosketches said:


> I'm listening now to the Berglund/Bournemouth recording. I've heard this maybe 5 or 6 times but it always kind of goes over my head; I can't say I really understand this music, but I keep trying. Maybe I need to hear a different recording.
> 
> @techniquest, what Mahler cycle is that in your avatar pic?


I listened to the Bernstein recording and really enjoyed it - definitely a symphony I need to get to know (along with the 6th).
By the way, my avatar pic is a cheap box of Slovenian recordings conducted by Anton Nanut, Milan Horvath, Hartmut Haenchen and Josip Daniel. A lot of it is pretty dreadful, but it's a curio and I like it


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## flamencosketches

techniquest said:


> I listened to the Bernstein recording and really enjoyed it - definitely a symphony I need to get to know (along with the 6th).
> By the way, my avatar pic is a cheap box of Slovenian recordings conducted by Anton Nanut, Milan Horvath, Hartmut Haenchen and Josip Daniel. A lot of it is pretty dreadful, but it's a curio and I like it


Interesting. Can't say I've heard of any of those conductors. :lol:

For some reason the 7th has never quite clicked with me. I love the 6th though. Listened to it last night.


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