# Where to start with Sibelius Symphonies?



## KevinW (Nov 21, 2021)

Hello People,

My third thread today--where to start with Sibelius Symphonies? My friend Beethoven123 is recommending me to listen to Sibelius because it seems that Sibelius is his second favorite composer other than LVB. Plus, as some of you might know, my avatar is the album photo of Sir Colin Davis' Sibelius Symphonies, so it would be such a pity for me if I don't try Sibelius out. So, which Sibelius Symphony do you think is accessible enough that I should start with? What are some recordings that you like? Please give me suggestions.

KevinW


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

Most accessible: 1, 2 and 5.
You should hear them all though - listening in chronological order would also make sense. And after that the symphonic poem Tapiola is a must as well.
I don't have particularly favourite recordings.


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## david johnson (Jun 25, 2007)

1 & 2 are fine starting places


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## John Zito (Sep 11, 2021)

I'm only familiar with the violin concerto and a few of the tone poems, but this past year I became obsessed with the slow movement of the fourth symphony:






So for better or worse that's where my own Sibelius symphony journey happens to be starting.


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## Waehnen (Oct 31, 2021)

The first symphonies I understood and had me some kicks over were the C Major Symphonies: 3rd and 7th.

But there is no one right path. You cannot go wrong with any of them. They are all so good.


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## BachIsBest (Feb 17, 2018)

I think the 5th is probably the best place to start. A good mix of mature Sibelius quality, and reasonable accessibility.


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## MatthewWeflen (Jan 24, 2019)

Just go in order. 1-3 are quite accessible, none of them are very long, and all 7 in order display an artistic progression that is worth experiencing.

Oddly enough, Sibelius is my #2 after Beethoven as well.

The Davis set in your avatar is quite good. If I had to recommend one complete cycle, though, I would choose Paavo Berglund/Helsinki on Warner Classics. It has great sound and brisk interpretations. I am also partial to Karajan/BPO, but they never did all 7.


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## SONNET CLV (May 31, 2014)

I came to Sibelius first by way of the Second Symphony and, shortly after, the Violin Concerto. (I may have been familiar with _Finlandia_ prior to those listening experiences.) The Second Symphony and the Concerto struck me immediately with a compelling hold that only a handful of works ever had, all of them masterpieces.

I probably wore out my first Sibelius Second Symphony record before I turned to the other symphonies. They are all sublime in their own ways, though the First is most like the Second in "Romantic" flair, though I rank it as a less compelling symphony, overall. Symphonies 3 to 7 are each unique and can certainly become favorites depending upon one's musical preferences. But the point of this post is to experience them all, and the Violin Concerto, and then the "other" music by Sibelius. This Finnish composer remains one of the greats in symphonic music, regardless of era. I wish he had written more symphonies and concertos, especially.

You won't be disappointed exploring the works of this master. You will be surprised at times, but always in a good way.


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## ORigel (May 7, 2020)

You can start with any of them, _except_ perhaps the Fourth, because that is less immediately accessible than the others (it


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## christomacin (Oct 21, 2017)

The order I first heard them in (as best as I can recall) was 

2 (on the radio, and later a Eugene Ormand cassette)

5 & 7 (Colin Davis, Boston SO cassette)

1, 3, 4, 6 (not sure about these... I think I checked out an LP of the complete symphonies by Lorin Maazel)

The 7th and 4th might be a bit tricky for neophytes to grasp at first blush. I would recommend holding those off until last, and start with either the 2nd or 1st. The 3rd and 6th are fairly bright and sunny works, and they will probably be enjoyable upon first listen than some of the others.


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## Forster (Apr 22, 2021)

John Zito said:


> this past year I became obsessed with the slow movement of the fourth symphony:


Not surprising, as it is a superb movement. It took me a while for the rest of that symphony to fall into place: the final movement somehow sounded trivial with the "glock".

I knew Finlandia and Karelia long before I listened to any symphonies - when I was about 12 or 13, I think. They're very accessible. I then came across the 5th on TV only a few years ago and then made my own way around the rest. I don't think it really matters - well, it didn't matter to me anyway. The first 5th I bought was the NZ Symphony/Inkinen, paired with the 4th. I then bought the complete - Berglund and the Bournemouth SO. The 6th and 7th are my favourites. I am less keen on the 1st and 2nd whose climax reminds me, inappropriately, of a fleet of ships steaming out of port.

I now have several versions of the symphonies, including the complete HPO/Segerstam and the complete Davis/LSO.


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## KevinW (Nov 21, 2021)

I just listened to Sibelius No.7 by Sir John Barbirolli. Gladly, I think I have no problem understanding it!


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## Waehnen (Oct 31, 2021)

KevinW said:


> I just listened to Sibelius No.7 by Sir John Barbirolli. Gladly, I think I have no problem understanding it!


Excellent choice!


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## janxharris (May 24, 2010)

KevinW said:


> I just listened to Sibelius No.7 by Sir John Barbirolli. Gladly, I think I have no problem understanding it!


Nice pacing - but really not sure about the sound quality...extremely tinny surely?

I always recommend Lief Segerstam and the DNSO for the 7th. Great sound quality imo:


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## HenryPenfold (Apr 29, 2018)

KevinW said:


> where to start with Sibelius Symphonies?
> 
> KevinW


Kevin, this is really quite straight forward because there's actually legislation in place requiring people to start with either symphonies 1 or 2. It's unlawful to start with any of the others.

It does seem excessive for the state to involve itself in such matters, but starting from there and working through the rest at one's leisure, does work out rather well in the end.


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## RobertJTh (Sep 19, 2021)

KevinW said:


> I just listened to Sibelius No.7 by Sir John Barbirolli. Gladly, I think I have no problem understanding it!


Barbirolli's 5 and 7 on vinyl was what introduced me to (and imprinted me on) Sibelius as a kid. Found the record at the local library, borowed it a couple of times and to my delight, I could buy it for 50 cents or so when it was written off.

I still love Barbirolli's Hallé cycle, the spirit is there, but sometimes the orchestral playing isn't up to modern standards. As for a really good introduction to Sibelius, I'd chose this one. Excellent performance, considered better than his remake with Hallé. One of the greatest Sibelius 2nds.









P.S. Avoid Bernstein's Vienna Sibelius 2 like the plague, it's a train wreck. Worst cd I ever bought.


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## Bruce Morrison (Mar 8, 2010)

Many years ago, back in the 1960's, I was just getting into classical music in my late teens and I happened to see a TV presentation of Leonard Bernstein conducting the Sibelius 5th with the London SO. It made an immediate impression on me, especially the last movement. In those days, I was fortunate to live near one of only a few libraries in the UK where you could actually borrow classical LPs, so I quickly got to know the 2nd Symphony as well. I think these two are the best starting points for Sibelius. It took me longer to get to grips with the 4th and 6th symphonies.

My favourite recording of the 5th remains Karajan's 1965 recording on DG. I think it's probably still available on a 2-CD set of Symphonies 4 - 7, which also includes Tapiola. The Karajan 4th Symphony is also one of my favourite recordings of that work.

The 2nd Symphony has been well served on recordings, but one of my favourites is a Barbirolli recording with the Royal PO, which is now available on a Testament CD, incidentally coupled with a Sibelius 5th performance with the Halle.

Edit: I've just seen that the same Barbirolli performance of the 2nd has also been recommended four minutes earlier by another contributor! Well, that should convince you it's worth chasing down. The Testament CD is on SBT 1418.


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## Barbebleu (May 17, 2015)

HenryPenfold said:


> Kevin, this is really quite straight forward because there's actually legislation in place requiring people to start with either symphonies 1 or 2. It's unlawful to start with any of the other symphonies.


If it isn't the law it should be!:lol:


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## Brahmsian Colors (Sep 16, 2016)

You've heard the Seventh so far. I would now recommend the Fifth, then the First, Second, Sixth, Third, and finally the Fourth.


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## Heck148 (Oct 27, 2016)

I started with #1 loved it, then #2....


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## vtpoet (Jan 17, 2019)

Worth mentioning is that Sibelius actually wrote 9 _surviving_ symphonies. Hurwitz makes this same argument here:






And here:






And I agree with him. According to Hurwitz, Sibelius himself stated that he had written (I think) "10" Symphonies.


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## Pat Fairlea (Dec 9, 2015)

I started in my teens with 6 and 7, then gradually worked back. I have only really come to appreciate #1 in recent years. 
However, for someone new to Sibelius' symphonies, I would advise starting with 2 and 5 to get the Late Romanticism and its later development, then 3 and 6, to get the rather 'quiet' ones, then 7 then 4. And persist with 4: it takes a while.


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## SanAntone (May 10, 2020)

For first exposure, I go through the symphonic repertory by a specific composer in chronological order. This allows me to get a sense of the growth in command of the form as well as an evolution of style. It can also help to read some contextual history for each work. 

Sibelius would seem to be a good candidate for this kind of program.


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## christomacin (Oct 21, 2017)

vtpoet said:


> Worth mentioning is that Sibelius actually wrote 9 _surviving_ symphonies. Hurwitz makes this same argument. And I agree with him. According to Hurwitz, Sibelius himself stated that he had written (I think) "10" Symphonies.


What was the 10th, Tapiola? That's the only one that could remotely qualify. I wish that Sibelius had orchestrated his four string quartets and piano sonata as "Sinfoniettas" for strings rather than doing absolutely nothing for 30 years. Oh well.


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## vtpoet (Jan 17, 2019)

christomacin said:


> What was the 10th, Tapiola? That's the only one that could remotely qualify. I wish that Sibelius had orchestrated his four string quartets and piano sonata as "Sinfoniettas" for strings rather than doing absolutely nothing for 30 years. Oh well.


I don't know. It's possible he was referring to his "8th" Symphony-which he reputedly destroyed.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symphony_No._8_(Sibelius)


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## hammeredklavier (Feb 18, 2018)

Barbebleu said:


> If it isn't the law it should be!:lol:


Right. There should be a law to force anyone new to Mahler to start with his 8th.


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## GraemeG (Jun 30, 2009)

In order is fine. But if you grind to a halt on the 4th, just carry on and come back later.


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## Gothos (Jan 11, 2018)

My post was totally irrelevant.


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## HenryPenfold (Apr 29, 2018)

Bruce Morrison said:


> Many years ago, back in the 1960's, I was just getting into classical music in my late teens and I happened to see a TV presentation of Leonard Bernstein conducting the Sibelius 5th with the London SO. It made an immediate impression on me, especially the last movement. In those days, I was fortunate to live near one of only a few libraries in the UK where you could actually borrow classical LPs, so I quickly got to know the 2nd Symphony as well. I think these two are the best starting points for Sibelius. It took me longer to get to grips with the 4th and 6th symphonies.
> 
> My favourite recording of the 5th remains Karajan's 1965 recording on DG. I think it's probably still available on a 2-CD set of Symphonies 4 - 7, which also includes Tapiola. The Karajan 4th Symphony is also one of my favourite recordings of that work.
> 
> ...


I agree about those Karajan recordings, they are top-notch. don't forget the EMI recordings, they are excellent too.

The fifth, along with 1 & 2 is a good place to start.

Regarding Barbirolli's 1962 Symphony No.2 studio recording, I think it's the best performance of all, marginally better than Karajan's March 1960 EMI recording.

I have the Testament release of the Barbirolli .............


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