# SS 08.02.14 - Sibelius #2



## realdealblues

A continuation of the Saturday Symphonies Tradition:

For your listening pleasure this weekend:

*Jean Sibelius (1865 - 1957)*

Symphony #2 in D Major, Op. 43

1. Allegretto - Poco allegro
2. Tempo andante, ma rubato - Poco allegro
3. Vivacissimo - Lento e soave
4. Finale: Allegro moderato - Moderato assai

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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

This weekend I'm going to listen to:

View attachment 34485


Leonard Bernstein & The New York Philharmonic


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## Berlioznestpasmort

A new 'tradition' for me; I think a good one. In honor of which, I will resurrect the first recording I ever heard of this symphony, I don't recollect ever seeing it mentioned. Colin Davis will be tough to beat, but at the very least will enjoy this walk down memory lane.


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## joen_cph

Returning from a trip, I just got the Vänskä/Lahti SO, as a part of "The Essential Sibelius" box, so I´ll give that one a listen.

What I´ve heard from them in Sibelius so far wasn´t really that much to my taste, however, but this perception might change.

My favourites are probably Dorati/Stockholm PO and Bernstein/NYPO, out of 9, among which a possible dark horse is Paray/Detroit.


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## GioCar

I will listen to:

Osmo Vanska & Lahti SO

EDIT: joen_cph, let us synchronize and start together: tomorrow at 3pm? So we'll play it in stereo sound across Europe...


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## maestro267

Philharmonia/Ashkenazy


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## senza sordino

I own two different recordings, I'll listen to both. 

Colin Davis conducts Boston Symphony
Paavo Berglund conducts Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra


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## Mahlerian

I'm going to listen to Berglund/Bournemouth as well.


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## Marschallin Blair

maestro267 said:


> Philharmonia/Ashkenazy


. . . especially the Ashkenazy/Philharmonia Sibelius Five; great climax in the first movement; the brass just fills up your room.


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## Jeff W

I'm finding my collection a bit lacking in the Sibelius section 









Arturo Toscanini will be leading the NBC Symphony Orchestra.


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## Itullian

This one for me. My favorite 2. What a last movement!!!


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## Marschallin Blair

Itullian said:


> This one for me. My favorite 2. What a last movement!!!


I love the last movement in terms of perfect blending and balancing of sound-- but it's too _slow_. Ha. Ha. Ha.


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## Itullian

Marschallin Blair said:


> I love the last movement in terms of perfect blending and balancing of sound-- but it's too _slow_. Ha. Ha. Ha.


Nooooooo way Jose 
Revel in the Karajan waves


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## Marschallin Blair

Itullian said:


> Nooooooo way Jose
> Revel in the Karajan waves


Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha. . . better too slow than too fast, I suppose. Too many conductors conduct the last movement like it's Tchaikovsky.


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## Itullian

Marschallin Blair said:


> Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha. . . better too slow than too fast, I suppose. Too many conductors conduct the last movement like it's Tchaikovsky.


True, I always wished for it slower.
Well, I got it!!!!!


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## Marschallin Blair

Itullian said:


> True, I always wished for it slower.
> Well, I got it!!!!!


Don't get me wrong, I still love to luxuriate in it; just on rarefied occasions.


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## techniquest

As no one's mentioned it yet, I'll listen to the Berlin Symphony Orchestra / Kurt Sanderling 1970 recording from the Brilliant Classics box set. By the way, 3pm is good for me


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## CyrilWashbrook

I usually listen to the excellent recording by the Royal Philharmonic with John Barbirolli, but just for a change, I'll have a listen later to the Karajan recording with the Philharmonia Orchestra.


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## DavidA

Itullian said:


> This one for me. My favorite 2. What a last movement!!!


Yes, it is slow. But what sound! Interesting that Sibelius admired Karajan's conducting of his works.
"I have always been a great admirer of Mr v Karajan and his magnificent recordings of my work gives me the greatest satisfaction." (1944)


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## Mika

Maazel & Wiener Philharmoniker


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## DrKilroy

Now it is my least favourite Sibelius symphony, but I haven't listened to it for some time, so why not?  My version is also Maazel/VPO.

Best regards, Dr


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## techniquest

Okay, I listened to the symphony (a little earlier than planned), and I am quite happy with the Sanderling recording. It has a great dynamic range and spacious stereo. Unfortunately the orchestra suffers a bit from RTS (Russian Trumpet Syndrome); you know - too far forward and with too much vibrato; the kind of trumpet that makes the Svetlanov Mahler recordings unlistenable! Luckily it's not _too_ bad in this Sibelius 2. Otherwise the brass are tremendous, especially the horns, though I couldn't find them muted in the 2nd movement where I would have expected. I was also pleased that the timpani are not too harsh as they can tend to be recorded in Sibelius.
There are some tempo extremes in the last movement with the big tune played too fast while the ostinato build up bit is very, very slow (it also doesn't get quiet enough when it should, but I think that's down to close mics and production rather than performance).
As a bonus, I listened to the Sibelius 3 that's coupled on this disc and enjoyed that too - the horns were even more tremendous in this!


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## Marschallin Blair

*Sibelius 2*









The 1960 Karajan/Philharmonia-- the poise, the refinement, the grandest of landscapes come to life.


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## Marschallin Blair

techniquest said:


> As no one's mentioned it yet, I'll listen to the Berlin Symphony Orchestra / Kurt Sanderling 1970 recording from the Brilliant Classics box set. By the way, 3pm is good for me
> 
> View attachment 34547


. . . and with such a suitably great cover!!


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## Cheyenne

Szell with the RCO. One can hardly go wrong with Szell. I also have a Karajan/BPO and a Kamu/BPO performance.


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## Guest

I'm gonna get back on the horse and participate this week 

Looks like my Sibelius symphonies are all Karajans.

Edit: The same one as Marschallin Blair


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## brotagonist

c'n://onsite=void

No matter, I will listen to this one (2 movements in each file, Bernstein conducting):


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## DaDirkNL

Karajan pour moi.


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## Vaneyes

*Sibelius*: Symphony 2, w. Philharmonia O./HvK (rec.1960).

View attachment 34581


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## maestro267

Just listened to it. Magnificent work, which is still unravelling its secrets to me. (No French-composer-related pun intended.)

The transition between the 3rd movt. and the finale is as exciting as that in Beethoven's 5th, and then the main theme of that finale is so soaring and euphoric!


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## CyrilWashbrook

Hmm, this thread seemed to disappear yesterday, at least for a few hours. Anyway, listened to and enjoyed the Karajan/Philharmonia recording (which seems to have been a popular choice in this thread). I'm not always enthusiastic about Karajan's style, but he hit the mark with this.


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## Chi_townPhilly

Even though Ashkenazy/Philharmonia is available to me, my "go-to" version of this work is one that's uncommon enough as to be possibly unique, at least in the context of this thread's participants:

Leopold Stokowski/Philadelphia Orchestra- recorded for broadcast December 18, 1964.

I Allegretto 9:57
II Tempo Andante, ma rubato 12:24
III Vivacissimo― 5:37
IV Finale: Allegro moderato 13:04 
[From: The Philadelphia Orchestra- The Centennial Collection]

Stokowski and the Philadelphians gave the American premieres of the 5th, 6th, & 7th symphonies of Sibelius. Stokowski became Music Director in Philadelphia in 1912, at which time he was age 29-30, and the 2nd symphony had been completed little more than a decade prior. Still, Stokowski conducted that work as part of his first full season with the Philadelphia Orchestra. Who could have guessed then that he would return over 50 years later, to lead a legendary performance of that same masterwork?


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## realdealblues

Wow, we had a really big turn out this week! Might have been our biggest yet! Thanks again to everyone for participating and spending some time on your weekend to listen to these great works. Whether it's exploring a new recording or listening to an old favorite or hearing a work for your first time, I'm really happy that so many have participated in paying tribute to these composers and taking time to really focus on a specific work each week.


As for this week, I listen to Sibelius fairly frequently but it had actually been a little while since I had listened to Symphony 2. I enjoy this Symphony a lot and it's definitely something special. I love Bernstein's way with it. I also listened to Paavo Berglund with Helsinki on Sunday who is my usual top pick for Sibelius. I like both for different reasons, although I think this week Lenny really did it for me. His style and even the tone of the New York Philharmonic really did it for me this week and I can't recommend both of these recordings highly enough.


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## nightscape

Vänskä/Lahti for me.


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