# Sibelius recordings



## jamzky

Hi again, 

I have been searching online on various places for recommendations and I am going to get Sibelius recordings individually. I am not made of money so muct cut some corners.
I realise everyone's taste is different so I am very curious to see what you think. 

Here are the planned and already made purchases: 

Davis complete symphonies with LSO 

Lemminkainen and karelia on Naxos ( recommended by BBC, that's Iceland Phil)

Piano music (very inexpensive naxos recordings) I am not too pushed about his piano music to get the best recording

Tapiola etc - Jarvi

The Tempest - Vanska

7th sym beecham
6th sym jarvi
1st sym vanska
4th sym karajan 

now could someone help with the violin concerto - I can't get Lin recording on itunes. I could get Mullova, Chung, Bell... 

Also who do you recommend for symphonies 2, 3, 5 ? oh oh what about kullervo?? 

Thanks a lot

J


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## Kuhlau

My recommendations for the Second and Third Symphonies are those conducted by Vanska on BIS. As for the Violin Concerto, do you want a deeply personal reading, or something less idiosyncratic? If the former, go for Ida Haendel with Paavo Berglund on EMI Red Line - an incredibly moving listening experience; if the latter, the recent (Grammy award-winning) DG release from Hilary Hahn won't disappoint.

FK


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## Tapkaara

You've got some great recommendations there, and I can endorse at least most of them.

Davis's LSO cycle is stunning and one of the best available. 9Just watch out for the very audible hummming Davis is doing in the recording of the 5th!)

Naxos has some great Sibelius, and the Sakari/Iceland Lemminkainen is part of that. Havard Gimse's recordings of the piano music is second to none. And since you are looking for the violin concerto, may I also suggest the recording on Naxos with Henning Kraggurud as the soloist.

Yup, Beecham's 7th is great, as is Karajan's 4th. Maazel'4th is also a winner.


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## jamzky

Thanks for the speedy replies. 

Kuhlau, I have the Hahn recording, I think, she only did one recording of the concerto? It is on a CD with Schoenberg, Salonen conducting right? I will check out Haendel, sounds interesting. 

Tapkaara, that's good to hear about the naxos recordings. I wouldn't waste money on something not worth saving money on, if you know what I mean. As for Davis, I had a great La Mer recording once with serious humming so that's ok  
I don't know how much piano music there is by Sibelius but I saw volumes one and two for wallet-friendly price on itunes that I will snap up now. 

cheers

J.


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## JTech82

jamzky said:


> Thanks for the speedy replies.
> 
> Kuhlau, I have the Hahn recording, I think, she only did one recording of the concerto? It is on a CD with Schoenberg, Salonen conducting right? I will check out Haendel, sounds interesting.
> 
> Tapkaara, that's good to hear about the naxos recordings. I wouldn't waste money on something not worth saving money on, if you know what I mean. As for Davis, I had a great La Mer recording once with serious humming so that's ok
> I don't know how much piano music there is by Sibelius but I saw volumes one and two for wallet-friendly price on itunes that I will snap up now.
> 
> cheers
> 
> J.


Sir Colin Davis' older symphonic cycle on Philips with the BSO is the one you want. I do not recommend his other cycles. I think they lack the passion of his Philips cycle.

Neeme Jarvi's Sibelius cycle is also one of the best I've heard on the DG label. Be sure to get the 7 disc box that includes almost all of his tone poems or other orchestral pieces.

Sir John Barbirolli also did a notable symphony cycle on EMI that is worth owning. You really can't go wrong with any of these conductors.


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## Tapkaara

Sibelius turn out a fair amount of piano music. Truly, there's a lot of great stuff he wrote for keyboard, but unfortunately, so many are so quick to dismiss his music of this instrument as second rate. OK, some of it may be nothing more than home salon fare, but there is quite a bit of very characteristic, well-crafted stuff too.

Gimse recorded the "complete" piano music on Naxos in 5 volumes. I have each, any they are masterful recordings, easily worth twice what you will pay with Naxos. If you like volumes one and two, pick up the remaining 3 volumes...you will not be dissapointed.

Sakari's Sibelius on Naxos is hit and miss. His recordings of the symphonies are rather ho-hum in my very humble opinion, except for his 6th and 7th symphonies...very well done. As already mentioned, Lemminkainen is also a winner, though the sound is just a touch fuzzy.

Jtech mentioned Davis' BSO cycle; I will have to kindly agree to disagree with him on its superiority to his LSO cycle. I honestly think Davis get better as he aged (like a fine wine, I suppose) and his LSO cycle reveals a more forecful confidence in Sibelius. His BSO cycle is just too genteel, I think.

Naxos has already produced two Sibelius disc with a Pietari INkinen conducting the New Zealand Symph. The first disc in question contains the Scenes historiques 1 and 2 and the music from King Christian II. The second one was released recently and has a potpourri including Night Ride and Sunrise and music from Belshazzar's Feast. Both Naxos discs go to the top of the list, if you ask me, in terms of sound and interpretive quality. These are caviar discs at a Big Mac price.


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## World Violist

About the violin concerto, I vastly prefer Leonidas Kavakos' recording with Vanska/Lahti. Ginette Neveu also does a great job, and you can't really beat Heifetz/Beecham either.

Colin Davis on LSO Live is a great Sibelius cycle (not to be confused with his quite infamous RCA/LSO cycle). Here are my favorites of the symphonies and some tone poems:

1: Segerstam/Helsinki Philharmonic
2: don't have one; I have never really liked this symphony
3: Vanska/Lahti or Davis/LSO Live
4: Karajan (any but the EMI recording) or Davis/BSO
5: Segerstam/Helsinki
6: Vanska/Lahti or Sakari/Iceland
7: haven't got a favorite, but unlike 2 I'm endlessly hunting for a favorite; currently it's Davis/LSO Live

Pohjola's Daughter: Vanska/Lahti or Bernstein/NYPO for a great introduction to the piece
Tapiola: Vanska/Lahti

Vanska does such a great job with the tone poems... I have the Tone Poems box from BIS's Sibelius Edition, and it's just great.

As for Kullervo, I only have two recordings: Berglund/Bournemouth and Davis/LSO Live. I vastly prefer Berglund, really, but I could live with either. I know Tapkaara would recommend Paavo Jarvi's recording of Kullervo--along with my two, incidentally enough... 

Happy listening!

WV


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## Kuhlau

Tapkaara said:


> Sakari's Sibelius on Naxos is hit and miss. His recordings of the symphonies are rather ho-hum in my very humble opinion, except for his 6th and 7th symphonies...very well done.


I agree about Sakari's readings of the Sixth and Seventh Symphonies, and would add that his account of the Third is among the most charming of the six or seven versions I own.

FK


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## Tapkaara

Yeah, his 3rd actually works well, too. Seems like Sakari has a better grasp on the "lesser known" symphonies. Anyway, I was pretty impressed with the 6th and 7th.

On that same disc, by the way, is perhaps my favorite recording of Suite no. 2 from The Tempest. From top to bottom, that CD is a treasure.


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## World Violist

Tapkaara said:


> Yeah, his 3rd actually works well, too. Seems like Sakari has a better grasp on the "lesser known" symphonies. Anyway, I was pretty impressed with the 6th and 7th.
> 
> On that same disc, by the way, is perhaps my favorite recording of Suite no. 2 from The Tempest. From top to bottom, that CD is a treasure.


Absolutely agreed. This is possibly one of the most solid Sibelius discs I own.


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## Tapkaara

I did not realize you owned this disc as well, Violist. Well, that makes three of us in this thread that agree on this disc's high quality. Sounds like a good endorsement to me!


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## World Violist

Tapkaara said:


> I did not realize you owned this disc as well, Violist. Well, that makes three of us in this thread that agree on this disc's high quality. Sounds like a good endorsement to me!


Haha yes, I bought it quite some time ago. It is still enlightening and refreshing after all these months to hear Sibelius' 7th taken so simply and purely. I'm still not so familiar with the Tempest suite on this disc; must listen to it someday.


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## jamzky

Ok so I got another "must have" at a reasonable price. Much obliged. 

J


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## Moscow-Mahler

> 1: Segerstam/Helsinki Philharmonic


I bought Segestram - Helsinki Philharmonic by 18 euro *(!!!!) * in Germany. It's a very good box-set. For the Violin concerto I also prefer Kavakos.

BTW, BIS released the Tempest with Okko Kamu and Lahti, have anyone heard it?


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## Llyranor

Kuhlau said:


> As for the Violin Concerto, do you want a deeply personal reading, or something less idiosyncratic? If the former, go for Ida Haendel with Paavo Berglund on EMI Red Line - an incredibly moving listening experience


YES!

Sibelius' Violin Concerto is one of my favorite compositions (either that or Bach's 2nd Violin Partita would take take the top spot - I can never decide), and Haendel is definitely my favorite interpretation (which the composer himself praised!).

I have 3 versions by Haendel (one conducted by Paavo Berglund - my top recommendation; one with Karl Ancerl; and another with Simon Rattle). I also have versions with Oistrakh, Szeryng, Accardo, and Pekka Kuusisto; and I've listened to various other samplings on youtube by most of the more well-known violinists. The one with which I have the best personal connection is Haendel/Berglund. I'd call it the best, but these things are supposed to be subjective or something.


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