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Author Topic: Sibelius's 'Tapiola' favourite recording.  (Read 20920 times)

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Offline vandermolen

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Sibelius's 'Tapiola' favourite recording.
« on: January 23, 2009, 03:19:09 AM »
Mine is Maazel on Decca (VPO) - storm section taken slowly - a classic interpretation.

« Last Edit: January 23, 2009, 03:21:40 AM by vandermolen »
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Offline MDL

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Re: Sibelius's 'Tapiola' favourite recording.
« Reply #1 on: January 23, 2009, 03:28:10 AM »
Ashkenazy/Philharmonia on Decca. This was my first recording of the work, so of course I'm biased, and I'm open to suggestions.
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Offline val

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Re: Sibelius's 'Tapiola' favourite recording.
« Reply #2 on: January 23, 2009, 05:24:26 AM »
Mine is Karajan with the BPO, powerful and mysterious.

Beecham with the RPO is more dramatic, with very impressive crescendos, but doesn't give the same feeling of threatening mystery of Karajan.

Berglund, with the Bournemouth Orchestra would be my third choice.
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Offline MDL

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Re: Sibelius's 'Tapiola' favourite recording.
« Reply #3 on: January 23, 2009, 06:56:23 AM »
Quote from: val on January 23, 2009, 05:24:26 AM
Mine is Karajan with the BPO, powerful and mysterious.

Beecham with the RPO is more dramatic, with very impressive crescendos, but doesn't give the same feeling of threatening mystery of Karajan.

Berglund, with the Bournemouth Orchestra would be my third choice.

I've got Karajan's digital recording, which I really like, coupled with Nielsen's 4th Symphony? Is that the one you mean? Actually, how many times did he record it?
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Offline Brewski

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Re: Sibelius's 'Tapiola' favourite recording.
« Reply #4 on: January 23, 2009, 07:20:07 AM »
Quote from: MDL on January 23, 2009, 03:28:10 AM
Ashkenazy/Philharmonia on Decca. This was my first recording of the work, so of course I'm biased, and I'm open to suggestions.

I think the Ashkenazy is the only one I have, and it's excellent, but like MDL, I would welcome other versions.

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Renfield

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Re: Sibelius's 'Tapiola' favourite recording.
« Reply #5 on: January 23, 2009, 08:09:34 AM »
I remember being impressed by Vänskä (Lahti Symphony Orchestra, BIS); but it was a while ago, and my knowledge of Tapiola is, in any affair, far from sovereign. Perhaps I'll revisit that, one of Karajan's and the Beecham, and then offer a view. :)

(I do have the Ashkenazy too, and a few others, by virtue of the various Sibelius cycles in my collection.)
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Offline Dundonnell

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Re: Sibelius's 'Tapiola' favourite recording.
« Reply #6 on: January 23, 2009, 03:19:53 PM »
Six versions in my collection:

Eduard van Beinum/Concergebouw Orchestra
Herbert von Karajan/Berlin PO
Paavo Berglund/Finnish Radio SO
Alexander Gibson/Scottish National Orchestra
Vladimir Ashkenazy/Philharmonia Orchestra
Osmo Vanska/Lahti SO

The Karajan and Ashkenazy are superb with Vanska not far behind :)
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Offline val

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Re: Sibelius's 'Tapiola' favourite recording.
« Reply #7 on: January 24, 2009, 02:20:08 AM »
Quote
MDL
I've got Karajan's digital recording, which I really like, coupled with Nielsen's 4th Symphony? Is that the one you mean? Actually, how many times did he record it?


I meant the version recorded in 1965. The CD includes Finlandia and a very poetic version of the Violin Concerto with Christian Ferras.
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Offline Dax

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Re: Sibelius's 'Tapiola' favourite recording.
« Reply #8 on: January 25, 2009, 04:56:27 AM »
I only have the Gibson which I thought was pretty good. But it's the only version I know. Does it really pale in comparison with Ashkenazy + Karajan?
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Drasko

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Re: Sibelius's 'Tapiola' favourite recording.
« Reply #9 on: January 25, 2009, 05:29:32 AM »
Quote from: MDL on January 23, 2009, 06:56:23 AM
I've got Karajan's digital recording, which I really like, coupled with Nielsen's 4th Symphony? Is that the one you mean? Actually, how many times did he record it?

At least three. Twice for DG and at least once for EMI.
Karajan's digital and Vanska would be my favorites, haven't heard Maazel.
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Offline Sergeant Rock

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Re: Sibelius's 'Tapiola' favourite recording.
« Reply #10 on: January 25, 2009, 05:52:37 AM »
I own these:

Karajan (DG 1984)
Karajan (EMI)
Maazel/Vienna
Vänskä/Lahti
Ashkenazy/Phlharmonia
Davis/Boston

Maazel has been my favorite since the LP days with Karajan's digital remake a close second. My problem with Ashkenazy is the relatively swift pace of the storm section. I prefer it slower.

Sarge
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Offline vandermolen

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Re: Sibelius's 'Tapiola' favourite recording.
« Reply #11 on: January 25, 2009, 03:24:01 PM »
Quote from: Sergeant Rock on January 25, 2009, 05:52:37 AM
I own these:

Karajan (DG 1984)
Karajan (EMI)
Maazel/Vienna
Vänskä/Lahti
Ashkenazy/Phlharmonia
Davis/Boston

Maazel has been my favorite since the LP days with Karajan's digital remake a close second. My problem with Ashkenazy is the relatively swift pace of the storm section. I prefer it slower.

Sarge

Yes, I agree about the storm section. Another very fine version is with Hans Rosbaud and the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra on DGG Originals (Mono 1958). A very powerful performance on a great CD of Sibelius tone poems etc.
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Offline Dancing Divertimentian

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Re: Sibelius's 'Tapiola' favourite recording.
« Reply #12 on: January 25, 2009, 06:06:07 PM »
Quote from: vandermolen on January 25, 2009, 03:24:01 PM
Another very fine version is with Hans Rosbaud and the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra on DGG Originals (Mono 1958). A very powerful performance on a great CD of Sibelius tone poems etc.

Hmm, I have that one in DG's tribute Rosbaud box. Haven't given it a listen yet, though. I should remedy that.
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Offline samtrb

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Re: Sibelius's 'Tapiola' favourite recording.
« Reply #13 on: January 28, 2009, 07:12:38 PM »
I just listened to both versions i have for the first time (sorry guys i am still enjoying Ormandy's sibelius 2nd !)
The difference in length is considerable:
Berglund / Helsinki PO / EMI: 14.52
Neeme Jarvi / Gothenburg / DG Trio: 20.09
I tend to like slower sibelius, maybe a middle length version should be optimal !
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Renfield

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Re: Sibelius's 'Tapiola' favourite recording.
« Reply #14 on: January 28, 2009, 07:26:56 PM »
I realised I lack Karajan's digital version (though I have all the others), and that there are two from Ashkenazy in my collection: the second from his recent cycle with the Stockholm Philharmonic (IIRC), in a disc I bought for the recording of the 2nd Symphony mostly out of curiosity.

Can someone please link the most recent iteration of that digital Karajan Tapiola, so I may hunt it down? Thanks in advance. :)
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Drasko

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Re: Sibelius's 'Tapiola' favourite recording.
« Reply #15 on: January 29, 2009, 04:10:46 AM »
Quote from: Renfield on January 28, 2009, 07:26:56 PM
Can someone please link the most recent iteration of that digital Karajan Tapiola, so I may hunt it down? Thanks in advance. :)

First CD release, the one I have, should be short disc with just Finlandia, Swan and Valse Triste (probably straight LP reissue), some birds in flight against purple cloudy sky on cover, and there is DG Masters release with Nielsen's 4th Symphony.

Ashkenazy's Stockholm cycle got some very good reviews recently, how do you like it.
« Last Edit: January 29, 2009, 04:42:07 AM by Drasko »
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Renfield

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Re: Sibelius's 'Tapiola' favourite recording.
« Reply #16 on: January 29, 2009, 07:48:54 PM »
Quote from: Drasko on January 29, 2009, 04:10:46 AM
Ashkenazy's Stockholm cycle got some very good reviews recently, how do you like it.

Good question. I've had the disc for months, never spun it. I should do so soon.

(I'd heard the Ashkenazy/Stockholm partnership live doing the 2nd, and so thought I'd pick up the disc to remember the occasion when I saw it this year. And the concert wasn't bad. Although the Nielsen concerto, via Martin Fröst, pretty much dominated the rest of the programme. :))

Edit: And thanks, I'll look for the Masters release first, for the sake of the Nielsen 4th I'm also missing.
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Offline Scots John

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Re: Sibelius's 'Tapiola' favourite recording.
« Reply #17 on: January 29, 2009, 08:14:58 PM »
Vänskä/Lahti

He has a magic with the tempo and an unerring ability to make the sprites in the forest come alive, and I'm pretty sure that by the end of his recording with the Lahti, first violins had turned into trees and small bright eyed creatures blinked out of their hollows.
Also I wish wish wish that Neumann and the CPO had some Sibelius out there, because I've grown to love the precision and orchestral mastery Neumann brought to his work.  He has a depth of accuracy and you get a positive broadening sense of Neumann revealing exactly what a symphony is all about in realtime. His ability to find the right nuance in the right place and emphasise what shouldn't be unexpected would have suited a Sibelius Tapiola groundbreaker methinks.   :o
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Offline Tapio Dimitriyevich Shostakovich

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Re: Sibelius's 'Tapiola' favourite recording.
« Reply #18 on: January 29, 2009, 08:58:19 PM »
Tapiola is -by far- my overall all time favourite symphonic work. Period. In this case, Sibelius is my soulmate. In this piece, I feel at home. It says all for me. About me. No force on earth can split the love between me and Tapiola! :D Never! I'm going absolutely crazy about this piece. This piece deserves an own thread, this thread. Finally.

I've heard many Tapiolas. To me, there's only Blomstedt SFSO. Blomstedt. Blomstedt. The one which is on the Blomstedt Sibelius Symphony cycle.



Appropriate Tempo. To quote mahler10th: "He has a magic with the tempo and an unerring ability to make the sprites in the forest come alive" :D

Honestly, I own a lot Vänskä/Sibelius stuff, but Tapiola, no. The desaster starts with the opening: way too fast. The Blomstedt one is 19:35, I'd say rather a slower one.

Additionally, the Blomstedt has very good sound quality. I'll embed beginning of the piece and storm section tomorrow into this posting. [EDIT: Done -->]

Beginning:
[mp3=200,20,0,left]http://www.fileden.com/files/2007/9/21/1446950/tapiola_beginning1397671885.mp3[/mp3]

Another excerpt:
[mp3=200,20,0,left]http://www.fileden.com/files/2007/9/21/1446950/tapiola_middle3217329208.mp3[/mp3]

Violin storm:
[mp3=200,20,0,left]http://www.fileden.com/files/2007/9/21/1446950/tapiola_storm3269494181.mp3[/mp3]

Quote from: samtrb on January 28, 2009, 07:12:38 PM
Berglund / Helsinki PO / EMI: 14.52
Neeme Jarvi / Gothenburg / DG Trio: 20.09

20 Minutes? I think I have to listen to the Järvi again :)

The Tapiola part of the Nupen DVD is on Youtube. It's Ashkenazy on this one. The ending of the storm scene with the 5 Timpani hits, is done exactly how I think it's appropriate, a bit better than even Blomstedt.

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/8noD7PhA-po" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/8noD7PhA-po</a>
« Last Edit: January 31, 2009, 04:36:45 AM by Wurstwasser »
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Offline Tapio Dimitriyevich Shostakovich

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Re: Sibelius's 'Tapiola' favourite recording.
« Reply #19 on: February 01, 2009, 09:30:30 PM »
Seen this in the old Forum :)

Discovering Music: Sibelius - Tapiola

Quote
Stephen Johnson joins the BBC Philharmonic, conducted by Martyn Brabbins, for a workshop on the great Finnish composer's final orchestral work.

The tone poem Tapiola was inspired by the legends and atmosphere of the great Finnish forests.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/discoveringmusic/pip/ftng8/

It's from 2006, but still works :D

I personally use http://mplayer.de.gg/ for formats like RealAudio...
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