The lesser known works of Sibelius

[Octo_Russ]

Just recently i was listening to this disc,



And i don't think i've ever heard The Bard before, what a lovely little 7 minute Tone Poem this is!, lots of solo harp, especially at the beginning and end, makes me wonder what other little masterpieces he's got tucked away that i haven't discovered yet.

This is one of my best discoveries of 2010.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ii2z5wdBRpw

[Superhorn]

   I have this CD also, and I agree with you. Any one who loves Sibelius should hear these works.
  I recently borrowed a multi CD set of Sibelius on EMI with Paavo Berglund and the Bournemouth symphony ,and the Helsinki Phil. with the symphonies and other works,such as the Kullervo symphony etc.
   It also has the fascinating brief work for soprano and orchestra called Luonnotar, based on the Finnish creation legend from the Kalevala.luonnotar is the maiden who gives birth to the earth after hatching ducks eggs for eons! It's a strange and haunting work.
  The choral works The Origin of Fire and Oma Maa (our fatherland)
  are also based on Finnish legends and very interesting. I believe EMI offered this set at a steal. Don't miss  it if you can find it.
   Berglund is of course an authoritative Sibelian and no one does it better. 

[The new erato]

Berglunds Luonnatar is on this:

[Teresa]

I love all of Sibelius' Tone Poems, and yes the Bard is very nice.

Here is what I have:

  Bard, Op. 64 (1914)
  Night Ride and Sunrise, Op. 55 (1909)
  Oceanides, Op. 73 (1914)
  Tapiola, Op. 112 (1926)
    Vänskä, Lahti Symphony Orchestra [MP3] BIS
  En Saga, Op. 9 (1892)
  Finlandia, Op. 26, No. 7 (1899)
  Karella Suite, Op. 11 (1893)
  Pohjola's Daughter, Op. 49 (1906)
    Levi, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra [MP3] Telarc
  The Tempest: Suites Nos. 1 & 2 (1925)
    Stern, Kansas City Symphony [Apple Lossless 24 Bit 96kHz] Reference Recordings 

I greatly prefer the tone poems over the Symphonies.  I used to have Symphony No. 2 conducted by Jarvi on a Telarc SACD but sold it.  So currently all of my Sibelius are computer music files.

[jochanaan]

If you guys haven't already heard the Lemminkainen Legends, do so!  There's a spectacular recording from the late 1970s by Eugene Ormandy and the Philadelphia Orchestra on Angel.   (There's some question as to whether the well-known Swan of Tuonela should be played second or third in this suite; I prefer it second, so that the dramatic "Lemminkainen in Tuonela" is followed immediately by the equally powerful "Lemminkainen's Return."  I think the other way would result in an ineffective lessening in tension.)

[Scarpia]

Just recently i was listening to this disc,



And i don't think i've ever heard The Bard before, what a lovely little 7 minute Tone Poem this is!, lots of solo harp, especially at the beginning and end, makes me wonder what other little masterpieces he's got tucked away that i haven't discovered yet.

This is one of my best discoveries of 2010.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ii2z5wdBRpw

This recording is part of a series of recordings Jarvi made which included some of the less well known pieces.  You might consider getting the entire set.

[DavidRoss]

Just recently i was listening to this disc,


And i don't think i've ever heard The Bard before, what a lovely little 7 minute Tone Poem this is!, lots of solo harp, especially at the beginning and end, makes me wonder what other little masterpieces he's got tucked away that i haven't discovered yet.

This is one of my best discoveries of 2010.

Sibelius is still one of the best kept secrets in music.  I was put off to him for years, having heard a typically horrid jingoistic recorded performance of Finlandia described as representative of his "Nationalistic" style of music.  Eventually I forced myself to become acquainted with his symphonies, in a serious and long overdue effort to discover why so many people whose taste I respected regarded him as one of the greats.

I fell in love...

...first with the symphonies and violin concerto, then with the "major" tone poems like Tapiola and En Saga, then with his wonderful theatrical music, like The Tempest and Pelleas & Melisande and Belshazzar's Feast, and then on to the vocal music, the string quartets, even the solo piano music.  Not all of it rises to the extraordinary quality of his best orchestral music, of course (what does?), but darned near all of it is good, and there are many treasures scattered among even his lesser works, such as the "Trees" set of piano pieces, op. 75.

[Teresa]

If you guys haven't already heard the Lemminkainen Legends, do so!  There's a spectacular recording from the late 1970s by Eugene Ormandy and the Philadelphia Orchestra on Angel.   (There's some question as to whether the well-known Swan of Tuonela should be played second or third in this suite; I prefer it second, so that the dramatic "Lemminkainen in Tuonela" is followed immediately by the equally powerful "Lemminkainen's Return."  I think the other way would result in an ineffective lessening in tension.)

Agreed great recording, I used to have the Ormandy on a Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab LP. 

[DavidRoss]

If you guys haven't already heard the Lemminkainen Legends, do so!  There's a spectacular recording from the late 1970s by Eugene Ormandy and the Philadelphia Orchestra on Angel.   (There's some question as to whether the well-known Swan of Tuonela should be played second or third in this suite; I prefer it second, so that the dramatic "Lemminkainen in Tuonela" is followed immediately by the equally powerful "Lemminkainen's Return."  I think the other way would result in an ineffective lessening in tension.)

One of the most treasured discs in my collection is Mikko Franck's stunning recording of the Lemminkäinen Legends and En Saga with the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra on Ondine. 

Sakari and the Icelanders on Naxos ain't no slouches either: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UoYYjGhxHyU&p=1095CBDBB7BB9583&playnext=1&index=144

Strap in and set sail for the islands!

[Scarpia]

If you really want to take the plunge, this is another interesting option, the "Essential Sibelius" collection from BIS.



It contains the symphonies as well as a wide selection of tone poems, chamber music and vocal music for a pretty decent price.  Most of the orchestral music is conducted by Vanska, whose interpretations of Sibelius are widely (but not universally) admired.  (I like them, although they are not my absolute favorites in most cases.)

[Lethevich]

That box is what introduced me to The Bard, with a very fine performance. The piece is similar in format to The Oceanides, and both together are overall my favourite pieces by Sibelius, marginally beating even the symphonies - but this says more about my skewed taste than them being in any way that good. That box also has the Snöfrid cantata, which isn't really a masterpiece, but is much better than it should be and I listen to it rather a lot.

[DavidRoss]

That box is what introduced me to The Bard, with a very fine performance. The piece is similar in format to The Oceanides, and both together are overall my favourite pieces by Sibelius, marginally beating even the symphonies - but this says more about my skewed taste than them being in any way that good. That box also has the Snöfrid cantata, which isn't really a masterpiece, but is much better than it should be and I listen to it rather a lot.

They are both great, Sara--small is beautiful!  And that box set is unbeatable AND a fantastic bargain--wish it had been available when I started collecting Sibelius CDs.

[Coopmv]

How about this CD, which has been in my Sibelius collection for a number of years?

[abidoful]

How about this CD, which has been in my Sibelius collection for a number of years?

I like it. But here is AN ASTOUNDING recording of Sibelius's piano works;

[abidoful]

Though an occasional composition, I like his only opera JUNGFRUN I TORNET (a Maiden in the Tower). Sort of a Cavalleria Rusticana thing. The whole thing takes only about forty minutes. Full of fine music. A beautiful love-scene.

[Sergeant Rock]

My favorite lesser known work of Sibelius is the tone poem The Wood Nymph op.15. Difficult to find though. It eluded me for 35 years. I'm not sure anyone but Vänskä has recorded it. (Anu Tali recorded the melodrama version but that's considerably shorter and with a spoken narrative).

Sarge

[Scarpia]

My favorite lesser known work of Sibelius is the tone poem The Wood Nymph op.15. Difficult to find though. It eluded me for 35 years. I'm not sure anyone but Vänskä has recorded it.

This is new:

[Sergeant Rock]

This is new:

Very new. It appears to be released today. Not in stock at Amazon DE or JPC yet. The clip at JPC sounds good (track five).  Thanks for catching this.

Sarge

[Bulldog]

I like it. But here is AN ASTOUNDING recording of Sibelius's piano works;

Astounding it is; the best Sibelius piano disc I've ever heard.  The rhythmic elasticity and sharp contours offered by Mustonen are entirely compelling.

[Sergeant Rock]

This is new:

A timely review: http://www.classicstoday.com/review.asp?ReviewNum=12933

Sarge