Sibelius Tone Poems

[snyprrr]

Maybe there's already a Thread? If not...

I've never felt the need to go beyond Alan Gibson's traversal on Chandos. If you can find me a better 'Luonnator', I'm all ears.

FAVOURITES:

'Luonnator'- find me a better singer than Brun-Julson(?) and I'll bite

'Spring Song'- I've actually written a Pop Song based on this melody

'Andante Festivo'- who doesn't looove this one?

'The Bard'
'The Oceanides'
'Scenes historiques'
...'Cranes'...
'Rakastava'
'Swanwhite'/'King Christian'- Chandos, nice stuff
'Finlandia' - if I don't hear it too often
'4 Legends'


I'm not too big on 'Tapiola' or the 'Night Ride'... I don't know... why don't I like 'Tapoila'? It's supposed to be all this, and I'm like eh... help...

what's left?

[Karl Henning]

Agreed that Finlandia is a blast, so long as it's not "on repeat."

You don't like Tapiola? Hopeless! 

Pohjola's Daughter (these make quite a long list, you know), En saga . . . .

Lenny's Luonnotar (with Phyllis Curtin) is lovely.

[asin]B00004SCUG[/asin]

[Brian]

Lenny B. is my top Pohjola's Daughter, but for Luonnotar, it's gotta be Soile Isokoski, Leif Segerstam, and the Helsinki PO. Truly a luxurious voice, and a spooky orchestra!

Alexander Gibson's Chandos discs are truly excellent, so you are NOT losing by keeping those!

Do not miss The Wood Nymph.

[vandermolen]

My favourite Luonnotar is the Dorati version which I find the most magical - it was however the only version I knew for many years. Think you mean Alexander Gibson. Tapiola is my favourite work by Sibelius. I also like those Alexander Gibson versions but also the tone poems conducted by Adrian Boult and Hans Rosbaud.
[asin]B00DY9WY4E[/asin]

[Sergeant Rock]

My favorites:

EN SAGA Stein/Suisse Romande
LUONNOTAR Berglund/Bournemouth with Valjakka
NIGHT-RIDE AND SUNRISE   Rattle/Philharmonia
WOOD-NYMPH Vänskä/Lahti
LEMMINKÄINEN SUITE OP.22 "FOUR LEGENDS" Franck/Swedish RSO
POHJOLA'S DAUGHTER Stein/Suisse Romande
SNÖFRID for Recitation, Chorus and Orch  Vänskä/Lahti
TAPIOLA Maazel/Vienna
THE TEMPEST SUITES Sakari/Iceland
FINLANDIA with chorus  Segerstam/Helsinki

Sarge

[vandermolen]

My favorites:

EN SAGA Stein/Suisse Romande
LUONNOTAR Berglund/Bournemouth with Valjakka
NIGHT-RIDE AND SUNRISE   Rattle/Philharmonia
WOOD-NYMPH Vänskä/Lahti
LEMMINKÄINEN SUITE OP.22 "FOUR LEGENDS" Franck/Swedish RSO
POHJOLA'S DAUGHTER Stein/Suisse Romande
SNÖFRID for Recitation, Chorus and Orch  Vänskä/Lahti
TAPIOLA Maazel/Vienna
THE TEMPEST SUITES Sakari/Iceland
FINLANDIA with chorus  Segerstam/Helsinki

Sarge

Nice choices Sarge. The Maazel version of Tapiola with its slower-than-usual storm section is a very powerful performance.

[North Star]

My favourite is Berglund's Tapiola, but with Helsinki Phil. Also Luonnotar (Isokoski), and all the rest (though Finlandia only once a year..)

[snyprrr]

Glad to see everyone loves 'Luonnator'!


I will have to try some 'Tapiola' again... 'Daughter' and 'Night Ride' are two others I'm not quite there with.


'Alexander' Gibson- check-


BUT WHAT OF THE SMALLER BITS?

Am I the only 'Spring Song'/ 'Andante Festivo' nut here? What of the smaller violin+orchestra works?

[North Star]

BUT WHAT OF THE SMALLER BITS?

Am I the only 'Spring Song'/ 'Andante Festivo' nut here? What of the smaller violin+orchestra works?

I love them all. I was obsessed with Andante Festivo four years ago.

[snyprrr]

I love them all. I was obsessed with Andante Festivo four years ago.

iT DOES HAVE THAT EFFECT (aye these caps) where do there come from?

I'm scared to go beyond my beloved Jarvi 'Encores!' (Chandos)- love that album! Chabrier, Glinka, Sibelius....

[vandermolen]

Glad to see everyone loves 'Luonnator'!


I will have to try some 'Tapiola' again... 'Daughter' and 'Night Ride' are two others I'm not quite there with.


'Alexander' Gibson- check-


BUT WHAT OF THE SMALLER BITS?

Am I the only 'Spring Song'/ 'Andante Festivo' nut here? What of the smaller violin+orchestra works?

I like Andante Festivo, especially with Sibelius himself conducting.

[DavidRoss]

I've never felt the need to go beyond Alan Gibson's traversal on Chandos. If you can find me a better 'Luonnator', I'm all ears...find me a better singer than Brun-Julson(?) and I'll bite

Mean Mike and I had a tussle over Luonnotar recordings a few years ago on the old forum, IIRC. He favored Panula/Gothenburg/Häggander and I preferred Berglund/Bournemouth/Valjakka. It was a civil exchange and though neither of us changed the other's mind, I believe we both came away with somewhat greater appreciation of the work and of one another's preferences. That's the sort of thing I value on this and similar sites.

Although I have some of Gibson's Sibelius, I haven't his Luonnotar -- but Spotify allowed a hearing under tolerable if far from ideal conditions. Bryn-Julson certainly has a lovely voice and uses it well. Hers may be the prettiest Luonnotar I've heard.

However ... I like my creation myths a bit edgier, my lonely sea goddesses more desperate and forlorn. Valjakka really has the measure of the tale, methinks.

But it's a great piece, amenable to interpretation, and you can hardly go wrong with any recording (though I'm not much fond of Mattila's operatic soaring).

If choosing one disc to represent the tone poems I'd be sunk.  There are far too many good ones to fit on one CD.  Must have Mikko Franck's fabulous En Saga and Lemminkäinen Legends, Bernstein's Pojohla's Daughter, Vänskä's Oceanides, Ollilo's Pelleas & Melisande, Rattie's Nightride, Segerstam's Tapiola, Sakari's Finlandia, etc., etc. ... or I could settle for Berglund/Bournemouth's 2-disc set and listen happily ever after.

I see it's still available at Amazon, and recently remastered to boot! (17 years ago  )



The point is, Sibelius's tone poems are splendid; as a body of work they're unequaled in the genre. Listen hard, listen long, listen half-assed, half-crazy, or half-drunk, but listen, man, for God's sake just listen!

[71 dB]

I don't care much about Sibelius' symphonic sound, but these tone poems are different animals. I have been considering some Naxos discs containing this kind of "fairytale Sibelius". I liked 'Night-Ride and Sunrise' quite a lot when I heard it on radio a few years ago.

[vandermolen]

I don't care much about Sibelius' symphonic sound, but these tone poems are different animals. I have been considering some Naxos discs containing this kind of "fairytale Sibelius". I liked 'Night-Ride and Sunrise' quite a lot when I heard it on radio a few years ago.

Yes, that's a fine work. I like the old Horst Stein recording which I had on LP in my youth.

[akiralx]

I'm a big fan of the Neeme Jarvi DG Trio set: superb Pohjola's Daughter, though all the recordings are very fine - plus you get the lovely incidental music to King Christian II.

[Daverz]

I'm a big fan of the Neeme Jarvi DG Trio set: superb Pohjola's Daughter, though all the recordings are very fine - plus you get the lovely incidental music to King Christian II.

Jarvi's 4 Legends CD on Bis is very good.

[asin]B000027ETZ[/asin]

Beautifully recorded, too.

[akiralx]

Jarvi's 4 Legends CD on Bis is very good.

Beautifully recorded, too.

Don't know that one, I have a few of his BIS Sibelius symphony recordings (including the Third which was BBC Radio 3 Building a Library top choice), though I do have his later DG Four Legends - but my top choice for that work is the Helsinki RSO under Okko Kamu, last seen on a French DG Double called 'Splendeurs du Nord'.

[asin]B000025WYN[/asin]

[Mirror Image]

Agreed that Finlandia is a blast, so long as it's not "on repeat."

You don't like Tapiola? Hopeless! 

Pohjola's Daughter (these make quite a long list, you know), En saga . . . .

Lenny's Luonnotar (with Phyllis Curtin) is lovely.

[asin]B00004SCUG[/asin]

I second Karl's recommendation here. This is a gorgeous disc. Bernstein is definitely one of my favorite Sibelians.

[snyprrr]

I think I'll be getting the Gibson... it has the 10 Main Works,... and then a separate 'Lemminkainen',... and the 3rd has the 'Scenes Historiques', 'Rakastava', and 'Valse lyrique'.

Otherwise, the Jarvi 3CD has "enough" of everything to keep one happy.

HOWEVER!!- the Berglund 2CD has 'Swanwhite', 'King Christian', and 'Pelleas'...



WHAT'S YOUR OPINION OF the Sakari/Chandos dics of the above three pieces? I used to have it, ... something to just put on and relax?

[Mirror Image]

I think I'll be getting the Gibson... it has the 10 Main Works,... and then a separate 'Lemminkainen',... and the 3rd has the 'Scenes Historiques', 'Rakastava', and 'Valse lyrique'.

Otherwise, the Jarvi 3CD has "enough" of everything to keep one happy.

HOWEVER!!- the Berglund 2CD has 'Swanwhite', 'King Christian', and 'Pelleas'...



WHAT'S YOUR OPINION OF the Sakari/Chandos dics of the above three pieces? I used to have it, ... something to just put on and relax?

My Sibelians of choice: Vanska, Bernstein, Berglund, and Segerstam. The end.