The Snowshoed Sibelius

[North Star]

I was fortunate to turn on the radio this morning as I was cooking my porridge (am sure you wanted to know that) just in time to hear BBC Radio 3's 'Building a Library' on Sibelius's 'Tapiola' which is my favourite work by the composer. If you have access to the BBC Radio 3 'Record Review' website you can read the details there or download the programme in the UK I guess. They liked the Sarasate recording but here is the No.1 choice:

Pablo recorded it? Or do you perhaps mean Jukka-Pekka Saraste?
It's one of my favourite works too, my preferred recordings are by Berglund & Helsinki Philharmonic and Vänskä & Sinfonia Lahti - both keep the tempi close to the composer's wishes (and to Kajanus's recording), at a bit under 18 minutes.

[vandermolen]

Pablo recorded it? Or do you perhaps mean Jukka-Pekka Saraste?
It's one of my favourite works too, my preferred recordings are by Berglund & Helsinki Philharmonic and Vänskä & Sinfonia Lahti - both keep the tempi close to the composer's wishes (and to Kajanus's recording), at a bit under 18 minutes.

I think it was Jukka-Pekka but will check later. They liked  Kajanus, Beecham and Berglund too - can't remember which versions. I like Gibson but wasn't mentioned.

[North Star]

I think it was Jukka-Pekka but will check later.

I'm sure it's this one.
[asin]B003YI3CT6[/asin]

[Mirror Image]

I was fortunate to turn on the radio this morning as I was cooking my porridge (am sure you wanted to know that) just in time to hear BBC Radio 3's 'Building a Library' on Sibelius's 'Tapiola' which is my favourite work by the composer. If you have access to the BBC Radio 3 'Record Review' website you can read the details there or download the programme in the UK I guess. They liked the Sarasate recording but here is the No.1 choice:
[asin]B00000378L[/asin]

Segerstam, Vanska, and Berglund are my dudes when it comes to Sibelius. I have yet to find anyone that matches them in terms of interpretation and overall understanding of the composer.

[aukhawk]

I worry though, that one day he will trip over his beard.

[vandermolen]

I'm sure it's this one.
[asin]B003YI3CT6[/asin]

That is an excellent CD.

[Madiel]

I feel a need to talk about the 6th symphony. No, about the context of the 6th symphony.

I have a sense of revelation from an exercise I've been carrying out, listening to Sibelius' orchestral works chronologically and in particular using the fairly extensive information about premiere performances on the sibelius.fi website.

Because the works that come just before/with the 6th symphony are some of Sibelius' lightest, most delicate works. Here's the stuff I'm talking about.

1. Autrefois, op.96b - premiere was in 1919, included in the concert when the symphony premiered.
2. Valse Lyrique, op.96a - originally for piano, orchestral version premiered in 1922
3. Suite Mignonne, op.98a - premiered in 1922 with the valse.
4. Valse Chevaleresque, op.96c - originally for piano, orchestral version premiered with the symphony in 1923
5. Suite Champetre, op.98b - premiered with the symphony
6. Suite Caracteristique, op.100 - premiered with the symphony

So these are the sorts of textures Sibelius is already working with. Somehow, knowing that just makes more sense for me of where the 6th symphony comes from. It's a deeper work musically than any of these, but in terms of the scoring it's not far away from these suites.

[snyprrr]

I worry though, that one day he will trip over his beard.

Not with THAT toolshed

Look at the size of those wrists!!!!!

[PerfectWagnerite]

Not with THAT toolshed

Look at the size of those wrists!!!!!

Wrist or not I am not a fan of him either as a composer or conductor - a mediocre Sibelius cycle, a ghastly ponderous and bloated Mahler cycle that puts new meaning in conducting against the score...

[Mirror Image]

Wrist or not I am not a fan of him either as a composer or conductor - a mediocre Sibelius cycle, a ghastly ponderous and bloated Mahler cycle that puts new meaning in conducting against the score...

To the bolded text:

Umm...please. I LOVED Segerstam's Helsinki cycle on Ondine and not to mention all those fantastic recordings he did of other Sibelius works.

[vandermolen]

To the bolded text:

Umm...please. I LOVED Segerstam's Helsinki cycle on Ondine and not to mention all those fantastic recordings he did of other Sibelius works.

Me too - I love both his recordings of Tapiola, the Four Legends and Symphony 3. I like many of the  less favoured Danish RSO recordings as well as the Helsinki ones and I love his Chandos recording of Norgard Symphony 1, in fact I like it more than the very highly regarded BIS version.

[Mirror Image]

Me too - I love both his recordings of Tapiola, the Four Legends and Symphony 3. I like many of the  less favoured Danish RSO recordings as well as the Helsinki ones and I love his Chandos recording of Norgard Symphony 1, in fact I like it more than the very highly regarded BIS version.

Yes, indeed. Segerstam also recorded the best Pettersson 7th I know.

[vandermolen]

Yes, indeed. Segerstam also recorded the best Pettersson 7th I know.

I like it together with the Dorati, which was my first contact with Pettersson in the LP era.

[amw]

http://www.cduniverse.com/search/xx/music/pid/1521390/a/sibelius,+prokofieff%3A+violin+concertos+%2F+bruno+zwickler.htm | http://www.allmusic.com/album/sibelius-prokofiev-violin-concertos-mw0001846472

Carlo Pantelli and Henry Adolph are fake, as is the Philharmonica Slavonica, and Bruno Zwicker was neither a violinist nor alive in the digital recording era due to being killed in the Holocaust.

Who actually made these recordings? I gotta know so I can tag them correctly and also because I kind of like them to be honest.

(Here they are on Spotify for people who wanna listen: https://open.spotify.com/album/49K1tU9H6dT4iHpy8HInA6, tracks 8-13. Orchestra is credited as the RSO Vienna which actually does exist, but I'm not sure if Helena Spitkova is real either.)

[Jo498]

There is a webpage that cleared up some identities of the cheapo recordings distributed with fake names:

http://www.soundfountain.com/allegro-royale/contents.html

[amw]

Wrong pirate labels though—this one appeared on Vienna Masters/Pilz/Point Classics/etc rather than RCA/Royale/etc. Alfred Scholz stuff.

[cilgwyn]

I was fortunate to turn on the radio this morning as I was cooking my porridge (am sure you wanted to know that) just in time to hear BBC Radio 3's 'Building a Library' on Sibelius's 'Tapiola' which is my favourite work by the composer. If you have access to the BBC Radio 3 'Record Review' website you can read the details there or download the programme in the UK I guess. They liked the Sarasate recording but here is the No.1 choice:
[asin]B00000378L[/asin]

An interesting post! Do you make your porridge with water or milk?!!

[calyptorhynchus]

I'm compiling a list of records which influenced me c 15-18 years of age. One was a recording of Sibelius's 6th conducted by Kurt Masur with the Vienna Philharmonic. It was an LP from the late 70s early 80s and had a picture of a lake on the cover. I can't seen to find an image of it to find out what record label it was. Does anyone know?

[Turner]

I'm compiling a list of records which influenced me c 15-18 years of age. One was a recording of Sibelius's 6th conducted by Kurt Masur with the Vienna Philharmonic. It was an LP from the late 70s early 80s and had a picture of a lake on the cover. I can't seen to find an image of it to find out what record label it was. Does anyone know?

Wasn´t it perhaps Maazel´s on Decca?

https://www.google.dk/search?rlz=1C1AWFC_enDK752DK752&biw=2049&bih=993&tbm=isch&sa=1&q=maazel+sibelius+6+VPO+lp&oq=maazel+sibelius+6+VPO+lp&gs_l=psy-ab.3...3369.4102.0.4386.3.3.0.0.0.0.108.108.0j1.1.0....0...1.1.64.psy-ab..2.0.0.6PSulhaJ8VY

[calyptorhynchus]

Yes it was, thanks.

Amusing how pictures of lakes seem to be pretty much standard on recordings of Sibelius!