The Snowshoed Sibelius

[Scarpia]

I'm beginning to believe you...finally 

Sarge

The pinnacles of M/P are 3 and 6.

[Sergeant Rock]

The pinnacles of M/P are 3 and 6.

The Sixth I've heard and liked but I still prefer Davis's faster ride (despite the Boston brass  )  But it's an interesting alternative and one that will probably grow on me. The Third I'm looking forward to but I want Mrs. Rock to be there during the first listen. That's her favorite Sibelius symphony and one of the few classical works she's very picky about; must be played just so. Ashkenazy is her current favorite.

Sarge

[Brian]

Maazel/Pittsburgh is a magnificent cycle!  I have to declare it my favorite overall (among 6 or so that I have).

I've only heard Maazel/Pittsburgh's 2 and 6... I found the 2 eccentric, but then I like my 2 really fast and slimmed-down; the Maazel Pittsburgh 6, on the other hand, is my favorite, as I wrote here. It confuses me that Sarge prefers faster here!

[Sergeant Rock]

I've only heard Maazel/Pittsburgh's 2 and 6... I found the 2 eccentric, but then I like my 2 really fast and slimmed-down; the Maazel Pittsburgh 6, on the other hand, is my favorite, as I wrote here. It confuses me that Sarge prefers faster here!

And it confuses me you like slower here. We're usually just the opposite 

Sarge

P.S. Are you in London now?

[Archaic Torso of Apollo]

The Sixth I've heard and liked but I still prefer Davis's faster ride

The 6th should be a fast ride. It has the interesting distinction of being one of the few 4-mvt. symphonies without a slow movement. Some conductors try to make the 2nd mvt. into a de facto slow movement, even though it's marked allegretto.

Me, I'm still reveling in Rozhdestvensky's set that I got recently. The 6th is one of the highlights. Above all, he gets the finale right, which often sounds kind of disjointed due to the various tempo changes.

[Brian]

And it confuses me you like slower here. We're usually just the opposite 

Sarge

P.S. Are you in London now?

Yes, I am! It's been a really interesting (read: crazy) few days. Just had some wonderful Persian kebabs near Queensway... mm!

On a side note, I'm not sure I like the Sixth too slow. Berglund's 11-minute finale drives me right up the wall (EMI/Helsinki). Colin Davis is pretty darn snappy in his new LSO Live and I like that one. But I do like the first movement to have space to relax and stretch out, and I like the beginning and ending of the symphony to be like sighs, the first a sigh of contentment after coming in from the cold, the last a sigh of loneliness or despair. Maazel gets it just right for me - crunchy on the inside, chewy on the outside. Or something like that. 

[Scarpia]

Yes, I am! It's been a really interesting (read: crazy) few days. Just had some wonderful Persian kebabs near Queensway... mm!

On a side note, I'm not sure I like the Sixth too slow. Berglund's 11-minute finale drives me right up the wall (EMI/Helsinki). Colin Davis is pretty darn snappy in his new LSO Live and I like that one. But I do like the first movement to have space to relax and stretch out, and I like the beginning and ending of the symphony to be like sighs, the first a sigh of contentment after coming in from the cold, the last a sigh of loneliness or despair. Maazel gets it just right for me - crunchy on the inside, chewy on the outside. Or something like that. 

For a Sibelius 6 finale with a lot of wonderful sensuality, there is Karajan's later recording on EMI with the Berlin Philharmonic.  Perhaps not truly idiomatic Sibelius, but wonderful in its way.

[Sergeant Rock]

Me, I'm still reveling in Rozhdestvensky's set that I got recently. The 6th is one of the highlights. Above all, he gets the finale right, which often sounds kind of disjointed due to the various tempo changes.

I bought the Rozh box seven weeks ago and haven't even opened it yet. This gives me incentive 

Sarge

[vandermolen]

I bought the Rozh box seven weeks ago and haven't even opened it yet. This gives me incentive 

Sarge

I'm very tempted by this set - a further attraction is Gallen-Kallela's painting of 'Lake Keitele' on the front cover - my favourite painting (and possible the most recent - 1904) in the National Gallery, London.

[Sergeant Rock]

I'm very tempted by this set - a further attraction is Gallen-Kallela's painting of 'Lake Keitele' on the front cover - my favourite painting (and possible the most recent - 1904) in the National Gallery, London.

Yeah,it's gorgeous...one of, I think, three versions he did of that scene:




Sarge

[DavidRoss]

Yuck--mine's an old Russian set that's about as pretty as yesterday's Pravda after it's been used to line the canary's cage.

[Archaic Torso of Apollo]

Yuck--mine's an old Russian set that's about as pretty as yesterday's Pravda after it's been used to line the canary's cage.

Melodiya really made it look good this time. In addition to the awesome painting, the CDs are made to look like old LPs, with fake grooves even. The essay by Rozh is interesting as a conductor's POV, tho' he doesn't discuss the symphonies individually.

The box says "first time on CD" but I think that's wrong - it was earlier on some label called "Venezia." Is that a pirate label?

[vandermolen]

Yeah,it's gorgeous...one of, I think, three versions he did of that scene:




Sarge

The wake trail in the picture is apparently the path of the river god - great mythological stuff.

[Elgarian]

Still waiting for Presto to send me the Segerstam/Helsinki set, and am very much in a Sibelius frame of mind right now, and having read these comments above, and having read the Gramophone review ...  I've decided to order this (special offer at MDT):



And while I'm on a Sibelian roll - does anyone out there have the earlier set with Segerstam and the Danish guys, on Brilliant? It's so cheap that it seems very tempting, unless the performances really aren't up to much.

[Scarpia]

And while I'm on a Sibelian roll - does anyone out there have the earlier set with Segerstam and the Danish guys, on Brilliant? It's so cheap that it seems very tempting, unless the performances really aren't up to much.

Wow, $13 for a new 4 CD set (amazon marketplace seller).  I had one disc from the original Chandos release and don't recall enjoying it much, except for the cover art.

[DavidRoss]

Melodiya really made it look good this time. In addition to the awesome painting, the CDs are made to look like old LPs, with fake grooves even. The essay by Rozh is interesting as a conductor's POV, tho' he doesn't discuss the symphonies individually.

The box says "first time on CD" but I think that's wrong - it was earlier on some label called "Venezia." Is that a pirate label?

Nope. It's a commercial label from MOCKBA called VEHEция.

[DavidRoss]

And while I'm on a Sibelian roll - does anyone out there have the earlier set with Segerstam and the Danish guys, on Brilliant? It's so cheap that it seems very tempting, unless the performances really aren't up to much.

I have the 5th & 7th--liked the 5th, not the 7th. Conception similar to his HPO set, a bit on the grand side.  BRO had the whole set for about $12 a couple of years back.  I considered it but passed.

[MN Dave]

[Scarpia]

Did Sibelius supply the Marlboro theme song?

[Elgarian]

I have the 5th & 7th--liked the 5th, not the 7th. Conception similar to his HPO set, a bit on the grand side.  BRO had the whole set for about $12 a couple of years back.  I considered it but passed.

Thanks. Sounds like when my Helsinki set arrives, I probably have the best of Segerstam, then.