Today it's Sibelius' 50th anniversary of death. Sibelius dies on September, 20th 1957 at home in Järvenpää. There's a lot Sibelius played in german concert halls these days, TV- and especially Radio programs broadcast a lot. German TV (3Sat/br-alpha) sent a 1.5 h film "Sibelius - Musikgigant aus dem Norden".
Sibelius music had a hard time in germany after the war. Germany followed an easy and brainless logic: Everything which is related to "nordish" or maybe "nature", is to condemn, for obvious reasons. Today, the last years I think, Sibelius popularity was rising.
To me, he's amongst my most favorite composers. I love his works for orchestras. Tone poems and symphonies.
I have a specific question. Amongst his tone poems, The wood nymph, op. 15 (Skogsrået) is a very mighty orchestral work, a tone poem (there's also a melodram with voice). Nobody seems to know very much about this work, probably because there's big danger to fall in love with her :) ? The tone poem is about a hero who falls in love with the nymph.. And therefore will never be able to love a real woman again. A tragic story.
(http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/I/21K2PRFZZ0L._AA130_.jpg)
I've read a lot of books about Sibelius: None of them treat the nymph as the work deserves it. The work is at most only mentioned, but often forgotten. It's really strange. It's obvious that most authors even don't know the work. It's more than 20 minutes of fine orchestral music with a powerful, tragic conclusion - and they don't know it. In one book the author even wrote "wood ghost" in the table of works.
I also haven't read any cites of Sibelius about his nymph. I've never seen the wood nymph has been played in concert halls. Also, I only know of 2 recordings on CD. It's on BIS/Lahti SO/Vänskä, and Kuopio SO/Sato. BTW - the Vänskä one is more powerful and much better, the Sato too sterile, too chamber music like.
We don't know much about the wood nymph. Why is this? What information do we have on the nymph? I'm really interested. Please post all information you have.
Edit, oh I see there's a lot of information here. (http://www.fimic.fi/fimic/fimic.nsf/0/2CC386D18882DDEEC22575370041A081?opendocument)
Quote from: Wurstwasser on September 19, 2007, 08:37:00 PM
Today it's Sibelius' 50th anniversary of death. Sibelius dies on September, 20th 1957 at home in Järvenpää. There's a lot Sibelius played in german concert halls these days
Yep, Sibelius is finally showing up more often now especially in my area with Ari Rasilainen and Paavo Järvi heading the Rheinland-Pfalz and Frankfurt radio orchestras respectively.
QuoteI have a specific question. Amongst his tone poems, The wood nymph, op. 15 (Skogsrået) is a very mighty orchestral work, a tone poem (there's also a melodram with voice). Nobody seems to know very much about this work...I've read a lot of books about Sibelius: None of them treat the nymph as the work deserves it. The work is at most only mentioned, but often forgotten. It's really strange.
Very strange indeed. This is arguably Sibelius' first masterpiece and the music really is glorious, and yet it's been so rarely recorded. I've only recently discovered the work myself.
QuoteI only know of 2 recordings on CD. It's on BIS/Lahti SO/Vänskä, and Kuopio SO/Sato. BTW - the Vänskä one is more powerful and much better, the Sato too sterile, too chamber music like.
There's a spectacular performance of the melodrama version too, conducted by that hot Estonian babe Anu Tali. You can hear a snippet here (track 2):
http://www.jpc.de/jpcng/classic/detail/-/hnum/8596585?rk=classic&rsk=hitlist
Sarge
I heard 'The Wood Nymph' once, some years ago, on an obscure satellite radio channel. It was about 3am, and I sat quite fascinated by it. I've not thought about it since, but now I'm keen to hear it again.
Thanks for bringing it up. :)
The piece was only recently published for the first time. The first recording only appeared in 1996, by Osmo Vänskä and the Lahti Symphony. I remember when that recording came out, it was talked about as if the score had been lost for decades. According to the liner notes, it was performed as recently as 1936 before entering oblivion.
Quote from: Sergeant Rock on September 20, 2007, 04:04:24 AMThere's a spectacular performance of the melodrama version too, conducted by that hot Estonian babe Anu Tali. You can hear a snippet here (track 2):
Oooh. Terrible! I think the voice is really disturbing :)
I think of most interest is the longer, plain orchestral version.
I want to give BIS a huge hug for letting me hear some of his lesser-known orchestral pieces. Two big discoveries I made thanks to them was The Wood Nymph and Snöfrid (a very dramatic tone poem/cantata kind of affair).
Yep, lots of Sibelius everywhere this fall it seems, with the cycle this fall in L.A., and in London as part of the London festival Sibelius and Beyond, and the symphonies showing up on many programs this fall. I think that's great. I'll get to hear the 2nd, 7th, and Finlandia here.
I don't even have The Wood Nymph either, but other lesser known Sibelius that is awesome, is his chamber music, especially for violin/cello and piano, so beautiful.
It is very interesting to me that The Wood Nymph is not better known. It is one of the composer's most sweeping works...and perhaps one of his most accessible.
Sibelius is often called "too cold" by many who don't like his music. I can understand that. His music is not always very easy, and it doesn't fall as easily on the the ears as, for example, Mahler.
The Wood Nymph though, an early sturm und drang tone poem, however, has all the trappings of a potentially popular work: nice tunes, dramatic...even cinematic grandeur and impactful orchestration. I think it would and could be a hit in the concert hall because it is so damn accessible.
Quote from: Tapkaara on July 21, 2009, 09:04:00 AM
It is very interesting to me that The Wood Nymph is not better known. It is one of the composer's most sweeping works...and perhaps one of his most accessible.
I've never heard it; and I think I'd better put that right. I wonder if most composers have these odd neglected masterpieces lurking, that somehow have evaded recognition? Elgar has
The Spirit of England; Parry has his 3rd & 4th symphonies; here's this one.
Quote from: Elgarian on July 21, 2009, 12:09:51 PM
I've never heard it; and I think I'd better put that right. I wonder if most composers have these odd neglected masterpieces lurking, that somehow have evaded recognition? Elgar has The Spirit of England; Parry has his 3rd & 4th symphonies; here's this one.
There is only one easily obtainable reading of The Wood Nymph in circulation, and is on BIS with Vänskä/Lahti. There is at least one other recording, but it's fairly obscure and I've not been able to track it down anywhere.
I would LOVE for you to hear it, Elgarian. It's one of my favorite Sibelius works, actually...and like I mentiond, it is one of his most "cinematic" scores. It's really powerful stuff.
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/5141GRR2BFL._SL500_AA240_.jpg)
Listening to some Amazon samples from the CD, now. The 30 second snippet sounds wonderful, but that's all I get of the Wood Nymph - then dozens of samples from the other tracks. However, I must say that 'Swanwhite' is very easy to like, if these bits are anything to go by.
Oh - now here we are again with another version of the Wood Nymph - oh, with vocals! Good grief - sounds like something from The Lord of The Rings!
Ah, this is better - at the BIS website there's a nice long 10 minute extract of Wood Nymph. Starting now. Oh my, this is fabulous! This could not be anyone but Sibelius, could it? Love that big bright brass fanfare-like sound at the beginning. Now those busy strings, zizzing around among the trees - oh, brilliant, wind increasing, whipping up the snow or leaves or something - superb rhythmic pulsing, my God, this man controls the very air, doesn't he? More, and more feverish - blimey this is superb!. Those strings, filling up all the little gaps, the tension building up and up, little promises being offered of some great musical theme, but being brushed away as soon as I think it might be here to stay. Cymbals! Jabbing brass! I mean, something is going to have to give, soon - I can't hold my breath this long! What's that? - sudden echoes of the ride of the valkyries? Is that deliberate? Long, sweeping brass chords now - like a view from a great mountain top. Breathtaking. Quieting down; brass still playing tune, but quietly. Here are more strings, sweeping in - the whole atmosphere lightening - oh, gorgeous, gorgeous, great looping swoops of sound, and ....
It's stopped! Oh no!!
OK I am hooked. This is tremendous!. I'll buy one. I have to hear the rest! Thank you SO much for introducing me to this!
Later I'm already spent up for this month, but there was a reasonably cheap secondhand one for sale 'like new' from a new Amazon seller, so I've ordered it.
Elgar you are very excited today! :D I also didn't know of the Wood Nymph, and I consider myself a Sibelius fan. :-[ It will go on my wish list. :)
I have the BIS recording, at the very least; but I haven't given it the attention it deserves. Excellent idea!
Quote from: Elgarian on July 21, 2009, 12:48:00 PM
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/5141GRR2BFL._SL500_AA240_.jpg)
Listening to some Amazon samples from the CD, now. The 30 second snippet sounds wonderful, but that's all I get of the Wood Nymph - then dozens of samples from the other tracks. However, I must say that 'Swanwhite' is very easy to like, if these bits are anything to go by.
Oh - now here we are again with another version of the Wood Nymph - oh, with vocals! Good grief - sounds like something from The Lord of The Rings!
Ah, this is better - at the BIS website there's a nice long 10 minute extract of Wood Nymph. Starting now. Oh my, this is fabulous! This could not be anyone but Sibelius, could it? Love that big bright brass fanfare-like sound at the beginning. Now those busy strings, zizzing around among the trees - oh, brilliant, wind increasing, whipping up the snow or leaves or something - superb rhythmic pulsing, my God, this man controls the very air, doesn't he? More, and more feverish - blimey this is superb!. Those strings, filling up all the little gaps, the tension building up and up, little promises being offered of some great musical theme, but being brushed away as soon as I think it might be here to stay. Cymbals! Jabbing brass! I mean, something is going to have to give, soon - I can't hold my breath this long! What's that? - sudden echoes of the ride of the valkyries? Is that deliberate? Long, sweeping brass chords now - like a view from a great mountain top. Breathtaking. Quieting down; brass still playing tune, but quietly. Here are more strings, sweeping in - the whole atmosphere lightening - oh, gorgeous, gorgeous, great looping swoops of sound, and ....
It's stopped! Oh no!!
OK I am hooked. This is tremendous!. I'll buy one. I have to hear the rest! Thank you SO much for introducing me to this!
Well, at 10 minutes, you've heard just under half the work! I wonder if you heard anything from the big ending. The ending of this work is, I think, one of the biggest and most dramatic in all of music. Elgarian, if you purchase this, you are in for a treat.
Swanwhite is great, too. The recording in question features the original, unaltered incidental music. Sibelius also produced a suite based on his score for this play, but he made revisions, changed harmonies, etc. I prefer the original score which is presented on this disc. The final movement feature a very pretty, hymnic tune with backing from an organ. This is a PRIME Sibelius disc in every way.
Quote from: DavidW on July 21, 2009, 12:49:49 PM
Elgar you are very excited today!
Lightning striking twice! I don't think I'm being manic - I really think the music lit the blue touch paper - first the Immerseel Beethoven at lunchtime; now this. I think I'll go and lie down, quietly ....
If anyone wants the nice long BIS extracts from this Wood Nymph CD, they're here:
http://www.bis.se/naxos.php?aID=BIS-CD-815 (http://www.bis.se/naxos.php?aID=BIS-CD-815)
Quote from: Elgarian on July 21, 2009, 01:14:28 PM
Lightning striking twice! I don't think I'm being manic - I really think the music lit the blue touch paper - first the Immerseel Beethoven at lunchtime; now this. I think I'll go and lie down, quietly ....
Listen to Handel's Water Music, as I did this morning. The slow passages are just sublime, they will calm you down and wrap around you like a warm blanket. :)
I'm very glad the Wood Nymph seems to touch the hearts of so many people here; it is one of my dearest of Sibelius' creations. I was actually rather puzzled when I first heard it (I'd picked the Vänskä/Lahti SO recording on a dare); how could such a powerful, evocative, sweeping work be so little known? I'd love to hear it in concert someday.
Quote from: Wanderer on July 21, 2009, 01:42:21 PM
I'm very glad the Wood Nymph seems to touch the hearts of so many people here; it is one of my dearest of Sibelius' creations. I was actually rather puzzled when I first heard it (I'd picked the Vänskä/Lahti SO recording on a dare); how could such a powerful, evocative, sweeping work be so little known? I'd love to hear it in concert someday.
This piece is special to me. Sibelius is one of the first composers I cam to admire, and this was one of the first works of this composer that I heard. I remember seeing it prominently displayed ina Tower Records (remember those) and I thought "Oh, Sibelius. I like him...let's give this CD a try!" At the time, I did not know it was a rare work.
So, in my development as a dyed-in0the-wool Sibeliophile, I actually knew of this work from very early in my career. It's always interesting to encounter folks who have loved Sibelius forever but do not know this piece.
It is a grand work. It could be a concert hall crowd pleasing blockbuster if only it were performed...
Oh, the Wood Nymph is coming to life again! :) :) :) People, you seem to have listened to the first minutes of the piece. The big deal about the wood nymph is the über über über dramatic ending, starting at 16:45 in the BIS recording. Most impressive. Listen to it loud, unless you've got neighbours ;)
Updated the link in my top posting (didn't work): http://www.fimic.fi/fimic/fimic.nsf/0/2CC386D18882DDEEC22575370041A081?opendocument
Quote from: Wurstwasser on July 21, 2009, 10:05:35 PM
Oh, the Wood Nymph is coming to life again! :) :) :) People, you seem to have listened to the first minutes of the piece. The big deal about the wood nymph is the über über über dramatic ending, starting at 16:45 in the BIS recording. Most impressive.
It is indeed coming to life. I popped it in the player this evening and was, again, taken aback by the grandeur of the score.
I think Elgarian will flip when he hears the rest of it! :o
Hey the whole work is only $2 on eclassical! I might just buy it...
Quote from: Tapkaara on July 21, 2009, 10:08:36 PM
I think Elgarian will flip when he hears the rest of it! :o
I'm preparing myself for flippery. My copy of the disc was posted to me this morning, I'm told.
Quote from: Elgarian on July 21, 2009, 11:56:04 PM
I'm preparing myself for flippery. My copy of the disc was posted to me this morning, I'm told.
I recall on another forum someone mentioned Sibelius's music had a "lack of dramatic contrasts." Of course, that is a stupid statement in general, but rendered especially stupid by this work.
Quote from: Wurstwasser on July 21, 2009, 10:05:35 PM
People, you seem to have listened to the first minutes of the piece. The big deal about the wood nymph is the über über über dramatic ending, starting at 16:45 in the BIS recording. Most impressive.
So I haven't heard the best of it yet! Wonderful.
QuoteListen to it loud, unless you've got neighbours
My neighbours are away until Friday, so I have a chance if the disc gets here in time.
Thanks for the link.
Quote from: Elgarian on July 21, 2009, 01:14:28 PM
Lightning striking twice! I don't think I'm being manic - I really think the music lit the blue touch paper - first the Immerseel Beethoven at lunchtime; now this. I think I'll go and lie down, quietly ....
Thanks for introducing me to an expression I'd not heard before: "lit the blue touch paper." Fireworks in your noggin, eh? Thanks to this, I'm now listening to the Vänskä/Lahti recording of "The Wood Nymph," which I seem to have given short shrift, judging from the number here who admire it so much:
Finlandia meets
Pohjola's Daughter, methinks. That extreme, heart on sleeve Romanticism isn't my cuppa (being more a 4th through 7th,
Tapiola-Oceanides sort of fellow), but it's interesting to hear glimmers of what lies ahead in it. Love the quiet passages in the latter part that lead to the
Lemminkäinen-ish finale Wurstwasser likes so much.
I like the lovely little Lonely Ski Trail on that disc, but could do without the narration, and I've always liked
Swanwhite, which to me is a fine example of the third realm of Sibelius's greatness, after the symphonies and tone poems--his incidental music for the theatre.
Quote from: DavidRoss on July 22, 2009, 04:17:33 AM
Thanks for introducing me to an expression I'd not heard before: "lit the blue touch paper." Fireworks in your noggin, eh?
Lightning, fireworks - I'll mix my metaphors with anyone, anytime.
QuoteThanks to this, I'm now listening to the Vänskä/Lahti recording of "The Wood Nymph," which I seem to have given short shrift, judging from the number here who admire it so much: Finlandia meets Pohjola's Daughter, methinks. That extreme, heart on sleeve Romanticism isn't my cuppa (being more a 4th through 7th, Tapiola-Oceanides sort of fellow), but it's interesting to hear glimmers of what lies ahead in it.
H-o-s Romanticism used to be
very much my cuppa, a good long while ago - I was always primarily a Sibelius 1,2,3 and 5 man (I presume we'd have to haggle between us for ownership of 5, David). But it's been a while since they really set me ablaze - so I was shocked (but very pleasantly) to find myself responding so wholeheartedly to
Wood Nymph.
Quote from: Elgarian on July 22, 2009, 06:18:18 AMH-o-s Romanticism used to be very much my cuppa, a good long while ago - I was always primarily a Sibelius 1,2,3 and 5 man (I presume we'd have to haggle between us for ownership of 5, David). But it's been a while since they really set me ablaze - so I was shocked (but very pleasantly) to find myself responding so wholeheartedly to Wood Nymph.
I love the 5th. It's what I usually cite when asked to name my favorite work. By
anyone. And I love the neo-classical 3rd (before neo-classicism became fashionable--but then, Sibelius was always ahead of the curve--so far ahead, in fact, that most still seem not to have caught up to him ;) ). And the 1st--especially that wonderfully weird, wandering clarinet solo at the start--makes another strong claim on my heart (sleeveless or no).
If it's been awhile, you might give the 4th and 6th and 7th another opportunity to work their magic on you. (Given your predilection for early opera, I'm surprised you've not yet fallen under the 6th's spell.) Think I'll put Sakari's 6th on right now, since it's been awhile for me, too. :)
Quote from: DavidRoss on July 22, 2009, 08:23:04 AM
And the 1st--especially that wonderfully weird, wandering clarinet solo at the start--makes another strong claim on my heart (sleeveless or no).
It was one of the first few pieces of classical music I ever heard, when I was nobbut a lad. Talk about the hair prickling on the back of my neck! That clarinet solo, wafting like a solitary leaf in the wind; then those searing Sibelian strings, rushing in from a cold sky.
What, I asked, is
that?
QuoteIf it's been awhile, you might give the 4th and 6th and 7th another opportunity to work their magic on you. (Given your predilection for early opera, I'm surprised you've not yet fallen under the 6th's spell.)
I would. I will. Part of the reason for getting the Davis set was to try listening to the whole cycle again with a fresh ear, but the plan went awry somewhat when I realised what dud performances they were.
We clarinetists are notorious wafters, of course.
Quote from: Elgarian on July 22, 2009, 08:31:13 AM
It was one of the first few pieces of classical music I ever heard, when I was nobbut a lad. Talk about the hair prickling on the back of my neck! That clarinet solo, wafting like a solitary leaf in the wind; then those searing Sibelian strings, rushing in from a cold sky. What, I asked, is that?
Exactly! Perfect imagery, dude! (A term of affection lingering from my teenaged years on the beaches of North San Diego county. ;) ) A solitary leaf, wafting on the faintest eddies of breeze, suddenly beset by a chill wind rushing in from the north...and then that brief promise of a sunlight meadow in spring.... Damn but it's one of the most compelling openings in the entire repertoire--and it just goes on, building bit by bit, cell by cell, like nothing anyone had ever even imagined before, and which despite my familiarity, I cannot help but get drawn into whenever I hear it.
If you're looking for a fantastic 1st, and 2nd, 3rd, and 5th, performed with Romantic fire and sweep, you cannot do better than Bernstein's cycle with the NYPO from the '60s (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sibelius-Complete-Symphonies-Leonard-Bernstein/dp/B00008PW43/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1248282051&sr=1-1). (The other 3 symphonies are performed well, too!)
Mighty toothsome, Dave! He's giving you pearls here, Elgarian.
Quote from: DavidRoss on July 22, 2009, 09:04:46 AM
Exactly! Perfect imagery, dude! (A term of affection lingering from my teenaged years on the beaches of North San Diego county.
North County...Encinitas? Oceanside perhaps? Hehehe...
Quote from: Tapkaara on July 22, 2009, 09:18:54 AM
North County...Encinitas? Oceanside perhaps? Hehehe...
Encinitas, yes. And Leucadia. Solano. Del Mar. La Jolla. Probably spent more time at Swami's below Yogananda's ashram than anywhere else. I was doen there last just over three years ago. I hate going down there. Every time my heart gets even more broken to see what's happened to it all. I never suspected just how special that area was, or how quickly it would disappear. If I could turn back time, I'd do it in a heartbeat!
Quote from: DavidRoss on July 22, 2009, 09:34:55 AM
Encinitas, yes. And Leucadia. Solano. Del Mar. La Jolla. Probably spent more time at Swami's below Yogananda's ashram than anywhere else. I was doen there last just over three years ago. I hate going down there. Every time my heart gets even more broken to see what's happened to it all. I never suspected just how special that area was, or how quickly it would disappear. If I could turn back time, I'd do it in a heartbeat!
My uncle and cousin live in Encinitas a surf every day...they've never heard The Wood Nymph, though!!
Listening to Wood Nymph from the start again:
Into the second half now, and hearing this section for the first time.
I love that moment about 10 minutes in when everything stops. Like Dante, seeing the light in the dark wood. Selva oscura. I haven't read the notes - it sounds like he's just seen the nymph, ahead in a clearing, perhaps? Turning now so lyrical, quietly meandering solo string melody - I wonder what he's doing? Sounds like he's hiding among the trees watching her. I presume she doesn't know he's there? I really should have read the notes! Something's happening. Gosh this is beautiful. But a different tone struck now by the strings: pulsing rhythms, warning notes on the brass, those fidgety strings behind all this, very uneasy indeed.... Building up - something like a wall of feeling, of mixed fear and awe. Like standing at the foot of a great waterfall and being terrified of it and transfixed by it at the same time.
All over. I need to read the notes! What a fabulous piece of music.
(Wonder if I've got the Wood Nymph . . . ?)
Quote from: k a rl h e nn i ng on July 23, 2009, 05:50:43 AM(Wonder if I've got the Wood Nymph . . . ?)
It should be only available on those 3 CDs, first two have the same recordings:
(http://g-ec2.images-amazon.com/images/I/319RVYERJTL._AA240_.jpg)
(http://www.musicweb-international.com/classRev/2006/Dec06/essential_sibelius_biscd1697.jpg)
(http://flv.dada.net/cspv/39/98/67/00/00/AudioPreview-Cover-JPEG256x256.jpg)
Quote from: DavidRoss on July 22, 2009, 08:23:04 AM
If it's been awhile, you might give the 4th and 6th and 7th another opportunity to work their magic on you. (Given your predilection for early opera, I'm surprised you've not yet fallen under the 6th's spell.) Think I'll put Sakari's 6th on right now, since it's been awhile for me, too.
After listening to
Wood Nymph twice today already, I thought I'd give the 6th another go - it's been years since I last tried it. But no, it's not for me. I come to Sibelius for the windswept Scandinavian plains, vales and forests, the snow-blown landscape - and
in that context, the
big, sweeping tunes. I'm not a sophisticated listener - I understand too little for that - and I'm a sucker for the big Sibelian tunes. If they're not there I get listless and fidgety, and gradually my mind drifts off onto something else long before the music ends. It probably means I'm listening for all the wrong reasons or something, but there it is. It always seemed to me that there was such a sharp division between 1/2/3/5 and 4/6/7 that it's almost like listening to a different composer.
I think I've also now realised what my Sibelian quest truly is. It's not to find the most satisfying symphony cycle; it's to find the most satisfying 1/2/3/5,
taken one at a time. So my current search for the 'best' 1st symphony seems to make eminent sense as the first and most important step (because it is my favourite of all the symphonies).
Well, finding the/my "best" interpretation of a specific work is a good quest, I'm also not searching for cycles. Well, you don't like the 4th? This fine mysterious piece? Give it a try with Segerstam. EDIT: I asked a mod to put the non-Woodnymph discusion to the Snowshoed Sibelius thread.
Quote from: Wurstwasser on July 23, 2009, 07:39:19 AM
Well, finding the/my "best" interpretation of a specific work is a good quest, I'm also not searching for cycles. Well, you don't like the 4th? This fine mysterious piece? Give it a try with Segerstam. EDIT: I asked a mod to put the non-Woodnymph discusion to the Snowshoed Sibelius thread.
I think I got the correct posts out of here and into the other. If I screwed up, let me know and I will have another go. If not immediately, then later. :)
8)
Quote from: Wurstwasser on July 23, 2009, 07:39:19 AM
Well, finding the/my "best" interpretation of a specific work is a good quest, I'm also not searching for cycles. Well, you don't like the 4th? This fine mysterious piece? Give it a try with Segerstam. EDIT: I asked a mod to put the non-Woodnymph discusion to the Snowshoed Sibelius thread.
Ack! Does that mean we'll lose the continuity of comments on this thread, and disrupt it on another? Hope not. I can see moving way off topic crap that persists to another place--for instance, if someone were to start a series of posts arguing tha Pelleas & Melisande is the most exquisite music of all time--but tangential comments that don't disrupt the thread only contribute to the spirit of convivial give-and-take that many of us enjoy around this site.
The 4th seems to be the most difficult for most--especially those who expect Sibelius to be a "Romantic" composer and are disturbed by his modernist attributes. I agree that Segerstam's HPO outing makes it more dramatic than mysterious, much as with his
Tapiola, too. It may not be exactly my cuppa (soup?), but I admire it and certainly understand why those whose preferences differ from mine enjoy it so much. Maybe I'll spin it after I get around to the 2nd. ;)
Quote from: Wurstwasser on July 23, 2009, 06:01:39 AM
It should be only available on those 3 CDs, first two have the same recordings:
(http://g-ec2.images-amazon.com/images/I/319RVYERJTL._AA240_.jpg)
(http://www.musicweb-international.com/classRev/2006/Dec06/essential_sibelius_biscd1697.jpg)
(http://flv.dada.net/cspv/39/98/67/00/00/AudioPreview-Cover-JPEG256x256.jpg)
The Lahti SO/Vänskä rendition is also included in this set:
(http://www.jpc.de/image/w600/front/0/7318591900023.jpg)
(vol.1 of the BIS Sibelius Edition)