BaL 28.01.17 - Sibelius: Tapiola Op. 112

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

0930
Building a Library: Andrew Mellor sifts through some of the available recordings of Sibelius's Tone Poem Tapiola.
Tapiola is Sibelius's final masterpiece for orchestra and, it has been said that, had he written nothing else, this haunting work alone would rank him among the greats. The head of the score sets the scene: "In Pohjola there are thick, dark forests that dream wild dreams, forever secret. Tapio's eerie dwellings are there and half-glimpsed spirits, and the voices of twilight."


Available versions:

L'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Ernest Ansermet
Philharmonia Orchestra, Vladimir Ashkenazy
Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, Vladimir Ashkenazy
London Philharmonic Orchestra, Sir Thomas Beecham (download)
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Sir Thomas Beecham (download)
Concertgebouw Orchestra, Eduard van Beinum
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, Paavo Berglund
Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, Paavo Berglund
San Francisco Symphony, Herbert Blomstedt
London Philharmonic Orchestra, Sir Adrian Boult
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Anthony Collins
Boston Symphony Orchestra, Sir Colin Davis
London Symphony Orchestra, Sir Colin Davis
Scottish National Orchestra, Alexander Gibson
Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, Neeme Järvi
London Symphony Orchestra, Robert Kajanus
Lahti Symphony Orchestra, Okko Kamu
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Herbert von Karajan
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Herbert von Karajan
BBC Symphony Orchestra, Serge Koussevitzky
Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, Lorin Maazel
City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Sakari Oramo
Philadelphia Orchestra, Eugene Ormandy
Berliner Philharmoniker, Hans Rosbaud
Iceland Symphony Orchestra, Petri Sakari
Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Jukka-Pekka Saraste
Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, Leif Segerstam
Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra, Vassily Sinaisky
Lahti Symphony Orchestra, Osmo Vänskä

[richardfinegold]

One of my favorite pieces of music. The one time that I heard a concert performance was Esa Pekka Solonen conducting in Chicago and it was overwhelming.
No recording has ever approached that experience for me, but Karajan/EMI and Vanska in Lahti are the two that I play.
This is one piece that cries out for a good high resolution recording. Are there any?

[mikealdren]

Looks like 2 of my more historic recordings are not currently available, Beecham Helsinki PO and Hannikainen LSO, the former's on CD too. Both really should be made available.
Mike

[mikealdren]

This is one piece that cries out for a good high resolution recording. Are there any?

I agree although it's amazing how exciting Beecham makes it despite the sound, somehow he always seems to get the spine tingling quality in Sibelius in a way that many more modern recordings don't.

[Bryn]

One of my favorite pieces of music. The one time that I heard a concert performance was Esa Pekka Solonen conducting in Chicago and it was overwhelming.
No recording has ever approached that experience for me, but Karajan/EMI and Vanska in Lahti are the two that I play.
This is one piece that cries out for a good high resolution recording. Are there any?

The only high resolution offerings as QOBUZ appear to be transfers of analogue recordings. Otherwise, Vanska in 24 bit 44.1kHz sampling looks like being the closest to high res. for a modern recording.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Looks like 2 of my more historic recordings are not currently available, Beecham Helsinki PO and Hannikainen LSO, the former's on CD too. Both really should be made available.
Mike

The Beecham/Helsinki does seem to be on the Presto website.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

One of my favorite pieces of music.

[Tapiola]

It's in my top 2 anyway. For me, Philharmonia/Karajan, without question. Not readily available though.

[HighlandDougie]

It's in my top 2 anyway. For me, Philharmonia/Karajan, without question. Not readily available though.

In its remastered guise, it's in the early 1950s Warners Karajan remastered box. Fantastic.

[Petrushka]

I have a soft spot for Philharmonia/Ashkenazy but it has to be Karajan on EMI in 1976 for the winner's enclosure. I've got quite a number of recordings of Tapiola but it's actually not a piece I listen to very often. It'll be interesting to do a BeefO immersion to see how they stack up.

[Beef Oven!]

I have a soft spot for Philharmonia/Ashkenazy but it has to be Karajan on EMI in 1976 for the winner's enclosure. I've got quite a number of recordings of Tapiola but it's actually not a piece I listen to very often. It'll be interesting to do a BeefO immersion to see how they stack up.

Like you, I don’t play it so often, at least not as often as it deserves. I quite enjoy an immersion in an excellent work. I hope to do one with Tapiola before the BaL is broadcast.

I have:

Karajan -
Philharmonia 1953 EMI
BPO 1964 DG
BPO 1976 EMI
BPO 1984 DG (c/w Nielsen 4, The Inextinguishable)

Berglund -
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra Warner Classics
Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra EMI

Blomstedt - San Francisco Symphony Decca

Colin Davis - Boston Symphony Orchestra Decca

Sakari Oramo - CBSO Erato

Osmo Vanska - Lahti Symphony Orchestra BIS

Vladimir Ashkenazy - Philharmonia Decca

Petri Sakari - Iceland Symphony Orchestra Naxos

Alexander Gibson - Scottish National Orchestra Chandos

Concerning a favourite, it’s hard to say because I’m not terribly familiar with all the recordings I have, but from the ones I know well, it’s Ashkenazy Philharmonia, Karajan BPO 1964 DG or Karajan BPO 1976 EMI.

[seabright]

Looks like 2 of my more historic recordings are not currently available, Beecham Helsinki PO and Hannikainen LSO, the former's on CD too. Both really should be made available.
Mike

You could always download the Hannikainen from You Tube ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffBVoC_i6pc

[Petrushka]

I have:

Karajan/Philharmonia EMI 1953
Karajan/BPO DG 1964
Karajan/BPO EMI 1976
Karajan/BPO DG 1984

Colin Davis/LSO Sony

Berglund/Bournemouth SO EMI/Warner
Berglund/Helsinki PO EMI

Ashkenazy/Philharmonia Decca

Thought I had more than this - no Rattle for instance - but, unless I find others hidden away in boxed sets somewhere, it's enough to be going on with and a good opportunity to get to know the piece better.

[reinerfan]

Hannikainen's Sibelius, including "Tapiola" is available on a Magdalen 2 CD set at budget price (METCD8024). The transfers are excellent. I first got to know these performances from World record Club LPs, many years ago. "Tapiola" itself is also available on Ondine CD or download.

[Pulcinella]

Confession time (well, we seem to be into that on the forum right now): not a piece I think I know, but I may well recognise it as soon as I hear the first few bars.
Easier and quicker for me than for others here to do a BeefO-type immersion as I find I have only three versions, all as fillers to symphony sets.

Colin Davis: Boston SO (Philips Duo incarnation; the original LPs I replaced were a babysitting thank you present from friends who went to Boston; not sure if they actually heard any Sibelius while they were there)
Colin Davis: LSO (RCA set)
Paavo Berglund: Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra (EMI incarnation; I think BeefO has confused his orchestras or elevated Bournemouth to city status!)