BaL 16.06.12 - Sibelius Symphony no. 5

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

9.15am Building a Library
Stephen Johnson with a personal recommendation from recordings of Sibelius' Symphony no.5

Available versions:

Utah Symphony Orchestra, Maurice Abravanel
Philharmonia Orchestra, Vladimir Ashkenazy
Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, Vladimir Ashkenazy
Hallé Orchestra, Sir John Barbirolli (3 versions)
Berlin Symphony Orchestra, Berglund
Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, Paavo Berglund
Wiener Philharmoniker, Leonard Bernstein
Wiener Philharmoniker, Leonard Bernstein (DVD)
London Symphony Orchestra, Anthony Collins
Danish National Symphony Orchestra, Thomas Dausgaard (DVD/Blu ray)
Boston Symphony Orchestra, Sir Colin Davis
London Symphony Orchestra, Sir Colin Davis
Scottish National Orchestra, Sir Alexander Gibson
BBC Northern Symphony Orchestra, Jascha Horenstein
New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, Pietari Inkinen
Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, Mariss Jansons
Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, Neeme Järvi
London Symphony Orchestra, Robert Kajanus
Berliner Philharmoniker, Herbert von Karajan (2 versions)
Philharmonia Orchestra, Herbert von Karajan
Boston Symphony Orchestra, Serge Koussevitzky
London Philharmonic Orchestra, Erich Leinsdorf
The Cleveland Orchestra, Yoel Levi
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Yoel Levi
Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Lorin Maazel
Wiener Philharmoniker, Lorin Maazel
City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Sakari Oramo
Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, Sakari Oramo (DVD/Blu ray)
Philadelphia Orchestra, Eugene Ormandy (download)
City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Simon Rattle
Philharmonia Orchestra, Sir Simon Rattle
Moscow Radio Symphony Orchestra, Gennady Rozhdestvensky
Iceland Symphony Orchestra, Petri Sakari
UBS Verbier Festival Orchestra, Esa-Pekka Salonen
Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Jukka-Pekka Saraste
London Philharmonic Orchestra, Jukka-Pekka Saraste
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Ole Schmidt
Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, Leif Segerstam
Lahti Symphony Orchestra, Osmo Vänskä (1915 & 1919 versions) – earlier BaL choice
Minnesota Orchestra, Osmo Vänskä
State Symphony Orchestra of USSR, Vladimir Vesipov
Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, Arvo Volmer

Transcribed for solo piano:
Henri Sigfridsson (piano)

[Nick Armstrong]

Excellent!! A BAL not to miss Thanks as ever, Eine A!

Vanska/Lahti do something special with this piece like no one else (though I have just acquired the Saraste/FRSO having loved it on the radio (CFM! )).

I also have a great regard for Levine - not 'available' in the strict sense perhaps; though: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sibelius-Sym...9152157&sr=8-1

Transcribed for solo piano:
Henri Sigfridsson (piano)

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Vanska/Lahti do something special with this piece like no one else

- both versions! (Just bought the Symphony Cycle as a ridiculously cheap MP3 Download: marvellous!)

Karajan's mid-60s is almost the perfect performance of the work IMO.

[Nick Armstrong]

Karajan's mid-60s is almost the perfect performance of the work IMO.

As mentioned elsewhere, one of the two cassettes I bought cheap in my first week at University - it was one of the soundtracks to those heady days! Great - but stilll Vanska gets under the surface more, I think.

[amateur51]

I find that Rattle's recording with the Philharmonia is quite astonishing in the first movement

[Nick Armstrong]

I find that Rattle's recording with the Philharmonia is quite astonishing in the first movement

Is that the one coupled with Nige's Violin Concerto? It's on the shelf at home. Must pull it off (pace Beefy )

[Beef Oven]

Is that the one coupled with Nige's Violin Concerto? It's on the shelf at home. Must pull it off (pace Beefy )

someone say my name?

[amateur51]

Is that the one coupled with Nige's Violin Concerto? It's on the shelf at home. Must pull it off (pace Beefy )

That looks like the CBSO, Caliban.

http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/r/EMI/7497172

This is the performance I mean

http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/r/EMI/5034282

[Nick Armstrong]

That looks like the CBSO, Caliban.

http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/r/EMI/7497172

This is the performance I mean

http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/r/EMI/5034282

Ah... thanks for clarifying.

As you were, Beefy.

[pastoralguy]

What a pity there's no mention of Sir Alexander Gibson's recordings with the Scottish National Orchestra. I'm sure the later Chandos version must be available as a download.

Gibson and the SNO were playing Sibelius at a time when the London Orchestras and critics were looking down their noses at the master.

[Don Petter]

My favourite is Philadelphia/Ormandy, from the early days of LP.

Now available on CD from Pristine Classical, c/w an even finer 4th Symphony.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

I've added the Gibson and Ormandy recordings to the list.

[Roehre]

Sibelius seems not to be really universally recognized as a great composer:

Where are the recordings stemming from?
Scandinavia (incl. Denmark), Britain, USA, 2 Russian, 3 German (2 Karajan), 2 VPO, 1 Swiss, 1 NZ and 1 Ozzie.
No Concertgebouw, no other German-speaking orchestras, only one French speaking (the Swiss), further no club med or Eastern European orchestras whatsoever.

Conductors: Scandinavian, Baltic, Russian, British, American and 1 Austrian. That's it.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

And the VPO was probably chosen by Decca, as the orchestra was of the the jewels in its crown.

[Roehre]

And the VPO was probably chosen by Decca, as the orchestra was of the the jewels in its crown.

Most likely.