BaL 21.09.13 - Sibelius Symphony no. 3 in C

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

9.30 a.m.
Richard Osborne with a personal recommendation from recordings of Sibelius's 3rd Symphony.

Available recordings:-

Utah SO, Maurice Abravanel
Philharmonia Orchestra, Vladimir Ashkenazy (download)
Halle Orchestra, Sir John Barbirolli (2 versions)
Bournemouth SO, Paavo Berglund
New York PO, Leonard Bernstein
San Francisco SO, Herbert Blomstedt (download)
LSO, Anthony Collins
Boston SO, Sir Colin Davis
LSO, Sir Colin Davis (2 versions)
Halle Orchestra, Sir Mark Elder
SNO, Sir Alexander Gibson
New Zealand SO, Pietari Inkinen
Oslo PO, Mariss Jansons
Gothenburg SO, Neeme Jarvi
LSO, Robert Kajanus
Helsinki PO, Okku Kamu
Philharmonia Orchestra, Paul Kletzki
Slovak PO, Adrian Leaper (download)
Pittsburg SO, Lorin Maazel
VPO, Lorin Maazel
Uppsala Kammarorkester, Paul Mägi
Helsinki Festival Orchestra, Olli Mustonen
CBSO, Sakari Oramo
CBSO, Sir Simon Rattle
Moscow Radio SO, Gennady Rozhdestvensky
Iceland SO, Petri Sakari
Helsinki PO, Leif Segerstam
Symphony Nova Scotia, Georg Tintner
Lahti SO, Osmo Vanska
Adelaide SO, Arvo Volmer
Northern Sinfonia, Thomas Zehetmair

[Barbirollians]

RO doing Sibelius 3 ! Not a composer that one would have said was his obvious specialist interest .

No Karajan in this symphony it seems ?

Wish he was doing beethoven 3 instead !

Kletzki , Ashkenazy, Barbirolli and Davis RCA for me .

[Petrushka]

Robert Layton used to be called upon to do any Sibelius reviews at one time. It's nevertheless good to have RO back in the BaL chair once again no matter what he is reviewing.

Sibelius 3? I like VPO/Maazel and Helsinki PO/Berglund. A great shame that Karajan never recorded it.

[Ruhevoll]

RO doing Sibelius 3 ! Not a composer that one would have said was his obvious specialist interest .

No Karajan in this symphony it seems ?

Wish he was doing beethoven 3 instead !

Kletzki , Ashkenazy, Barbirolli and Davis RCA for me .

OT: A formidable task for whoever is asked to climb that Everest - but long overdue, I think. Does anyone know when the last Eroica BaL was?

Back on topic - I'll be listening with interest, as I haven't clicked yet with Sibelius.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

It is indeed surprising that HvK recorded ae.ll the Sibelius symphonies other than this one.


I have VPO/Maazel (excellent) and Halle/Barbirolli (not JB's best - a very sluggish opening).

Any bets on Davis being the winner?

[ardcarp]

as I haven't clicked yet with Sibelius

Rubevoll, did you see the two Christopher Nupen films on the Beeb? They helped me to 'click'. They certainly were evocative of the Scandinavian landscape and its possible emotional bearing on the composer's work.

[pastoralguy]

For me, Gibson and the SNO's early recording for HMV. Very good indeed. I'm not sure it ever made it to cd.

The later recording on Chandos, IMHO, was slacker in conception.

[pastoralguy]

OT:
Back on topic - I'll be listening with interest, as I haven't clicked yet with Sibelius.

I clicked with Sibelius at age 3 after my late, great, Uncle Bob used to play me the Karelia Suite on 45rpm.

[Ruhevoll]

Rubevoll, did you see the two Christopher Nupen films on the Beeb? They helped me to 'click'. They certainly were evocative of the Scandinavian landscape and its possible emotional bearing on the composer's work.

I didn't, no. I shall hunt them out on YouTube as most of the good BBC docs end up there (such as Gardiner's last one on Bach). Thanks for the tip!

[Roehre]

Again shows the list of recordings of a Sibelius symphony that his work is mainly appreciated by Scandinavian orchestras or those from English speaking countries, with ditto conductors.
Only the Slovak PO, Moscow Radio SO, VPO, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Mariss Jansons, Gennady Rozhdestvensky and Thomas Zehetmair are the exceptions confirming the rule.
Just as with British composers Sibelius is not internationally as recognized as we on these isles think he is/should be.

BTW, for me it's VPO/Maazel ( - and the VPO features here because of Maazel's contract with Decca, dating back to the 1960s)

[LeMartinPecheur]

I learnt the work from the DG Kamu recording on LP, and haven't bought that many CD alternatives (just Collins and Barbirolli in complete sets plus Elder on BBC MM).

Would still put in a plug for Mr Kamu

[Nick Armstrong]

BTW, for me it's VPO/Maazel ( - and the VPO features here because of Maazel's contract with Decca, dating back to the 1960s)

I'm edging ever closer to investing in that VPO / Maazel set....

Alpie - I've always felt Colin Davis (both Boston and LSO) found something - a lilt and a poetry - in No 3 that I haven't heard from others.

Looking forward to this BAL from the classy Mr O

[Hornspieler]

Not the most popular of Sibelius symphonies.

I would put Kletzki, Davis and Gibson in the ring against Berglund, but I'm sure that Paavo would win with either of his recordings.

HS

[Pabmusic]

Not the most popular of Sibelius symphonies...

I agree. But it's my favourite. I learnt it first from Anthony Collins (who leaves out the violin passages at the beginning of the scherzo - I've never understood why). I conducted it in 2004.

[BBMmk2]

HS, yes that is true but I rather like it as well. I have Ashkenazy and Vanska.