March listening project: Sibelius Symphony no. 5

[ravel30]

I did not buy any versions of Sibelius 5 as I own enough at this stage. The different versions of the Sibelius Symphony No. 5 that I own (in alphabetical order) are;

Ashkenazy: Philharmonia Orch. [Decca]
Berglund: Helsinki Philharmonic Orch. [EMI]
Bernstein: New York Phil. Orch. [Sony]
Blomstedt: San Francisco Symphony Orch. [Decca]
Davis: Boston Symphony Orch. [Philips]
Davis: London Symphony Orch. [RCA]
Jansons: Oslo Philharmonic Orch. [EMI]
von Karajan: Berlin Philharmonic Orch. [DG]
von Karajan: Berlin Philharmonic Orch. [EMI]
Sakari: Iceland Symphony Orch. [Naxos]
Sanderling: Berlin Symphony Orch. [Berlin]
Vanska: Lahti Symphony Orch. [BIS]

I have always been very curious about the Blomstedt and Bernstein versions. Many folks on the 'other' website only swear by the Bernstein version but people there tend to live in the pass and remember Lenny fondly because he was such a big figure back in the youth. That is why I have always been cautious about that version. But if anyone on this forum tell that this is the version then I will definitively take back my words and believe it :).

Matt.

[Seán]

I did not buy any versions of Sibelius 5 as I own enough at this stage. The different versions of the Sibelius Symphony No. 5 that I own (in alphabetical order) are;

Ashkenazy: Philharmonia Orch. [Decca]
Berglund: Helsinki Philharmonic Orch. [EMI]
Bernstein: New York Phil. Orch. [Sony]
Blomstedt: San Francisco Symphony Orch. [Decca]
Davis: Boston Symphony Orch. [Philips]
Davis: London Symphony Orch. [RCA]
Jansons: Oslo Philharmonic Orch. [EMI]
von Karajan: Berlin Philharmonic Orch. [DG]
von Karajan: Berlin Philharmonic Orch. [EMI]
Sakari: Iceland Symphony Orch. [Naxos]
Sanderling: Berlin Symphony Orch. [Berlin]
Vanska: Lahti Symphony Orch. [BIS]

I have always been very curious about the Blomstedt and Bernstein versions. Many folks on the 'other' website only swear by the Bernstein version but people there tend to live in the pass and remember Lenny fondly because he was such a big figure back in the youth. That is why I have always been cautious about that version. But if anyone on this forum tell that this is the version then I will definitively take back my words and believe it :).

Matt.

Matt, I love Bernstein's cycle with the NYPO, it's my favourite.

[ravel30]

I did not buy any versions of Sibelius 5 as I own enough at this stage. The different versions of the Sibelius Symphony No. 5 that I own (in alphabetical order) are;

Ashkenazy: Philharmonia Orch. [Decca]
Berglund: Helsinki Philharmonic Orch. [EMI]
Bernstein: New York Phil. Orch. [Sony]
Blomstedt: San Francisco Symphony Orch. [Decca]
Davis: Boston Symphony Orch. [Philips]
Davis: London Symphony Orch. [RCA]
Jansons: Oslo Philharmonic Orch. [EMI]
von Karajan: Berlin Philharmonic Orch. [DG]
von Karajan: Berlin Philharmonic Orch. [EMI]
Sakari: Iceland Symphony Orch. [Naxos]
Sanderling: Berlin Symphony Orch. [Berlin]
Vanska: Lahti Symphony Orch. [BIS]

I have always been very curious about the Blomstedt and Bernstein versions. Many folks on the 'other' website only swear by the Bernstein version but people there tend to live in the pass and remember Lenny fondly because he was such a big figure back in the youth. That is why I have always been cautious about that version. But if anyone on this forum tell that this is the version then I will definitively take back my words and believe it :).

Matt.

Matt, I love Bernstein's cycle with the NYPO, it's my favourite.

I totally trust your judgement dear Sean. So now I am totally looking for a copy of this recording.

Matt.

[Seán]

Matt, I love Bernstein's cycle with the NYPO, it's my favourite.

I totally trust your judgement dear Sean. So now I am totally looking for a copy of this recording.

Matt.

Thank you, young man. I do like the Blomstedt too, in fact I like all his work.

The Bernstein 60 CD set is still available on jpc.de for 69.99 in mickey mouse money. http://www.jpc.de/jpcng/classic/detail/ ... um/4699494
It is a splendid set, it contains complete Beethoven, Brahms, Mahler, Schumann, Sibelius and Tchaikovsky cycles with the NYPO, his Shostakovich performances are marvellous too.

Beethoven: Symphonien Nr. 1-9
Bernstein: Symphonien Nr. 1-3 ("Jeremiah","The Age of Anxiety","Kaddish")
Bizet: Symphonie C-Dur
Blitzstein: The Airborne Symphony
Brahms: Symphonien Nr. 1-4
Bruckner: Symphonie Nr. 9
Copland: Symphonie Nr. 3
Chavez: Symphonie Nr. 2 "Sinfonia India"
Diamond: Symphonie Nr. 4
Dvorak: Symphonien Nr. 7 & 9
Franck: Symphonie d-moll
Goldmark: Symphonie "Ländliche Hochzeit" op. 26
Harris: Symphonie Nr. 3
Haydn: Symphonien Nr. 82-88, 93-104
Hindemith: Symphonie in Es
Ives: Symphonien Nr. 2 & 3
Liszt: Faust Symphonie
Mahler: Symphonien Nr. 1-9; Adagio aus Symphonie Nr. 10
Mendelssohn: Symphonien Nr. 3-5
Mozart: Symphonien Nr. 3, 36, 39-41
Nielsen: Symphonien Nr. 2-5
Prokofieff: Symphonie Nr. 1 & 5
Roussel: Symphonie Nr. 3
Saint-Saens: Symphonie Nr. 3 "Orgelsymphonie"
Schubert: Symphonien Nr. 5, 8,9
Schumann: Symphonien Nr. 1-4
Schuman: Symphonien Nr. 3, 5,8
Shapero: Symphony for Classical Orchestra
Strawinsky: Psalmensymphonie
Schostakowitsch: Symphonien Nr. 1, 5-7, 9, 14
Sibelius: Symphonien Nr. 1-7
Tschaikowsky: Symphonien Nr. 1-6
Thompson: Symphonie Nr. 2
Vaughan-Williams: Symphonie Nr. 4
New York PO, London SO, Royal Danish Orchestra,
Leonard Bernstein

[fergus]

I have always been very curious about the Blomstedt and Bernstein versions. Many folks on the 'other' website only swear by the Bernstein version but people there tend to live in the pass and remember Lenny fondly because he was such a big figure back in the youth. That is why I have always been cautious about that version. But if anyone on this forum tell that this is the version then I will definitively take back my words and believe it :).

Matt.

The Bernstein cycle is wonderful Matt and to be honest I also think that Symphony No. 5 is the best performance of that cycle as well!!

[bombasticDarren]

^^ another emphatic thumbs-up for the Bernstein set here!

[Fran]

I'm looking forward to this one - as you know, I'm a newbie to CM, know pretty much nothing about it. I enjoyed the 4 seasons versions, plus the info too. To the best of my knowledge, I've never heard any Sibelius at all - so it will be interesting to come to it from a point of absolute ignorance.


Looking forward to it!!


Fran

[ravel30]

I'm looking forward to this one - as you know, I'm a newbie to CM, know pretty much nothing about it. I enjoyed the 4 seasons versions, plus the info too. To the best of my knowledge, I've never heard any Sibelius at all - so it will be interesting to come to it from a point of absolute ignorance.


Looking forward to it!!


Fran

Nice to read that Fran. I hope my thread will create another Sibelius convert. I think that his 5th is a good place to start.

[fergus]

I'm looking forward to this one - as you know, I'm a newbie to CM, know pretty much nothing about it. I enjoyed the 4 seasons versions, plus the info too. To the best of my knowledge, I've never heard any Sibelius at all - so it will be interesting to come to it from a point of absolute ignorance.
Looking forward to it!!
Fran

The music of Sibelius is a fascinating sound world Fran and it is really very accessible too. In a way I envy someone in your position who is only coming to him for the first time as there is so much to enjoy there! I am sure that you will enjoy it.

[Seán]

In 2008, I was mainly exploring Mahler's Marvellous Musical world however, I did buy other orchestral music too: Schumann, Rachmaninov and Sibelius immediately come to mind, since then I have drifted away from the first two but I am deeply passionate about the latter.

My introduction to Sibelius was the Sanderling/Berlin Symphony Orchestra set on Brilliant Classics:



To my ear this is a very underrated set of readings as all of them are consistently good. On buying the set the first symphony I listened to was the Fifth and I fell in love with it straight away, it's glorious, sweeping, magestic sound and huge dynamic range complimented by lovely melodic tunes, had me hooked, it's great music.
These performances are very well recorded, it was initially issued on the Edel Classics label. It is usually available in Tower Records too and is inexpensive. For the past 4 years now I have listened to the music of Jean Sibelius on a regular basis, I wouldn't be without it.

To all newbies: welcome to the glorious sound landscape of Jean Sibelius.