Sibelius: Symphonies (5 CDs for the price of 3)

Sibelius: Symphonies (5 CDs for the price of 3) cover $95.00 Out of Stock
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JEAN SIBELIUS
Sibelius: Symphonies (5 CDs for the price of 3)
Lahti Symphony Orchestra, Osmo Vänskä

[ BIS Complete Sibelius Edition / 5 CD Box Set ]

Release Date: Friday 1 April 2011

This item is currently out of stock. It may take 6 or more weeks to obtain from when you place your order as this is a specialist product.

The Seven Symphonies are undisputed treasures of 20th-century music which have fascinated great conductors and international audiences alike. They are here presented in performances by Osmo Vänskä, described in American Record Guide as 'the Sibelius interpreter de nos jours', and the eminent Lahti Symphony Orchestra, for whom he was principal conductor for 20 years.

The full symphonies are complemented by alternative versions and fragments which provide a fascinating background to the final versions. The most substantial of these is the original version of Symphony No.5, available only in this recording, which upon its original release in 1996 received a Gramophone Award for its technical qualities and was described as 'one of the most important and above all interesting records to have appeared for many years' by the same reviewer.

Also unique to this edition are the recordings of the remaining supplementary material, made under the supervision of the violinist and conductor Jaakko Kuusisto and released here for the first time.

"Osmo Vänskä's Sibelius cycle is unquestionably one of the great ones, and its qualities are well-known: extremes of tempo (the Scherzo of the First, the Largo of the Fourth), the extremely wide dynamic range (those super-duper pianissimos), and the remarkable clarity of texture produced partly by excellent playing, partly by the smallish size of the Lahti orchestra. The performances are fresh, intense, intelligent, and always idiomatic. At five discs for the price of three, you also get the original version of the Fifth Symphony in its entirety (much inferior but fascinating all the same).

However, what makes this reissue essential to all Sibelius collectors is the additional disc of early versions of movements, or bits of movements, from all of the symphonies save the Sixth. For example, there are complete alternate takes on the scherzos of the First and Fourth symphonies, and a big chunk of the second movement of the Second with a very differently harmonized and scored string chorale. There are two different attempts at the opening of the Third Symphony, with amazingly varied transitions between the first and second subjects, as well as two radically different endings of the Seventh Symphony.

In all of these cases, Sibelius' final versions are infinitely preferable to his first (or second, or third) thoughts. Hearing this material does drive home just what a perfectionist he was, and how difficult it can be for a composer to bring his material to its optimal state of expressive effectiveness. Most of the changes involve cutting unnecessary repetition, putting a firmer edge on the scoring to give the melodic outline a sharper profile, and removing superfluous figuration so that every note counts. If you know these symphonies well, you'll be enthralled and won't for a second regret purchasing this box, even if you have to give the discs you already own to a friend."
(10/10 ClassicsToday)

Tracks:

Symphony No. 1 in E minor, Op. 39
Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op. 43
Symphony No. 3 in C major, Op. 52
Symphony No. 4 in A minor, Op. 63
Symphony No. 5 in E flat major, Op. 82
Symphony No. 6 in D minor, Op. 104
Symphony No. 7 in C major, Op. 105
Symphony No. 1 in E minor, Op. 39 (Turku Sibelius Museum manuscript) (fragments)
Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op. 43 (Turku Sibelius Museum manuscript) (fragments)
Symphony No. 3 in C major, Op. 52 (manuscript HUL 0232, HUL 0230) (fragments)
Symphony No. 4 in A minor, Op. 63 (manuscript HUL 0304) (fragments)
ymphony No. 7 in C major, Op. 105 (fragments)