Since you are interested in Sibelius: Symphonies Nos. 5 & 7 / En Saga, here is a list of other items that you may find interesting.
WAGNER
Preludes & Overtures (Incls The flying Dutchman, Tannhauser, Tristan und Isolde) Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra Amsterdam / Conducted by Yakov Kreizberg [ Pentatone SACD / SACD - released 20/Apr/2005 ] "..Great playing by an orchestra which clearly has this music in its veins conducted by a chef who seems to be born for this repertoire… for those who own a super-audio set with 5 speakers a "must". ---René Segers, Luister |
FRANZ SCHMIDT
Symphony No. 4 in C / Orchestral Music from Notre Dame Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra Amsterdam / Conducted by Yakov Kreizberg [ Pentatone SACD / SACD - released 6/Jul/2005 ] "And on top there is the superior SA-CD quality. In particular for such heavily orchestrated works this recording and reproduction technology is a blessing." ---Paul Janssen, Luister (June 2003) |
JOSEPH SCHMITT
Early Symphonies and Chamber Music The New Dutch Academy Chamber Soloists and Chamber Orchestra / Simon Murphy [ Pentatone SACD / SACD - released 15/Jun/2006 ] A fascinating new 18th century musical personality has emerged: Joseph Schmitt. |
TCHAIKOVSKY
The Nutcracker (complete ballet) Orchestra of the Bolshoi Theatre Moscow / Alexander Vedernikov [ Pentatone SACD / 2 Hybrid SACD - released 1/Feb/2007 ] "I suspect this is the Nutcracker Ballet by which all others will be judged - past and future...Performed with such professionalism and sense of place which immediately shows, "this is it"." (SA-CD.Net) |
SCHUMANN
Symphonies No.1 in B flat, Op.38 Spring & No.3 in E flat Op.97 Rhenish (rec 1970/71) Philharmonia Orchestra / Eliahu Inbal [ Pentatone SACD / SACD - released 18/Aug/2006 ] "Eliah Inbal's recording of Schumann's Symphony No. 1 was made in Brent Town Hall in London in September 1970, the Symphony No. 3 in Watford Town Hall in June of the following year. Volker Strauss was the producer and he did a fine job sonically; the... |
BRAHMS
Symphonies Nos. 2 & 3 Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra / Marek Janowski [ Pentatone SACD / Hybrid SACD - released 29/Feb/2008 ] "Pentatone gets both symphonies, with all repeats intact, on a single 80-minute disc, making this quite a bargain. The engineering, as in the previous recording of the First Symphony, is very good in all formats" (ClassicsToday 10 performance 10 sound) |
HAYDN / BEETHOVEN
Haydn: Symphonies Nos 88 & 99 / Beethoven: Symphony No 1 in C Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra / BBC Symphony Orchestra / Sir Colin Davis [ Pentatone SACD / Hybrid SACD - released 12/Apr/2005 ] "With its warmth, exuberance and pungency of detail, this is modern-instrument Haydn as its finest." Richard Wigmore, Daily Telegraph |
MAURICE RAVEL
Ravel: Daphnis et Chloe Suites 1 & 2 / Ma mere l'oye / Bolero Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra / Bernard Haitink [ Pentatone SACD / Hybrid SACD - released 20/Jun/2007 ] "I have written but one masterpiece: the Bolero. Unfortunately, it does not contain any music." As is the fate of a number of composers, Maurice Ravel owes his fame to precisely those works, which he himself did not consider to be the most important. |
MAHLER
Symphony No.5 Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra / Bernard Haitink [ Pentatone SACD / SACD - released 20/Jun/2007 ] In all its forms and facets, Gustav Mahler’s musical oeuvre is primarily symphonic. As a modern composer, he developed a gigantic orchestra to support the construction of his symphonic world, included trite stylistic devices and broke with hitherto... |
BEETHOVEN
Symphonies Nos. 1 & 3 Eroica Royal Flemish Philharmonic / Philippe Herreweghe [ Pentatone SACD / Hybrid SACD - released 1/Jun/2008 ] "Philippe Herreweghe has the better sound, hands down, and thus is the advantage of this disc. When I finished listening twice, I simply sat back with a great feeling of satisfaction. This is good Beethoven, maybe even great" (Audiophile Audition) |
KORNGOLD
Symphony in F-sharp minor / Much Ado About Nothing (Suite) Strasbourg Philharmonic Orchestra. Conducted by Marc Albrecht [ Pentatone SACD / Hybrid SACD - released 1/Dec/2010 ] "This is, hands down, the best-engineered performance of Korngold's masterful symphony yet released, and that means a lot. The suite from Much Ado About Nothing makes an ideally apt and absolutely delightful encore, but it's the performance of the... |