Paavo Berglund
Conductor Paavo Berglund transformed several orchestras into world-class ensembles over his long career. Known as a perfectionist, he specialized in the music of Sibelius and made three complete recordings of his symphonies.
Berglund was born in Helsinki on April 14, 1929. His first instrument was the violin, which he took up at age 11, playing an instrument built by his grandfather. Berglund worked at an iron factory during World War II and began his musical career playing in dance orchestras in 1945 and for military officers' dinners the following year. He studied violin at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, and in 1949, he became a member of the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra. Hearing the Vienna Philharmonic on tour in Finland under conductor Wilhelm Furtwängler, he developed an interest in conducting himself. Berglund traveled to Vienna and was allowed to attend rehearsals and recording sessions of the Vienna Philharmonic and Vienna Radio Symphony. He was in attendance when Furtwängler recorded Smetana's Die Moldau, later naming his own recording of that work as his favorite among his albums.
In the mid-1950s, Berglund became the assistant conductor of the Finnish Radio Symphony, and he was made its chief conductor in 1962. Known as a dictator on the podium, he vastly improved that group's quality. He repeated the feat with England's Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, which he frequently conducted as a guest in the late 1960s, and of which he became the principal conductor in 1972. With that group, he made the first recording of the Sibelius tone poem Kullervo in 1970. Berglund earned recognition as a Sibelius specialist, recording his complete symphonies three times (with the Helsinki Philharmonic, the Bournemouth Symphony, and the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, in a lighter sort of reading that he came to favor later in life). He studied Sibelius' symphonies intensively and sometimes made controversial changes to their scoring, but his repertory was wide and included music by other Scandinavian composers as well as works by Vaughan Williams, Shostakovich, Britten, and more. Berglund served as the principal conductor of the Helsinki Philharmonic from 1975 to 1979. In 1979, he left both his Helsinki and Bournemouth posts, spending several years as a jet-setting guest conductor. He made his U.S. debut with the American Symphony Orchestra in 1978. In 1983, he began a stint as the principal conductor of the Royal Danish Orchestra in Copenhagen, and from 1987 to 1991, he was the principal conductor of the Stockholm Philharmonic in Sweden. He remained active into old age and the 21st century, giving his last concert in Paris in 2007 with the French Radio Philharmonic Orchestra. Berglund died in Helsinki on January 25, 2012.
Berglund left more than 100 recordings, several of which were classics that were repeated. He recorded with most of the ensembles he headed as principal conductor, issuing albums not only of Romantic and early 20th century repertory but of works by contemporary composer Joonas Kokkonen.
© James Manheim /TiVo
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The Popular Sibelius: Finlandia, Valse triste, Karelia, The Swan of Tuonela, Lemminkäinen's Return, King Christian II...
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on 8 Dec 2023
24-Bit 192.0 kHz - Stereo -
Sibelius : Symphonies 1-7
The Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Paavo Berglund
Symphonies - Released by Fazer Records - Finlandia on 10 Nov 1997
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Sibelius: Symphonies Nos. 1-7, Tapiola, Karelia Suite, Finlandia, The Bard, The Swan of Tuonela
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on 7 Jan 2005
The Qobuz Essential Discography16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Sibelius: Violin Concerto, Serenades & Humoreske No. 5
Ida Haendel, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, Paavo Berglund
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on 1 Jan 1976
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Shostakovich: Symphonies Nos. 6, 10 & 11 "1905"
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on 16 Feb 2024
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Sibelius: Kullervo, Tone Poems, Serenades for Violin
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on 6 Oct 2008
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Rimsky-Korsakov: The Golden Cockerel - Prokofiev: Summer Night, Op. 123
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on 20 Mar 2024
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No. 3 & 5 Études-Tableaux
Leif Ove Andsnes, Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, Paavo Berglund
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on 24 Nov 1995
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Grieg: Peer Gynt Suites, Symphonic Dances & Old Norwegian Melody
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on 25 Nov 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Sibelius: Symphonies & Tone Poems
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on 18 Aug 2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Smetana: Má Vlast - Dvořák: Slavonic Rhapsody No. 3 & Scherzo capriccioso
Paavo Berglund, Staatskapelle Dresden
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on 23 Feb 2024
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Shostakovich: Cello Concerto No. 1 & Violin Concerto No. 1
Paul Tortelier, David Oïstrakh, Paavo Berglund, Maxim Shostakovich
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on 8 Jan 2007
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Shostakovich: Symphony No. 8
Russian National Orchestra, Paavo Berglund
Classical - Released by PentaTone on 1 Jan 2006
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Shostakovich: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 and 2, Symphony No. 1 & Three Fantastic Dances
Cristina Ortiz, Paavo Berglund, Efrem Kurtz
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on 25 Nov 2005
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Shostakovich: Symphonies Nos. 7 "Leningrad" & 11 "The Year 1905"
Paavo Berglund, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on 1 May 2000
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Sibelius: Orchestral Works
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on 1 May 1997
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Nielsen: Symphony No. 5, Op. 50 - Alfvén: Swedish Rhapsody No. 1, Op. 19 - Järnefelt: Praeludium
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on 19 Jan 2024
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Brahms : Symphonies (Intégrale)
The Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Paavo Berglund
Symphonies - Released by Ondine on 1 Jan 2001
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Dvorak : Cello Concerto/Brahms : Double Concerto
Paul Tortelier, Yehudi Menuhin, Paavo Berglund, André Previn
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on 15 Jan 2003
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Sibelius: Sinfonie No. 6 / Der Schwan von Tuonela
Rundfunk Sinfonieorchester Berlin, Paavo Berglund
Symphonic Music - Released by Eterna on 1 Jan 1971
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Brahms : Symphonies (Intégrale)
The Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Paavo Berglund
Symphonies - Released by Ondine on 1 Jan 2001
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo