Sibelius’ works are among the most mysterious and enchanting of the early 20th century. The compositions have an incredibly sensual feel beyond their cold exterior. You need a certain perseverance when stepping into his universe. There’s a kind of brutality to the way he reveals his ideas, a reflection of his great intelligence, flowing with a sense of intense concentration. Sibelius’s works influenced a whole stylistic wave of the late 20th century, beginning with the North American repetitive composers. He stands out for his gift for melodic writing totally dissimilar from his contemporaries (Kullervo, the final theme of the 5th Symphony), with a completely personal idea of orchestral material - especially with its evolution over time. In addition to this, he also has a particularly acute awareness of acoustic space. Sound is captured right to its last resonance.
A national figure in Finland, Sibelius was recognised very early on in England, a country that immediately grasped the special nature of his compositions, unlike countries in continental Europe which has always considered him a late romantic. Music lovers discovered the composer through recordings and Sibelius’s official discography is one of the densest. Not even Debussy, Ravel, Mahler, Bartók or Schönberg can boast such consistent interpretations of such high quality over the decades.
A foundation
Spring, 1930. The Finnish conductor Robert Kajanus, founder of the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra and close friend of Sibelius and the painter Akseli Gallen-Kallela, was in London. Instigated by Columbia, he began recording his compatriot’s major works with the London Symphony Orchestra. Between May and June, he recorded the first two symphonies. He continued two years later (in June 1932), mainly with Symphonies Nos. 3 & 5, Tapiola, and Pohjola’s Daughter. His death on July 6, 1933 prevented him from continuing his exploration of Sibelius. It was Georg Schneevoigt who finally completed the adventure in Finland with the recording of Symphony No. 6. Leopold Stokowski had recorded the 4th in Philadelphia in 1932, and HMV published a famous concert by Koussevitzky with the 7th with the BBC Symphony Orchestra in 1933, completing the first complete set of the Finnish Symphonies. Even more so than those of his pioneering colleagues mentioned above, Kajanus’ recordings plunge us into the heart of a sonic world of brilliant rhythmic forcefulness, which never dulls the narrative power of the works and the genius of the atmospheres that is so unique to Sibelius. The “American” Sibelius performers, from Ormandy to Bernstein to Maazel, will long recall Kajanus’ pioneering gesture.
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Christian Ferras Sibelius: Violin Concerto; Finlandia; Tapiola
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Herbert von Karajan Sibelius : Symphonies Nos. 4, 7 - Valse triste
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Herbert von Karajan Sibelius: Symphonies Nos. 5 & 6, The Swan of Tuonela
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Wiener Philharmonic Orchestra Sibelius: Complete Recordings on Deutsche Grammophon
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Ernest Ansermet Ernest Ansermet: Decca Recordings 1953/1967
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Salvatore Accardo Sibelius : Violin Concerto - Six Humoresques
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Herbert von Karajan Sibelius : Popular Tone Poems (2002 Remaster)
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Antal Doráti Sibelius: Tone Poems, Songs
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Isaac Stern Sibelius, J.: Violin Concerto / Scenes Historiques Ii (Stern, Beecham) (1950-1952)
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Philadelphia Orchestra Sibelius: En Saga, Pohjola's Daughter, The Oceanides, Tapiola
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Philadelphia Orchestra Sibelius, J.: Symphonies Nos. 4, 5 (Ormandy) (1954)
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Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Robert Kajanus dirige Sibelius (volume 1)
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London Symphony Orchestra Robert Kajanus dirige Sibelius (Volume 2)
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London Symphony Orchestra Robert Kajanus dirige Sibelius (Volume 3)
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Philadelphia Orchestra Symphonies n°4, n°6 et n°7
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Sir Adrian Boult Sibelius: Tone Poems (selection)
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Jean Sibelius Sibelius: Symphonies Nos. 1 & 5 - Pohjola's Daughter (Recorded 1956 & 1958)
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Herbert von Karajan Sibelius: Symphony No. 2 (Édition Studio Masters)
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Herbert von Karajan Sibelius: Symphony No. 5, Finlandia
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Hallé Orchestra Sibelius: Symphony No. 3
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Hallé Orchestra Sibelius: Symphony No. 2
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Hallé Orchestra Sibelius: Symphony No. 1
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London Symphony Orchestra Sibelius: Violin Concerto in D Minor & Tapiola
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Leonard Bernstein Bernstein Sibelius - The Symphonies
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Paavo Berglund Sibelius: Kullervo, Tone Poems, Serenades for Violin
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Thomas Beecham Sibelius: Symphony No. 7, The Oceanides, Tapiola, etc.
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Paavo Berglund Sibelius: Symphonies Nos. 1-7, Tapiola, Karelia Suite, Finlandia, The Bard, The Swan of Tuonela
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Herbert von Karajan Sibelius: Symphony No. 6, Op. 104
Artists
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Béla Bartók
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Leonard Bernstein
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Johannes Brahms
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Claude Debussy
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Gustav Mahler
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Ottorino Respighi
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Arnold Schönberg
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Jean Sibelius
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Robert Kajanus
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Lorin Maazel
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Léopold Stokowski
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Jascha Heifetz
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Herbert von Karajan
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Christian Ferras
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Eugene Ormandy
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Isaac Stern
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Paavo Berglund
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London Symphony Orchestra
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Sir Adrian Boult
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Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra
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BBC Symphony Orchestra
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Salvatore Accardo
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Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra
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Sir Charles Groves
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Hallé Orchestra
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Richard Wagner
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Serge Koussevitzky
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Thomas Jensen
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Sir Malcolm Sargent
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Ernest Ansermet
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Okko Kamu
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Jussi Jalas
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Ravel
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Georg Schneevoigt
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Tauno Hannikainen
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Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra and Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra
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Karelia
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Sir John Barbirolli
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Tossy Spivakovsky
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Sir Thomas Beecham/Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
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Wiener Philharmonic Orchestra
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Herbert Von Karajan, Philharmonia Orchestra