Bernstein: Sibelius – The Complete Symphonies (4 CD, APE)

Performer: Phyllis Curtin
Orchestra: New York Philharmonic
Conductor: Leonard Bernstein
Composer: Jean Sibelius
Audio CD
SPARS Code: ADD
Number of Discs: 4
Format: APE (image+cue)
Label: Sony
Size: 1.14 GB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: yes

# Symphony No. 1 in E minor, Op. 39
Composed by Jean Sibelius
Performed by New York Philharmonic
Conducted by Leonard Bernstein

# Symphony No. 3 in C major, Op. 52
Composed by Jean Sibelius
Performed by New York Philharmonic
Conducted by Leonard Bernstein

# Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op. 43
Composed by Jean Sibelius
Performed by New York Philharmonic
Conducted by Leonard Bernstein

# Luonnotar (The Spirit of Nature), tone poem for voice & orchestra, Op. 70
Composed by Jean Sibelius
Performed by New York Philharmonic
with Phyllis Curtin
Conducted by Leonard Bernstein

# Pohjola’s Daughter (Pohjolan tytär), symphonic fantasy for orchestra, Op. 49
Composed by Jean Sibelius
Performed by New York Philharmonic
Conducted by Leonard Bernstein

# Symphony No. 4 in A minor, Op. 63
Composed by Jean Sibelius
Performed by New York Philharmonic
Conducted by Leonard Bernstein

# Symphony No. 5 in E flat major, Op. 82
Composed by Jean Sibelius
Performed by New York Philharmonic
Conducted by Leonard Bernstein

# Symphony No. 6 in D minor, Op. 104
Composed by Jean Sibelius
Performed by New York Philharmonic
Conducted by Leonard Bernstein

# Symphony No. 7 in C major, Op. 105
Composed by Jean Sibelius
Performed by New York Philharmonic
Conducted by Leonard Bernstein

Amazing Sibelius Symphonies!!

“The Complete Symphonies” captures definitive interpretations of the seven symphonies by the great Finnish composer Jean Sibelius conducted by the late maestro Leonard Bernstein.

Each symphony in this 4-disc set is presented in amazing remastered sound quality displaying full dynamic range and sharpness. The beauty of this music is definitely readily apparent from the opening notes through the very end.

In addition, the CD booklet includes a brief but highly informative essay in which the history behind each symphony is explained in just enough detail to understand its genesis.

All in all, this is a fantastic set of Sibelius’s masterful symphonies wonderfully executed by the baton of Mr. Bernstein. Applause also must be given to Sony Music for compiling these symphonies into one complete set. Bravo.

It doesn’t get much better than this.

Highly recommended!!

Maybe not my Favorite, but Much Favored

As at least one other reviewer has noted, Bernstein has been much praised for his Mahler — and I would add Haydn — but isn’t associated that much with Sibelius. I think he deserves to be, certainly on the strength of this full symphonic cycle from his New York Philharmonic days. (His later go round on the Deutsche Grammophon label was incomplete and also very much uneven, in my view.) I can’t say that any of these NYPO performances are my favorite for any single symphony, and for a full integral cycle I still swear by Colin Davis’ set with the Boston Symphony. Still, I think this is a lovely set, and Bernstein’s rendition of Pohjola’s Daughter may actually be my favorite performance of that particular work. My only complaint would be the ridiculous prices being asked for this out of print release. If these recordings ever come back in print, grab them up. They are truly fine.