Posts tagged as "jean-sibelius"

Sibelius: Symphonies Nos. 1- 4

April 28, 2016

The name Anthony Collins (1893-1963) probably doesn’t mean a great deal to the majority of younger collectors but for quite a few serious Sibelius aficionados his 1950s Decca recordings hold cult status. Collins’s readings possess a red-blooded fervour and thrusting energy to which many will rightly respond.

Sibelius: En Saga; Tapiola; Finlandia; Valse triste; Violin Concerto; Four Legends

April 28, 2016

Eduard van Beinum was quite a Sibelius pioneer and collected here are his complete Sibelius recordings for Decca and Philips. The set also marks the first appearance on CD of his Violin Concerto in a 1952 performance by Jan Damen (a former leader of the Concertgebouw) and the London Philharmonic. A collector’s haven, this 2CD […]

Sibelius, R. Strauss: Songs

April 28, 2016

Tom Krause, the celebrated Finnish baritone, recorded Sibelius songs for Decca twice. These early 1960s recordings are among the most sought-after of Decca recordings and both the all-Sibelius as well as the Sibelius/Strauss LPs that he made are combined here on a single disc. The voice is fresh, youthful and hedonistic and for those unfamiliar […]

Sibelius: Tone Poems

April 22, 2016

Among the many Sibelius recordings in existence, those that have certainly been overlooked are the Okko Kamu readings of the Four Legends, Karelia Suite and two of the tone poems – The Bard and En Saga. Previously issued on a French ‘Double’ disc, they make their first significant appearance, coupled with the much-praised Sibelius readings […]

Virtuoso Violin Concertos – Sibelius, Tchaikovsky, Khachaturian

April 22, 2016

Ruggiero Ricci is in his element in these virtuoso concertos and showpieces, with both the Tchaikovsky Concerto (with Sargent) and the Scherzo plus the Sibelius Violin Concerto, being released internationally on CD for the first time. The perceptive booklet notes by Tully Potter include a biography of Ricci and (sometimes wry!) comments by the violinist […]

The Flagstad Recitals – Vol. 2: Grieg, Sibelius, Eggen, Alnaes, Lie

April 22, 2016

In her autobiography (The Flagstad Manuscript, 1952), Kirsten Flagstad tells of the joy she experienced on finding when she began to give concerts in the United States that the Americans so took to the songs of her native country and particularly of Grieg. She herself had been brought up with them and even included some […]

Sibelius: Symphony No. 2; Karelia Suite

April 18, 2016

Pierre Monteux often bemoaned the fact that he was associated with the French and Russian repertoires, to the exclusion of music from outside of those traditions. He could hardly help it; after all, it was Monteux who conducted the first and famously chaotic performance of Stravinsky’s ‘Le Sacre du printemps‘ in 1913. Nevertheless, he recorded […]

Horst Stein – The Sibelius Recordings

March 5, 2016

To mark the 150th anniversary of the birth of Sibelius, Decca Eloquence collects together the four LPs of the composer’s music that Horst Stein recorded for Decca between 1971 and 1981. They include all the important tone poems, the Second Symphony (receiving its first international release on CD) and music for the theatre. All were critically […]

Jussi Jalas – The Sibelius Recordings

March 5, 2016

Conductor Jussi Jalas (1908–1985), was closely associated with Sibelius’ music. Furthermore, he was closely associated with Sibelius’ family as he married Sibelius’ daughter, Jeanne Margareta and fathered two sons. His teachers included Pierre Monteux and he taught at the conservatory named after his father-in-law between 1945 and 1965. Later, he directed the Finnish National Opera […]