Jean Sibelius Edition / Various Jean Sibelius Edition / Various CD

Sibelius' personal choice for the recordings of symphonies No.s 1 and 2, made in London in 1930 with the Orchestra of the Royal Philharmonic Society, and which were followed by the recordings of No.s 3 and 5 in 1932. Symphony No 4 is conducted by Sir Thomas Beecham (with the London Philharmonic Orchestra in 1937), while Symphony No 7 is conducted by Serge Koussevitzky (a live recording with the BBC Symphony in London 1933). After Kajanus died in 1933, Sibelius said: "Of the men who play my music today, and whose performances I have heard, I prefer Beecham and Koussevitzky. Of Koussevitzky I have heard only the Seventh Symphony records published by the Sibelius Society, but with those I am entirely delighted. Beecham's performances have come to me by wireless [radio], and they are superb. He is a remarkable man. It gives me the deepest pleasure and satisfaction to see how great an interest he takes in my music and to know that it is he who is playing so much of music to the British public." Both Beecham and Koussevitzky were powerful advocates of the composer's music - Beecham in the UK and on his international tours, Koussevitzky in the US as chief conductor of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, a post he held for 25 years. Symphony No 6 is conducted by Georg Schneevoigt - a Finn and a close friend of Sibelius, who also leads the performance of the tone poem Luonnotar, which features the soprano Helmi Liukkonen; drawing like the majority of Sibelius' tone poems on the Finnish national epic, the Kalevala, it is a stunning piece that describes the creation of the world. In addition to these works, this box offers much more of the 'essential Sibelius': the Violin Concerto, to which Jascha Heifetz (conducted by Beecham) brings his characteristic fusion of fire and ice; eight more of the tone poems, including Finlandia, which famously gave expression to Finland's defiance of Russian domination at the time of it's composition (1899); movements from the Karelia Suite; Valse Triste and extracts from his music for Maeterlinck's play Pell?as et M?lisande. Complementing these are a number of lesser-known works, such as the incidental music to Hjalmar Procop?'s play Belshazzar's Feast, the string quartet "Voces intimae" and several small-scale pieces for piano, violin, cello and voice. Other performers featured in the box include: the Budapest String Quartet, the soprano Auliki Rautavaara, the violinist Emil Telmnyi, the pianists Eileen Joyce and Gerald Moore and the Orchestra of the Royal Philharmonic Society, the London Symphony Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, Finnish Radio Orchestra and Stockholm Opera House Orchestra. The legendary producer Walter Legge was a driving force behind many of the most celebrated recordings in this box, and he was personally in charge of the recording sessions with Sir Thomas Beecham. His exacting standards have been reflected in the new or recent digital remasterings - from best sources than ever at Abbey Road Studio - of all these recordings.

1. Symphony No.1 in E minor, Op.39 : I Andante, Ma Non Troppo - Allegro Energico 2. Symphony No.1 in E minor, Op.39 : II Andante (Ma Non Troppo Lento) 3. Symphony No.1 in E minor, Op.39 : III Scherzo: Allegro Ma Non Troppo 4. Symphony No.1 in E minor, Op.39 : IV Finale (Quasi Una Fantasia) 5. Symphony No.2 in D, Op.43 : I Allegretto 6. Symphony No.2 in D, Op.43 : II Tempo Andante, Ma Rubato 7. Symphony No.2 in D, Op.43 : III Vivacissimo 8. Symphony No.2 in D, Op.43 : IV Finale: Allegro Moderato 9. Symphony No.3 in C, Op.52 : I Allegro Moderato 10. Symphony No.3 in C, Op.52 : I Andantino Con Moto, Quasi Allegretto 11. Symphony No.3 in C, Op.52 : II Moderato - Allegro (Ma Non Tanto) 12. Symphony No.5 in E Flat, Op.82 : I Tempo Molto Moderato - Largamente - Allegro Moderato - Presto 13. Symphony No.5 in E Flat, Op.82 : II Andante Mosso, Quasi Allegretto 14. Symphony No.5 in E Flat, Op.82 : III Allegro Molto - Un Pochettino Largamente 15. Karelia Suite, Op.11 : I Intermezzo 16. Karelia Suite, Op.11 : III Alla Marcia 17. March of the Finnish Jaeger Battalion, Op.91A 18. Andante Festivo (1924) 19. Pohjola's Daughter, Op.49 Belshazzar's Feast - Suite, Op.51 20. I Oriental Procession 21. II Solitude 22. III Night Music 23. IV Khadra's Dance 24. Tapiola, Op.112 25. Night Ride and Sunrise, Op.55 26. The Oceanides, Op.73 27. Romance in C, Op.42 28. Symphony No.4 in a Minor, Op.63 : I Tempo Molto Moderato, Quasi Adagio 29. Symphony No.4 in a Minor, Op.63 : II Allegro Molto Vivace 30. Symphony No.4 in a Minor, Op.63 : III Il Tempo Largo 31. Symphony No.4 in a Minor, Op.63 : IV Allegro 32. Symphony No.4 in a Minor, Op.63 : The Bard, Op.64 33. The Tempest - Incidental Music, Op.109 : Prelude 34. Suite No.1 : I the Oak Tree 35. Suite No.1 : II Humoresque 36. Suite No.1 : III Caliban's Song 37. Suite No.1 : VII Intrada - Berceuse 38. Suite No.2 : IV Prospero 39. Suite No.2 : VI Miranda 40. Pell?as Et M?lisande - Incidental Music, Op.46 : IV a Spring in the Park 41. Pell?as Et M?lisande - Incidental Music, Op.46 : VIII Entr'acte 42. Pell?as Et M?lisande - Incidental Music, Op.46 : IX Death of M?lisande 43. In Memoriam: Funeral March, Op.59 44. Luonnotar, Op.70 45. Symphony No.6 in D Minor, Op.104 : I Allegro Molto Moderato 46. Symphony No.6 in D Minor, Op.104 : II Allegretto Moderato 47. Symphony No.6 in D Minor, Op.104 : III Poco Vivace 48. Symphony No.6 in D Minor, Op.104 : IV Allegro - Allegro Assai 49. Symphony No.7 in C, Op.105 : Adagio 50. Symphony No.7 in C, Op.105 : Un Pochettino Meno Adagio - Vivacissimo - Adagio 51. Symphony No.7 in C, Op.105 : Allegro Molto Moderato 52. Symphony No.7 in C, Op.105 : Vivace - Presto - Adagio 53. King Christian II - Suite, Op.27 : I Nocturne 54. King Christian II - Suite, Op.27 : II Elegy 55. King Christian II - Suite, Op.27 : III Ballade 56. Violin Concerto in D Minor, Op.47 : I Allegro Moderato 57. Violin Concerto in D Minor, Op.47 : II Adagio Di Molto 58. Violin Concerto in D Minor, Op.47 : III Allegro Ma Non Tanto 59. En Saga, Op.9 60. The Return of Lemmink?inen, Op.22 No.4 61. Sc?nes Historiques, Op.25 : III Festivo 62. Sc?nes Historiques, Op.25 : Finlandia, Op.26 63. Sc?nes Historiques, Op.25 : Kuolema, Op.44 I Valse Triste 64. Karelia Suite, Op.11 : I Intermezzo 65. String Quartet in D Minor, Op.56 "Voces Intimae" : I Andante - Allegro Molto Moderato 66. String Quartet in D Minor, Op.56 "Voces Intimae" : II Vivace 67. String Quartet in D Minor, Op.56 "Voces Intimae" : III Adagio Di Molto 68. String Quartet in D Minor, Op.56 "Voces Intimae" : IV Allegretto (Ma Pesante) 69. String Quartet in D Minor, Op.56 "Voces Intimae" : V Allegro 70. Romance in F, Op.78 No.2 71. Danse Champ?tre, Op.106 No.2 72. Danse Champ?tre, Op.106 No.1 73. Mazurka, Op.81 No.1 74. Auf Dem Herde, Op.115 No.1 75. Malinconia, Op.20 76. Romance in D Flat, Op.24 No.9 77. S?V, S?V, Susa (Sigh, Rushes, Sigh), Op.36 No.4 78. Flickan Kom Ifr?n Sin ?lsklings M÷te (The Girl Returned from Meeting Her Lover), Op.37 No.5 79. Aus Banger Brust (From a Fearful Heart), Op.50 No.4 80. Come Away, Death (Kom Nu Hit, D?D), Op.60 No.1 81. L?ngsamt Som Kv?llskyn (As Slowly As the Evening Sky), Op.61 No.1