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Historical Recordings 1928-1948 : Kajanus / Sibelius / Boult / etc (7CD)

Sibelius (1865-1957)

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Item Details

Genre
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Catalogue Number
:
2564605317
Number of Discs
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7
Label
:
Format
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CD
Other
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Import

Product Description

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 Pellas et Mlisande. 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.

Track List   

Disc   1

  • 01. Symphony No.1 in E Minor, Op.39 : I Andante, Ma Non Troppo - Allegro Energico
  • 02. Symphony No.1 in E Minor, Op.39 : II Andante (Ma Non Troppo Lento)
  • 03. Symphony No.1 in E Minor, Op.39 : III Scherzo: Allegro Ma Non Troppo
  • 04. Symphony No.1 in E Minor, Op.39 : IV Finale (Quasi Una Fantasia)
  • 05. Symphony No.2 in D, Op.43 : I Allegretto
  • 06. Symphony No.2 in D, Op.43 : II Tempo Andante, Ma Rubato
  • 07. Symphony No.2 in D, Op.43 : III Vivacissimo
  • 08. Symphony No.2 in D, Op.43 : IV Finale: Allegro Moderato

Disc   2

  • 01. Symphony No.3 in C, Op.52 : I Allegro Moderato
  • 02. Symphony No.3 in C, Op.52 : I Andantino Con Moto, Quasi Allegretto
  • 03. Symphony No.3 in C, Op.52 : II Moderato - Allegro (Ma Non Tanto)
  • 04. Symphony No.5 in E Flat, Op.82 : I Tempo Molto Moderato - Largamente - Allegro Moderato - Presto
  • 05. Symphony No.5 in E Flat, Op.82 : II Andante Mosso, Quasi Allegretto
  • 06. Symphony No.5 in E Flat, Op.82 : III Allegro Molto - Un Pochettino Largamente
  • 07. Karelia Suite, Op.11 : I Intermezzo
  • 08. Karelia Suite, Op.11 : III Alla Marcia
  • 09. March of the Finnish Jaeger Battalion, Op.91A
  • 10. Andante Festivo (1924)

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1920-45年頃の録音ですが、大変奇麗な音に...

投稿日:2018/03/04 (日)

1920-45年頃の録音ですが、大変奇麗な音になっています。LPで聴いていた時とは、全く音質が違っています。デジタル技術の素晴らしさを実感しました。 そのお陰で、オーケストラの細部まで良く聞こえ、感動しました。

RN さん | 東京都 | 不明

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