Bernstein Sibelius (Remastered Edition) Phyllis Curtin

• Jean Sibelius (1865–1957): Symphony No. 1 in E Minor, Op. 39
• 1 I. Andante ma non troppo - Allegro energico 10:31
• 2 II. Andante 09:16
• 3 III. Scherzo - Allegro 05:05
• 4 IV. Finale - Quasi una Fantasia 11:45
• Luonnotar for Soprano and Orchestra, Op. 70
• 5 Luonnotar for Soprano and Orchestra, Op. 70 08:11
• Symphony No. 2 in D Major, Op. 43
• 6 I. Allegretto 09:30
• 7 II. Tempo andante ma rubato 14:50
• 8 III. Vivacissimo - Lento e suave 05:42
• 9 IV. Finale - Allegro moderato 14:35
• Symphony No. 3 in C Major, Op. 52
• 10 I. Allegro moderato 10:00
• 11 II. Andantino con moto, quasi allegretto 08:31
• 12 III. Moderato - Allegro ma non tanto 08:00
• Symphony No. 4 in A Minor, Op. 63
• 13 I. Tempo molto moderato, quasi adagio 11:09
• 14 II. Allegro molto vivace 05:24
• 15 III. Il tempo largo 11:19
• 16 IV. Allegro 11:34
• Symphony No. 5 in E-Flat Major, Op. 82
• 17 I. Molto moderato - Allegro moderato - Presto 13:16
• 18 II. Andante mosso, quasi allegretto 09:55
• 19 III. Allegro molto 09:38
• Pohjola's Daughter, Op. 49
• 20 Pohjola's Daughter, Op. 49 12:37
• Symphony No. 6 in D Minor, Op. 104
• 21 I. Allegro molto moderato 08:08
• 22 II. Allegretto moderato 05:38
• 23 III. Poco vivace 03:59
• 24 IV. Allegro molto 08:56
• Symphony No. 7 in C Major, Op. 105
• 25 Symphony No. 7 in C Major, Op. 105 22:46
• Concerto in D Minor for Violin and Orchestra, Op. 47
• 26 I. Allegro moderato 14:07
• 27 II. Adagio di molto 07:04
• 28 III. Allegro, ma non tanto 07:03
• Concerto No. 1 in G Minor for Violin and Orchestra, Op. 26
• 29 I. Vorspiel - Allegro moderato 07:55
• 30 II. Adagio 07:53
• 31 III. Finale - Allegro energico 06:40
• Edvard Grieg (1843–1907): Peer Gynt Suite No. 1, Op. 46
• 32 I. Morning Mood 03:48
• 33 II. The Death of Åse 04:55
• 34 III. Anitra's Dance 03:36
• 35 IV. In the Hall of the Mountain King 02:31
• Peer Gynt Suite No. 2, Op. 55
• 36 I. The Abduction of the Bride - Ingrid's Lament 04:13
• 37 II. Arabian Dance 04:37
• 38 III. Peer Gynt's Homecoming - Stormy Evening on the Sea 02:58
• 39 IV. Solveig's Song 05:32
• Jean Sibelius: Finlandia, Op. 26
• 40 Finlandia, Op. 26 07:39
• Valse Triste, Op. 44
• 41 Valse Triste, Op. 44 05:04
• The Swan of Tuonela, Op. 22, No. 3
• 42 The Swan of Tuonela, Op. 22, No. 3 09:53
• Total Runtime 05:55:43

Info for Bernstein Sibelius (Remastered Edition)

Bernstein regarded Sibelius alongside Mahler as one of “the key turning points” in the development of the 20th century symphony, though his reputation as a Mahler exponent has overshadowed a lifelong dedication to the Finnish composer. His advocacy goes back to the time of his association with Koussevitzky, with whom he studied at Tanglewood in 1940, later becoming his assistant. At Philadelphia’s Curtis Institute in 1941, he conducted the Second Symphony. And following his sensational New York Philharmonic debut in November 1943, one of Bernstein’s first engagements was a Montreal Symphony Orchestra concert in March 1944 that included his first performance of the First.

The Finnish composer’s centenary year, 1965, brought a flurry of activity. In New York, Bernstein conducted all the symphonies in a single season (only his mentor Serge Koussevitzky had done that in the US, three decades earlier in Boston). For his efforts, Bernstein was made a Commander of the Order of the Lion by the president of Finland. By this time, he was already well into his recorded Sibelius cycle, begun in February 1961 with the Fifth Symphony, completed in May 1967 with the Sixth.

Bernstein’s Sibelius, like his teacher’s, was “warm like the sun” rather than a more orthodox evocation of cold northern soundscapes. He once called Sibelius “a great and strange kind of genius”, but in his New York cycle he favors visceral excitement over strange remoteness.

This set also contains his recording of Sibelius’s Violin Concerto with the French virtuoso Zino Francescatti. Also included are Valse triste, The Swan of Tuonela, a rather brash Finlandia, a thrilling performance of Pohjola’s Daughter and Luonnotar – Sibelius’s haunting setting of words from the Kalevala, the Finnish national epic (with American soprano Phyllis Curtin) – as well as Bernstein’s only recording of Grieg’s Peer Gynt Suites. But it’s the Sibelius symphonies that are the chief attraction here, and this often stunningly well-played, first completed stereo cycle has lost none of its freshness and authority in the half century since it was recorded.

Zino Francescatti, violin
Phyllis Curtin, soprano
New York Philharmonic Orchestra
Leonard Bernstein, conductor

Produced by Richard Killough

Remastered from the original analogue tapes in 96 kHz

No biography found.

This album contains no booklet.