Sibelius: The Complete Tone Poems

Jean Sibelius (Composer), Alexander Gibson (Conductor), Wilfred Wilson Gibson (Conductor), Scottish National Orchestra (Orchestra), Phyllis Bryn-Julson (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Phyllis Bryn-Julson
• Orchestra: Scottish National Orchestra
• Conductor: Alexander Gibson, Wilfred Wilson Gibson
• Composer: Jean Sibelius
• Audio CD (October 28, 1992)
• SPARS Code: ADD
• Number of Discs: 2
• Label: Chandos
• ASIN: B000000AD9
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #302,575 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

Disc: 1

1. En Saga Op.9 - Sibelius

2. Luonnotar Op.70 - Sibelius

3. Finlandia Op.16 No.7 - Sibelius

4. Spring Song Op.16 - Sibelius

5. The Bard Op.64 - Sibelius

6. The Dryad Op.45 No.1 - Sibelius

Disc: 2

1. Pohjola's Daughter, Op. 49 - Jean Sibelius

2. Night-Ride and Sunrise. Op. 55 - Jean Sibelius

3. The Oceanides, Op. 73 - Jean Sibelius

4. Tapiola, Op. 112 - Jean Sibelius

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must have for any Sibelius fan, June 17, 2000

By 

SJR (Wichita, Kansas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sibelius: The Complete Tone Poems (Audio CD)

It is rare to find this many of Sibelius' tone poems in one collection. And Gibson and the SNO give very good performances of these tone poems. I was particularly impressed with Spring Song, a Sibelius gem with which I had not been familiar...very moving and uplifting. All-in-all, a good addition to your Sibelius library.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lovely, June 26, 2008

By 

David Saemann - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sibelius: The Complete Tone Poems (Audio CD)

It's worth noting that this collection, recorded in 1977 and issued on CD in 1985, has been reissued with remastered sound in 2005. I am reviewing this issue of the set because this is the one I have. The sound is a little disappointing for Chandos. It has a very good dynamic range, but sounds rather muffled in places. Nevertheless, for a remastered analog recording, it sounds pretty good. Sir Alexander Gibson was a rare Sibelius conductor. Unlike those musicians who pretty much restrict themselves to the Symphonies, Gibson's take on Sibelius was quite intimate, and no matter how insignificant the work, he always produced a very telling realization. It is amazing how evocative pieces like The Bard and The Dryad, almost ephemera, become in his hands. His tempos can be quite quick, the quickest since Sibelius's friend Robert Kajanus. Tapiola is very effective, even though it takes just 15 and 1/2 minutes. Colin Davis takes 5 minutes more. Finlandia rattles along at quite a clip, also. My first experience of Gibson conducting Sibelius was a remarkable RCA Gold Seal LP of the Scenes Historiques, Raskatava, and the gorgeous Valse Lyrique (all now on CD). This set of the tone poems is nearly as good, and that really says something.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An absolutely fabulous collection!, April 15, 2004

By 

chefdevergue (Spokane, WA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Sibelius: The Complete Tone Poems (Audio CD)

I don't like to throw the superlatives like "definitive" around too much, but I am very much tempted to do so in this case. First of all, it is not often that one finds all of Sibelius' tone poems in a single collection of any quality whatsoever. Secondly, even recordings of single tone poems rarely match the quality of these performances.

Like the previous reviewer, I was not well-acquainted with "Spring Song," and was glad to become familiar with this relatively obscure gem. As far as the usual warhouses, Gibson & the SNO remind us just how thoroughly Sibelius made the genre of the tone poem his own and raised it to levels not dreamed of by composers such as Liszt. Listen to the first 3 1/2 minutes of "Pohjola's Daughter" and tell me that it isn't the most perfectly composed music, of any period or genre, that you have ever heard.

It amazes me that my review is only the second of this collection, considering that it has been available for a considerable amount of time. Get this collection! It is simply fabulous music from beginning to end, and shows Sibelius at his best.