Sibelius: Symphonies Nos. 2 & 3 [Import]

Jean Sibelius (Composer), Osmo Vänskä (Conductor), Lahti Symphony Orchestra (Orchestra) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Orchestra: Lahti Symphony Orchestra
• Conductor: Osmo Vänskä
• Composer: Jean Sibelius
• Audio CD (August 5, 2000)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: Bis
• ASIN: B0000016PI
• Also Available in: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #422,909 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op. 43: 1. Allegretto

2. Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op. 43: 2. Tempo Andante, ma rubato

3. Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op. 43: 3. Vivacissimo - attacca -

4. Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op. 43: 4. Finale. Allegro moderato

5. Symphony No. 3 in C major, Op. 52: 1. Allegro moderato

6. Symphony No. 3 in C major, Op. 52: 2. Andantino con moto, quasi allegretto

7. Symphony No. 3 in C major, Op. 52: 3. Moderato - Allegretto (ma non tanto)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Revealed Sibelius, November 14, 1999

By 

Massimo Marullo (Messina, Italy) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sibelius: Symphonies Nos. 2 & 3 (Audio CD)

The second and the third symphonies are among the most popular works of Jean Sibelius, and it's a true and pleasant surprise to notice that a symphonic group of a small city as Lathi and a conductor not yet belonging to the star-system like Osmo Vanska has succeeded in offering a really original interpretation of these works, perhaps the best today available on CD. Accustomed to the somptuos but sometimes rhetorics interpretations of some great conductors (Karajan, Maazel, Davis, Ormandy, Jarvi, etc.) in wich we can find, together to moments of big charm, some trespasses (especially in the second symphony) to superficiality, the interpretative approach of Vanska and the Lathi Symphony Orchestra appears revealing: never before we have noticed a care of the particular so deep and an idiomatic language so absolute to make perfectly sensitive the "white heat" so typical of the Finnish composer, to testimony of a study really meticolous and accurate of the score from the interpreters. The splendid quality of the recording makes once more recommended the acquisition of this CD. Thanks to the Lathi Symphony Orchestra, to its conductor Osmo Vanska and to Bis for have given us this splendid and fundamental recording.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Sober Second, Very Fine Third, March 26, 2007

By 

Moldyoldie (Motown, USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Sibelius: Symphonies Nos. 2 & 3 (Audio CD)

The Symphony No. 2 is probably Sibelius' most popular and it receives a very broad and expansive rendering here -- much too sober and polite to recommend for a novice. The limitations of the orchestra are apparent, but the performance is committed if somewhat episodic and lacking natural flow. My favorite recording of No. 2 is by John Barbirolli and the Royal Philharmonic on the Chesky label, which I'd wholeheartedly recommend.

The No. 3 here is a personal favorite with a beautifully melodic and melancholy middle movement. This digital disc is also warmly and transparently recorded, adding the needed resonance to these mostly cool performances.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Now we're talking, March 29, 2010

By 

Christopher Culver - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Sibelius: Symphonies Nos. 2 & 3 (Audio CD)

I've never been a big fan of Sibelius' Symphony No. 1. It's OK, but a bit too generic Romantic, brash and unfocused. For me, it is with the Second that one of the greatest of all symphony cycles begins. On this BIS disc, we have the Second and Third performed by the Lahti Symphony Orchestra and conductor Osmo Vanska.

The Symphony No. 2 (1902, rev. 1903) is an excellent example of Sibelius' principle of organic growth. Four movements, where the first sets out a very basic three-note motif, the second introduces an antagonistic theme, the third is a brief bridge and the fourth reconciles the two moods. But not only is that three-note motif expanded into an elegant theme in the final movement, but Sibelius goes beyond what could have been the ending into ecstatic arabesques. The Symphony No. 3 (1907) subjects Sibelius' Nordic idiom to the disciple of classical clarity. The lighter scoring and the greater emphasis on rhythm offer something very new beyond the Second. But what I especially appreciate about the Third is how complex its organic development is, with the third movement especially seeming completely natural yet impervious to analysis. I feel the incredible developments of the Seventh with its cohesive one-movement form are foreshadowed here.

Vanska's Sibelius cycle is the one to go to for several reasons. For one, Vanska uses Sibelius' own metronome markings, grounding the performance in the desires of the composer instead of the Romantic excess of certain other conductors. BIS' sound is also crystal-clear, preserving a powerful sense of space. And the Lahti Symphony Orchestra give a flawless performance. All of Vanska's Sibelius deserves to be heard, not just the Second and Third. I would therefore recommend the box set which BIS later released of all seven symphonies and "Tapiola".