Discography of Sibelius symphony cycles
The Finnish composer Jean Sibelius (1865–1957) was one of the most important symphonists of the early twentieth century: his seven essays in the form, written between 1899–1924, are the core of his oeuvre and stalwarts of the standard concert repertoire.[1][2][3][4][5][6] Many of classical music's conductor–orchestra partnerships have recorded the complete set, colloquially known as the "Sibelius cycle".[7] Specifically, the standard cycle includes:
- Symphony No. 1 in E minor,[a] Op. 39 (1899; minor revisions 1900)
- Symphony No. 2 in D major,[b] Op. 43 (1902)
- Symphony No. 3 in C major,[c] Op. 52 (1907)
- Symphony No. 4 in A minor,[d] Op. 63 (1911)
- Symphony No. 5 in E-flat major,[e] Op. 82 (1915; major revisions 1916 and 1919)
- Symphony No. 6 in D minor,[f] Op. 104 (1923)
- Symphony No. 7 in C major,[g] Op. 105 (1924)
Although early advocates such as Robert Kajanus, Sir Thomas Beecham, and Serge Koussevitzky had conducted many of Sibelius's symphonies for gramophone in the 1930s and 1940s, none of these Sibelians recorded all seven.[24] Instead, the earliest complete traversal dates to 1953, four years before the composer's death on 20 September 1957; it is by Sixten Ehrling and the Stockholm Radio Orchestra, recorded from 1952–1953 for the Swedish label Metronome Records (released by Mercury Records in the United States). Ehrling had outpaced Anthony Collins and the London Symphony Orchestra, whose cycle—recorded from 1952–55 on Decca Records—was concurrent with Ehrling's but arrived second.[7]
Since the pioneering examples of Ehrling and Collins, the Sibelius cycle has, as of July 2021, been recorded an additional 41 times. The most recently completed (43rd) cycle, finished in 2019, is by Sir Mark Elder and The Hallé; an additional four projected cycles are in progress, according to press releases.
A number of conductors have tackled the project more than once: Paavo Berglund (1977, 1987, 1997) and Sir Colin Davis (1976, 1994, 2008) each have recorded the Sibelius cycle three times, whereas Akeo Watanabe (1962, 1981), Lorin Maazel (1968, 1992), Jukka-Pekka Saraste (1989, 1993), Leif Segerstam (1992, 2004), Neemi Järvi (1985, 2005), Vladimir Ashkenazy (1984, 2007), Pietari Inkinen (2009, 2013), Sir Simon Rattle (1987, 2015), and Osmo Vänskä (1997, 2015) have done so twice. In addition, Leonard Bernstein, Herbert von Karajan, and Eugene Ormandy frequently championed Sibelius's music: Bernstein completed a cycle with the New York Philharmonic (1967) but died in the middle of his cycle with the Vienna Philharmonic (1986–90); Karajan left three incomplete cycles, one with the Philharmonia Orchestra (1952–1960) and two with the Berlin Philharmonic (1965–1967, 1976–1981); and, Ormandy made two incomplete cycles with the Philadelphia Orchestra (1957–1960, 1972–1978).
Additionally, the Sibelius cycle can, in its non-standard form, include its "grand precursor"[25] Kullervo (Op. 7, 1892), which some commentators prefer to view as a programmatic choral symphony.[26][27][28][29][30][31] Such a perspective thus conceptualizes Kullervo as Sibelius's de facto "Symphony No. 0"[32] and accordingly expands his completed contributions to the symphonic canon from seven to eight. Eleven of the 43 cycles include Kullervo as a supplement.
Precursors: 1930–1951[]
In 1930, the Finnish government, perceiving a potentially wide audience for Sibelius's works, enlisted Britain's Columbia Graphophone Company (later merged in 1931 with HMV to form EMI) to record the First and Second symphonies.[33][34] The government's subsidization of such an artistic project (it contributed 50,000 Finnish marks)[35] was, according to Sibelius's biographer Erik Tawaststjerna, "an enlightened and at this time unprecedented gesture ... a measure of the unique importance Finland attached to Sibelius as a national figure".[36] Sibelius was permitted the choice of native-born conductor and selected his long-time interpreter, Robert Kajanus,[33][34] writing of the septuagenarian conductor:
Very many are the men who have conducted these symphonies during the last thirty years, but there are none who have gone deeper and given them more feeling and beauty than Robert Kajanus.
— Jean Sibelius, in a 1930 letter endorsing his long-time friend, Robert Kajanus, for the Columbia project[35]
The First and Second were recorded in the Westminster Central Hall on 21–23 and 27–28 May, respectively;[35][37] although the orchestra was credited as the "Royal Philharmonic Orchestra", the musicians were "largely drawn from the London Symphony [Orchestra], which could not be named for contractual reasons".[33][38]
Two years later, in 1932, the British record producer Walter Legge founded the His Master's Voice (HMV) Sibelius Society, a subscription service that promised to record "all his [Sibelius's] major works and to culminate in the forthcoming Eighth Symphony".[36] Legge enlisted Kajanus—by then in ill health[39]—to record the Third (21–22 June) and Fifth (22–23 June) symphonies at Abbey Road Studio No. 1, again with the London Symphony Orchestra (this time properly credited).[40] Each of Kajanus's recordings was a world premiere and, because of his close association with and personal selection by Sibelius, they "can generally be regarded as authoritative ... he communicates overwhelmingly a sense of total identification with the composer's mind".[41]
Legge and HMV had planned for Kajanus to complete the cycle by recording the Fourth, Sixth, and Seventh symphonies, but the maestro's death on 6 July 1933 prevented it.[36] At Sibelius's "express wish",[36] they turned to the Finnish conductor Georg Schnéevoigt to record the Fourth and the Sixth in June 1934; Schnéevoigt was touring London with the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra (it was billed as the "Finnish National Orchestra"), the principal conductorship of which he had inherited in April 1933 due to Kajanus's ill health. They recorded the Sixth in studio on 3 June (its world premiere recording) and the Fourth at a public concert on 4 June (its second recording, the premiere having been by Leopold Stokowski and the Philadelphia Orchestra on 23 April 1932 for Victor Records).[39][42] However, Sibelius did not approve the test pressings of Schnéevoigt's Fourth and Legge did not issue it commercially; although Sibelius permitted the release of Schnéevoigt's Sixth, his response to the performance was tepid.[43][44]
With the Schnéevoigt recordings lacking favour, the English conductor Sir Thomas Beecham stepped in to fill the void: for Legge, he and the London Philharmonic Orchestra recorded the Fourth on 10 December 1937 at Abbey Road.[45] To prepare this performance, Beecham referenced a "detailed list of [Sibelius's] comments concerning tempi, phrasing, note durations, and so on", which the composer had sent to Legge upon hearing Schnéevoigt's Fourth.[43] As such, Beecham's performance is seen as adhering more closely to Sibelius's standards. Ten years later, in 1947, Beecham and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra would displace Schnéevoigt's Sixth, recording the work for Legge from May to November 1947 at Kingsway Hall.[45] According to Robert Layton, Sibelius is said to have referred to Beecham's Sixth as "his favourite recording of any of his symphonies".[46][h]
A final important Sibelian from this period was the Russian émigré conductor Serge Koussevitzky,[47] an "energetic disciple" to whom Sibelius had promised the world premiere of the ever-elusive Eighth Symphony.[48][i] Koussevitzky and the Boston Symphony Orchestra performed the entire cycle during the 1932–1933 season (a programming first),[50][j] and while in London to guest conduct the BBC Symphony Orchestra at the Queen's Hall, Koussevitzky made the world premiere recording of the Seventh Symphony at a public concert on 15 May 1933[51][42]—just two months before Kajanus's death. Koussevitzky dispatched the test pressings to Sibelius with a 6 June letter: "if they [the discs] do not please you, they will be destroyed"; the composer, however, was pleased, writing on 3 July: "I find it hard to express the joy I experienced when I listened to you dear Maestro ... Everything was so full of life and natural, and I cannot thank you sufficiently".[51] Although he never obtained the Eighth (Sibelius abandoned the project and destroyed the score),[52] Koussevitzky's advocacy remained undiminished: he commercially recorded the Second on 24 January 1935 and the Fifth on 29 December 1936,[53] as well as an additional Second on 29 November 1950, six months before his death.[54][k]
Complete Sibelius cycles: 1952–present[]
Complete cycles[]
Although early advocates from the 1930s and 1940s had conducted many of Sibelius's symphonies from gramophone, none of these Sibelians recorded all seven.[24] In February 1952, Metronome (the United States distributor was Mercury) and Decca each began cycles: the former enlisted the Swedish conductor Sixten Ehrling and the Stockholm Radio Orchestra (now the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra), whereas the latter employed the English conductor Anthony Collins and the London Symphony Orchestra. While in the middle of his cycle, Ehrling visited Sibelius at Ainola on 10 June 1952, "loaded with practical questions concerning interpretation and the composer's intentions"; but Sibelius's demurred, refusing to "confine the interpretations of his music to any specific edicts; each artist must be allowed to work according to his capacity and imagination".[57] Ehrling outpaced Collins, completing his Sibelius cycle—history's first—in January 1953; Collins finished two years later in January 1955. These would be the only two cycles completed in Sibelius's lifetime.
Both the Ehrling and the Collins cycles were recorded in mono; the Japanese conductor Akeo Watanabe and Japan Philharmonic Orchestra were the first to stereo, completing their cycle for Nippon Columbia in 1962 (the United States distributor was Epic). A patriotic milestone arrived in June 1977 when the Finnish conductor Paavo Berglund became the first of Sibelius's countrymen to record the cycle (with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, EMI). Ten years later in July 1987, the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra became the first Finnish ensemble to complete the cycle (with Berglund, EMI).
The sortable table below contains all commercial recordings of the complete Sibelius cycle. To date, it has been recorded 43 times by 30 conductors (of which ten are or were Finns, Sibelius's countrymen) and 31 orchestras (three Finnish). In terms of superlatives, Berglund (1977, 1987, 1997) and Sir Colin Davis (1976, 1994, 2008) jointly hold the record for the most cycles by a conductor, at three each. The record for an ensemble is jointly held by the London Symphony Orchestra (1955, 1994, 2008), the Japan Philharmonic Orchestra (1962, 1981, 2013), and the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra (1989, 1993, 2014), again at three apiece. Finally, among record labels, Decca has produced a record five cycles (Collins, 1955; Maazel, 1968; Davis, 1976; Ashkenazy, 1984; Blomstedt, 1995).
No. | Conductor | Orchestra | Years[l] | Symphony runtime[m] | Recording venue | Label | Ref. | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | |||||||
1 | Sixten Ehrling | Royal Stockholm Philharmonic (1) | 1952–1953 | 37:02 | 42:13 | 29:00 | 34:10 | 27:19 | 26:39 | 19:57 | Metronome, Mercury, Finlandia |
[57] | |
2 | Anthony Collins | London Symphony Orchestra (1) | 1952–1955 | 34:27 | 40:32 | 24:35 | 31:39 | 29:30 | 28:24 | 19:40 | Kingsway Hall | Decca | [58] |
3 | Akeo Watanabe (1) | Japan Philharmonic Orchestra (1) | 1960–1962 | 37:34 | 42:08 | 30:52 | 34:55 | 30:01 | 26:57 | 20:48 | [Unknown][n] | Nippon Columbia, Epic[o] |
[59] |
4 | Leonard Bernstein | New York Philharmonic | 1960–1967 | 36:37 | 44:37 | 26:31 | 39:26 | 32:49 | 26:41 | 22:46 | Philharmonic Hall (1–4, 6–7) Manhattan Center (5)[p] |
Columbia, Sony Classical[q] |
[60] |
5 | Lorin Maazel (1) | Vienna Philharmonic | 1963–1968 | 36:10 | 43:18 | 26:27 | 32:49 | 27:28 | 24:32 | 21:22 | Sofiensaal | Decca | [61] |
6 | Sir John Barbirolli | The Hallé (1) | 1966–1970 | 41:50 | 45:57 | 32:47 | 36:17 | 33:15 | 29:54 | 21:54 | Kingsway Hall | EMI Classics, Warner Classics |
[62] |
7 | Gennady Rozhdestvensky | Moscow Radio Symphony Orchestra | 1969–1974 | 38:25 | 44:58 | 26:59 | 33:58 | 29:32 | 27:52 | 20:51 | [Unknown][n] | Melodiya | [63] |
8 | Sir Colin Davis (1) | Boston Symphony Orchestra | 1975–1976 | 39:14 | 44:48 | 29:36 | 37:09 | 32:04 | 24:34 | 21:20 | Boston Symphony Hall | Decca | [64] |
9 | Maurice Abravanel | Utah Symphony Orchestra | 1977–1977 | 36:44 | 43:00 | 29:14 | 34:32 | 29:16 | 28:11 | 21:14 | Mormon Tabernacle | Vanguard, Musical Concepts |
[65] |
10 | Kurt Sanderling | Berlin Symphony Orchestra | 1970–1977 | 40:03 | 45:28 | 27:24 | 36:03 | 32:27 | 29:19 | 23:49 | Brilliant Classics, Berlin Classics |
[66] | |
11 | Paavo Berglund (1)[r] | Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra | 1972–1977 | 39:00 | 44:53 | 31:13 | 37:22 | 32:11 | 31:32 | 21:55 | Southampton Guildhall (1, 3, 5, 7) Abbey Road Studios (2, 4) Kingsway Hall (6) |
EMI Classics, Warner Classics |
[67] |
12 | Akeo Watanabe (2) | Japan Philharmonic Orchestra (2) | 1981–1981 | 38:47 | 42:29 | 28:38 | 33:54 | 31:06 | 27:06 | 21:18 | Hitomi Memorial Hall (1–2, 4–5, 7) Narashino Cultural Hall (3, 6) |
Denon | [68] |
13 | Sir Alexander Gibson | Royal Scottish National Orchestra | 1982–1983 | 37:23 | 41:16 | 26:13 | 31:03 | 29:19 | 27:21 | 20:35 | SNO Centre Hall | Chandos | [69] |
14 | Vladimir Ashkenazy (1) | Philharmonia Orchestra | 1979–1984 | 39:36 | 46:21 | 29:31 | 32:59 | 31:35 | 28:16 | 22:30 | Kingsway Hall (2–5, 7) Walthamstow Town Hall (1, 6) |
Decca | [70] |
15 | Neeme Järvi (1) | Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra (1) | 1982–1985 | 38:38 | 41:52 | 29:14 | 37:50 | 33:39 | 27:25 | 20:45 | Gothenburg Concert Hall | BIS | [71] |
16 | Sir Simon Rattle (1) | City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (1) | 1984–1987 | 41:35 | 44:53 | 28:34 | 37:37 | 30:27 | 29:41 | 22:30 | Warwick Arts Centre | EMI Classics, Warner Classics |
[72] |
17 | Paavo Berglund (2) | Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra (1)[s] | 1984–1987 | 36:13 | 39:50 | 28:36 | 34:12 | 30:24 | 28:53 | 21:24 | Kulttuuritalo (1–3, 5–6) All Saints Church (4, 7) |
EMI Classics, Warner Classics |
[73] |
18 | Jukka-Pekka Saraste (1) | Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra (1) | 1987–1989 | 38:19 | 43:38 | 27:35 | 34:30 | 32:26 | 30:13 | 21:00 | Kulttuuritalo | RCA Red Seal | [74] |
19 | Adrian Leaper | Slovak Philharmonic | 1989–1990 | 36:05 | 43:16 | 26:33 | 35:00 | 30:39 | 26:43 | 20:25 | Reduta Concert Hall | Naxos | [75][76] [77][78] |
20 | Leif Segerstam (1) | Danish National Symphony Orchestra | 1990–1992 | 42:58 | 47:07 | 31:47 | 39:51 | 34:56 | 31:38 | 22:14 | Danish Radio Concert Hall | Chandos | [79] |
21 | Lorin Maazel (2) | Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra | 1990–1992 | 40:16 | 46:53 | 27:31 | 39:33 | 31:35 | 27:21 | 25:53 | Heinz Hall | Sony Classical | [80] |
22 | Jukka-Pekka Saraste (2) | Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra (2) | 1993–1993 | 36:51 | 42:09 | 27:10 | 32:19 | 31:33 | 28:43 | 19:38 | Saint Petersburg Philharmonia | Finlandia | [81] |
23 | Sir Colin Davis (2) | London Symphony Orchestra (2) | 1992–1994 | 39:34 | 46:38 | 30:17 | 37:18 | 30:17 | 26:05 | 22:51 | Blackheath Halls (1–2, 4, 6–7) Watford Town Hall (3, 5) |
RCA Red Seal | [82] |
24 | Herbert Blomstedt | San Francisco Symphony | 1989–1995 | 39:32 | 44:32 | 29:14 | 36:20 | 31:09 | 29:48 | 22:27 | Davies Symphony Hall | Decca | [83] |
25 | Osmo Vänskä (1) | Lahti Symphony Orchestra (1) | 1996–1997 | 35:04 | 44:44 | 30:32 | 39:27 | 31:20 | 26:45 | 22:44 | Ristinkirkko | BIS[t] | [84] |
26 | Paavo Berglund (3) | Chamber Orchestra of Europe | 1995–1997 | 36:27 | 41:31 | 29:55 | 33:11 | 30:28 | 28:17 | 22:04 | RFO Hall, Hilversum (1–3) Watford Colosseum (4, 6–7) (5) |
Finlandia | [85] |
27 | Iceland Symphony Orchestra | 1996–2000 | 38:07 | 45:02 | 29:06 | 37:47 | 31:17 | 30:22 | 22:45 | Reykjavík University Hall (1–3) Reykjavík Concert Hall (4–7) |
Naxos | [86][87] [88][89] | |
28 | Sakari Oramo | City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (2) | 2000–2003 | 37:07 | 44:10 | 29:46 | 35:48 | 31:14 | 27:01 | 21:19 | Birmingham Symphony Hall | Erato, Warner Classics |
[90] |
29 | Leif Segerstam (2) | Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra (2) | 2002–2004 | 38:14 | 45:45 | 29:57 | 37:50 | 33:49 | 30:12 | 21:04 | Finlandia Hall | Ondine | [91] |
30 | Neeme Järvi (2) | Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra (2) | 2001–2005 | 38:49 | 46:40 | 30:31 | 38:41 | 32:01 | 31:16 | 24:37 | Gothenburg Concert Hall | Deutsche Grammophon | [92] |
31 | Vladimir Ashkenazy (2) | Royal Stockholm Philharmonic (2) | 2006–2007 | 38:21 | 44:44 | 27:23 | 32:17 | 31:04 | 27:04 | 20:36 | Stockholm Concert Hall | [93] [94] [95] [96] | |
32 | Sir Colin Davis (3) | London Symphony Orchestra (3) | 2002–2008 | 39:35 | 44:43 | 30:48 | 38:42 | 30:57 | 25:47 | 22:27 | Barbican Centre | LSO Live[u] | [97] |
33 | Arvo Volmer | Adelaide Symphony Orchestra | 2007–2008 | 36:18 | 42:50 | 28:27 | 34:55 | 31:46 | 31:06 | 19:42 | Adelaide Town Hall | ABC Classics | [98] |
34 | Pietari Inkinen (1) | New Zealand Symphony Orchestra | 2008–2009 | 40:18 | 44:16 | 29:36 | 36:29 | 33:05 | 29:19 | 21:04 | Michael Fowler Centre | Naxos | [99][100] [101][102] |
35 | Pietari Inkinen (2) | Japan Philharmonic Orchestra (3) | 2013–2013 | 40:15 | 46:21 | 30:06 | 38:42 | 33:54 | 30:19 | 21:41 | Suntory Hall (1, 3–7) Yokohama Minato mirai Hall (2) |
Naxos Japan | [103] |
36 | John Storgårds | BBC Philharmonic | 2012–2013 | 38:35 | 45:46 | 28:58 | 34:49 | 32:35 | 28:12 | 22:12 | MediaCityUK | Chandos[v] | [104] |
37 | Okko Kamu | Lahti Symphony Orchestra (2) | 2012–2014 | 38:24 | 44:56 | 29:29 | 38:07 | 34:42 | 29:06 | 22:40 | Sibelius Hall | BIS | [105] |
38 | Hannu Lintu | Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra (3) | 2012–2014 | 41:16 | 45:49 | 30:12 | 40:15 | 34:20 | 30:58 | 22:32 | Helsinki Music Centre | Arthaus Musik[w] | [106] |
39 | Osmo Vänskä (2) | Minnesota Orchestra | 2011–2015 | 34:43 | 46:14 | 29:50 | 38:28 | 30:50 | 28:58 | 22:01 | Minneapolis Orchestra Hall | BIS | [107][108] [109] |
40 | Sir Simon Rattle (2) | Berlin Philharmonic | 2014–2015 | 37:39 | 43:12 | 28:17 | 36:50 | 30:32 | 29:13 | 21:48 | Berlin Philharmonie | Berlin Phil[u] | [110] |
41 | Kim Dae-jin | 201?–2015 | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | Suwon SK Atrium | Sony Classical | [111] | |
42 | Paavo Järvi | Orchestre de Paris | 2012–2016 | 39:49 | 44:37 | 28:55 | 35:59 | 31:38 | 29:16 | 21:32 | Salle Pleyel (1, 6–7) Philharmonie de Paris (2–5) |
RCA Red Seal | [112] |
43 | Sir Mark Elder | The Hallé (2) | 2006–2019 | 39:03 | 46:44 | 29:50 | 41:07 | 30:40 | 28:41 | 22:34 | New Broadcasting House (1) Bridgewater Hall (2–7) |
Hallé[u] | [113][114] [115][116] |
Complete cycles that include Kullervo[]
Additionally, the Sibelius cycle can, in its non-standard form, include Kullervo (Op. 7, 1892), a five-movement symphonic work for soprano, baritone, male choir, and orchestra. This piece, which predates the First Symphony by seven years and in 1893 launched the young Sibelius as an important composer for orchestra, features sung text from Runos XXXV–VI of the Kalevala, Finland's national epic. Kullervo eschews obvious categorization, in part due to Sibelius's own ambivalence: at the premiere, program and score each listed the piece as a "symphonic poem"; yet, Sibelius nevertheless referred to Kullervo as a symphony both while composing the piece and again in retirement when reflecting on his decades-long career.[117][118][119]
Today, many commentators prefer to view Kullervo as a programmatic choral symphony, variously due to its deployment of sonata form in the first movement, its thematic unity and recurring material, and its massive scale.[117][26][31][29] Such a perspective thus conceptualizes Kullervo as Sibelius's de facto "Symphony No. 0", thereby expanding his completed contributions to the symphonic canon from seven to eight. Eleven of the Sibelius complete cycles listed above also include Kullervo. The sortable table below lists recording information for these performances.[x]
Select incomplete Sibelius cycles: 1952–present[]
Incomplete cycles no longer in progress[]
In addition to the 43 completed Sibelius cycles, there are a number of incomplete traversals available to the public. Of particular note is the collaboration between the Austrian conductor Herbert von Karajan and the Philharmonia for EMI, because it occurred during Sibelius's lifetime. In 1954, Walter Legge—who, in 1932, had been instrumental in the projected Kajanus–LSO cycle—sought to woo the octogenarian composer to London, either to personally conduct the cycle or, barring that, to supervise the production of one under Karajan (then under contract with Legge's EMI):[128]
As I believe I have already told you, Herbert von Karajan is, in my view, of all the leading conductors, the one with the greatest insight into your music. If you are completely happy with his performances of these three great works [Symphonies Nos. 4 and 5, recorded in 1952; and Tapiola, 1953], I would be deeply grateful if you would write and tell me so, because if Herbert von Karajan's performances satisfy you, it is my intention to record all of your symphonies to be published in time for the celebration of your ninetieth birthday ...
— Walter Legge, in a September 1954 letter to Jean Sibelius[128]
Subsequently, Sibelius voiced his approval to Legge in person, remarking: "Karajan is the only one who really understands my music". In the end, Karajan recorded Symphonies Nos. 4–7 with the Philharmonia before Sibelius's death, all in mono;[y] and, in 1960, he added to this set stereo recordings of Nos. 2 and 5.[130][131]
The sortable table below includes[z] other incomplete Sibelius cycles, including: Karajan's second (1965–1967) and third (1976–1981), each with the Berlin Philharmonic, the orchestra he conducted for over three decades; Bernstein's second (1986–1990); and, Berglund's record fourth (2003–2005).
Conductor | Orchestra | Years[l] | Symphony runtime[m] | Recording venue | Label | Ref. | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | ||||||
Paul Kletzki[y] | Philharmonia Orchestra | 1955–1955 | 35:20 | 40:28 | 27:24 | — | — | — | — | Kingsway Hall (1–3) | EMI Classics, Warner Classics |
[132][133] [134] |
Herbert von Karajan | Philharmonia Orchestra | 1952–1960 | — | 45:47 | — | 35:59 | 32:28 30:46 |
28:00 | 25:01 | Kingsway Hall (2, 4–7) | EMI Classics, Warner Classics |
[135] |
Eugene Ormandy | Philadelphia Orchestra | 1957–1962 | 39:41 | 43:48 | — | — | — | — | 22:34 | Broadwood Hotel (2, 7) | Columbia, Sony Classical |
[136] |
Herbert von Karajan | Berlin Philharmonic | 1965–1967 | — | — | — | 36:08 | 31:34 | 28:49 | 23:18 | (4–7) | [[Deutsche Grammophon][aa] | [137] |
Eugene Ormandy | Philadelphia Orchestra | 1972–1978 | 41:49 | 44:39 | — | 32:13 | 33:38 | — | 23:42 | Scottish Rite Cathedral (4–5, 7) | RCA Red Seal | [136] |
Herbert von Karajan | Berlin Philharmonic | 1976–1981 | 38:48 | 47:48 | — | 39:01 | 32:33 | 27:23 | — | Berliner Philharmonie (1–2, 4–6) | EMI Classics, Warner Classics |
[138] |
Leonard Bernstein | Vienna Philharmonic | 1986–1990 | 41:18 | 51:30 | — | — | 35:34 | — | 24:54 | Wiener Musikverein (1–2, 7) Wiener Konzerthaus (5) |
Deutsche Grammophon | [139] |
Mariss Jansons | Oslo Philharmonic | 1990–1994 | 38:01 | 42:13 | 28:08 | — | 29:46 | — | — | Oslo Konserthus (1–3, 5) | EMI Classics, Warner Classics |
[140][141] [142] |
James Levine | Berlin Philharmonic | 1991–1994 | — | 40:15 | — | 37:20 | 29:21 | — | — | Konzerthaus Berlin (2) (4) Berliner Philharmonie (5) |
Deutsche Grammophon | [143][144] |
Paavo Berglund | London Philharmonic Orchestra | 2003–2005 | — | 43:43 | — | — | 31:40 | 28:35 | 22:37 | Royal Festival Hall (2, 5–7) | LPO Live[u] | [145][146] |
Projected cycles in progress[]
The sortable table below includes four projected, in-progress Sibelius cycles, which—if completed—would constitute the 44th to 47th entries in the commercial catalogue.
Conductor | Orchestra | Years[l] | Symphony runtime[m] | Recording venue | Label | Ref. | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | ||||||
Thomas Søndergård | BBC National Orchestra of Wales | 2014– | 38:10 | 41:53 | — | — | — | 28:30 | 20:33 | BBC Hoddinott Hall (1–2, 6–7) | Linn Records | [147][148] |
Santtu-Matias Rouvali | Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra | 2018– | 39:42 | 45:29 | — | — | — | — | — | Gothenburg Concert Hall (1–2) | Alpha Classics | [149][150] |
Yannick Nézet-Séguin | Orchestre Métropolitain | 2018– | 41:05 | — | — | — | — | — | — | Montreal Symphony House (1) | ATMA Classique | [151] |
Owain Arwel Hughes | Royal Philharmonic Orchestra | 2019– | 41:03 | — | 31:44 | — | — | — | — | St John’s Smith Square (1, 3) | [152] |
Notes, references, and sources[]
Notes[]
- ^ The First Symphony premiered on 26 April 1899 in Helsinki, with Sibelius conducting the Helsinki Orchestral Society. It shared the program with the tone poem The Wood Nymph, Op. 15 (1894–1895) and the Song of the Athenians, Op. 31/3 (1899), for boys' choir, male choir, and small orchestra.[8][9]
- ^ The Second Symphony premiered on 8 March 1902 in Helsinki, with Sibelius conducting the Orchestral Society. It shared the program with the Overture in A minor, JS 144 (1902) and Impromptu, Op. 19 (1902; revised 1910), for female choir and orchestra.[10][11]
- ^ The Third Symphony premiered on 25 September 1907 in Helsinki, with Sibelius conducting the Orchestral Society. It shared the program with the tone poem Pohjola's Daughter, Op. 49 (1906) and Belshazzar's Feast, Op. 51 (1907), a concert suite Sibelius had excerpted from his theatre music, JS 48 (1906), to play.[12][13]
- ^ The Fourth Symphony premiered on 3 April 1911 in Helsinki, with Sibelius conducting the Orchestral Society. It shared the program with the tone poems Nightride and Sunrise, Op. 55 (1908) and The Dryad, Op. 45/1 (1910), as well as two additional orchestral works: In memoriam, Op. 59 (1909; revised 1910), and Canzonetta, Op. 62a (1911).[14][15]
- ^ The initial version of the Fifth Symphony (then in four movements) premiered on 8 December 1915 in Helsinki, with Sibelius conducting the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra. It shared the program with the tone poem The Oceanides, Op. 78 (1913–1914; revised 1914) and the Two Serenades, Op. 69 (1912–1913) for violin and orchestra, with Richard Burgin as soloist.[16][17] Four years later, on 24 November 1919 in Helsinki, Sibelius premiered the definitive version of the Fifth, again with the Philharmonic Orchestra. Programmed alongside it was Song of the Earth, Op. 93 (1919), a cantata for mixed choir; and, the Six humoresques, Op. 87/89 (1917–1918; No. 1 revised 1940), for violin and orchestra, with Paul Cherkassky as soloist.[18][19]
- ^ The Sixth Symphony premiered on 19 February 1923 in Helsinki with Sibelius conducting the Philharmonic Orchestra. It shared the program with: Autrefois, Op. 96b (1920); Valse chevaleresque, Op. 96c (1922); the Suite champêtre for strings, Op. 98b (1922); the Suite caractéristique, Op. 100 (1922) for strings and harp; and, La Chasse from the Scènes historiques II, Op. 66 (1912).[20][21]
- ^ The Seventh Symphony—then titled Fantasia sinfonica and not counted among the numbered symphonies–premiered on 24 March 1924 in Stockholm, with Sibelius conducting the Concert Society Orchestra. It shared the program with the First Symphony and the Violin Concerto in D minor, Op. 47 (1904; revised 1905), with as soloist.[22][23]
- ^ Beecham left behind an extensive recorded legacy as a Sibelian. In addition to the performances of the Fourth and Sixth mentioned above, he also recorded the Second twice and the Seventh three.
- ^ According to the music critic and Sibelius "evangelist" Olin Downes, Koussevitzky was a late convert to the cause, having initially in 1924 dismissed Sibelius's oeuvre as "so dark". By the 1930s, however, Koussevitzky had become a "zealot" in service to Sibelius's music.[49]
- ^ The archives of the Boston Symphony Orchestra contain the concert programs that correspond to this landmark cycle:
- No. 1: 11–12 November 1932
- No. 2: 25–26 November 1932
- No. 3: 9–10 December 1932
- No. 4: 16–17 December 1932
- No. 5: 27–28 January 1933
- No. 6: 10–11 March 1933
- No. 7: 21–22 April 1933.
- ^ In the 1960s, issued LPs of "off-air" recordings from the 1940s of Koussevitzky conducting the Boston Symphony Orchestra in performances of the First, Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh symphonies.[38][55][56]
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d Refers to the timespan over which the conductor-orchestra pairing recorded the work(s); this may not be the same as the year(s) in which the recordings were first released to the general public.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d All runtimes are official, as printed on CD or LP liner notes. For some recordings, the notes only provide runtimes for a symphony's constituent movements; in these cases, the movement runtimes were added to obtain a total duration.
- ^ Jump up to: a b The liner notes to this release do not contain information on the venue(s) at which the symphonies were recorded.
- ^ To date, this cycle has not been reissued on CD, although Klassic Haus Restorations has made reel-to-reel transfers of the original Epic 33⁄4 ips to CD. (KHCD-2016-007-2CD and KHCD-2016-008-2CD).
- ^ In 2015, Sony Classical released a remastered edition of the Bernstein–NYPO cycle (88875026142), which superseded an earlier 2003 release (SM4K 87329). These releases, however, contain conflicting recording information; these discrepancies are as follows:
- 2003 release: (No. 1) 03/03/1967 in Philharmonia Hall; (No. 2) 05/15/1966 in Philharmonia Hall; (No. 5) 03/27/1961 in Philharmonia Hall; (No. 7) 03/28/1960 & 10/26/1965 in Philharmonia Hall
- 2015 release: (No. 1) 03/14/1967 in Philharmonia Hall; (No. 2) 05/16/1966 in Philharmonia Hall; (No. 5) 03/27/1961 in Manhattan Hall; (No. 7) 03/28/1960 in Philharmonia Hall
- ^ In the liner notes to the 2015 remaster, Sony Classical incorrectly promotes the Bernstein–NYPO cycle as "the first complete Sibelius symphony cycle in stereo ... there had only been two previous traversals of all seven symphonies on disc, both in mono, both dating from the previous decade".[60] In point of fact, Nippon Columbia's 1962 Watanabe–Japan PO cycle (which the Sony liner notes do not reference) was the first to stereo.
- ^ First complete Sibelius cycle by a Finnish conductor
- ^ First complete Sibelius cycle by a Finnish orchestra
- ^ The Vänskä–Lahti SO cycle also includes the world premiere recording of the original 1915 version of the Fifth Symphony. BIS subsequently made the Vänskä–Lahti SO cycle part of its 13-volume The Sibelius Edition series (Vol. 12, 'Symphonies', BIS-CD-1933/35; released in 2011).
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d e This orchestra records under its in-house label.
- ^ The Storgårds–BBC Phil cycle also includes the world premiere recording of three fragments purported to belong to Sibelius's Eighth Symphony, a piece that the composer destroyed in the late-1930s to early-1940s.
- ^ The Lintu–Finnish RSO cycle, a collaboration between Arthaus Musik and the Finnish Broadcasting Company (YLE) released in 2015 in honor of the 150th anniversary of Sibelius's birth, comprises audiovisual recordings of live performances from 2012–14. The cycle is available either on Blu-ray or DVD (but not CD). A documentary film—with commentary from the conductor—proceeds each symphony.
- ^ Recordings of Kullervo by Paavo Järvi and Sakari Oramo, respectively, are not included in the table above, because each is with an orchestra different from the one with which they recorded the Sibelius cycle.
- ^ Jump up to: a b In 1955, Legge and the Philharmonia recorded Symphonies Nos. 1–3 at Kingsway Hall with the Polish conductor Paul Kletzki. When combined with the Karajan recordings, this gives Legge and the Philharmonia an unofficial 'complete cycle'.[129]
- ^ To qualify, a conductor must have recorded with the same orchestra at least three of the seven Sibelius symphonies.
- ^ Since the 1970s, Deutsche Grammophon has packaged the Karajan–Berlin PO recordings of Symphonies Nos. 4–7 with recordings of Nos. 1–3 by the Finnish conductor Okko Kamu, who 1969 won the first Herbert von Karajan Conducting Competition; Kamu's First and Third are with the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, while his Second is with the Berlin Phil. From 2012–14, Kamu recorded a complete cycle with the Lahti Symphony Orchestra for BIS.
References[]
- ^ Abraham 1947, p. 14.
- ^ Downes 1956, p. 5.
- ^ Ewen 1967, p. 573.
- ^ Rickards 1997, p. 197–201.
- ^ Smith 2002, p. 68.
- ^ Barnett 2007, p. 353.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Layton 2001, p. 22.
- ^ Tawaststjerna 1976, p. 208.
- ^ Barnett 2007, p. 124.
- ^ Tawaststjerna 1976, p. 243.
- ^ Barnett 2007, p. 146–47.
- ^ Tawaststjerna 1986, p. 66.
- ^ Barnett 2007, p. 182.
- ^ Tawaststjerna 1986, p. 169.
- ^ Barnett 2007, p. 210.
- ^ Tawaststjerna 1997, p. 69–70.
- ^ Barnett 2007, p. 255.
- ^ Tawaststjerna 1997, p. 162.
- ^ Barnett 2007, p. 284.
- ^ Tawaststjerna 1997, p. 226–27.
- ^ Barnett 2007, p. 299.
- ^ Tawaststjerna 1997, p. 245.
- ^ Barnett 2007, p. 307–08.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Layton 2001, p. 14–22.
- ^ Steinberg 1995, p. 607.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Tawaststjerna 1976, p. 107–108.
- ^ de Gorog 1989, p. 45.
- ^ Steinberg 1995, p. 574–75.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Rickards 1997, p. 48.
- ^ Smith 2002, p. 62, 83.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Hurwitz 2007, p. 51, 57.
- ^ Breitkopf & Härtel 2005, PB 5304 study score.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c Tawaststjerna 1997, p. 320–21.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Layton 2001, p. 14–15.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c R. Kajanus–Naxos Historical (8.111393) 2012.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d Tawaststjerna 1997, p. 321.
- ^ R. Kajanus–Naxos Historical (8.111394) 2013.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Layton 2001, p. 21.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Barnett 2007, p. 336.
- ^ R. Kajanus–Naxos Historical (8.111395) 2013.
- ^ Layton 2001, p. 15–16.
- ^ Jump up to: a b L. Stokowski/G. Schnéevoigt/S. Koussevitzky–
Naxos Historical (8.111399) 2013. - ^ Jump up to: a b Layton 2001, p. 19.
- ^ Barnett 2007, p. 338.
- ^ Jump up to: a b T. Beecham–EMI (CDM 7 640 27 2) 1991.
- ^ Layton 2001, p. 19–20.
- ^ Layton 2001, p. 20–21.
- ^ Goss 1995, p. 86–88.
- ^ Goss 1995, p. 82.
- ^ Goss 1995, p. 81.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Tawaststjerna 1997, p. 314.
- ^ Tawaststjerna 1997, p. 316–17.
- ^ S. Koussevitzky–Naxos Historical (8.110170) 2001.
- ^ S. Koussevitzky–Naxos Historical (8.111290) 2008.
- ^ S. Koussevitzky–Rococo (2-RR-2103-1) 1960s.
- ^ S. Koussevitzky–Rococo (2-RR-2103-2) 1960s.
- ^ Jump up to: a b S. Ehrling–Finlandia (3984-22713-2) 1999.
- ^ A. Collins–Decca (0289 478 8589 4) 2015.
- ^ A. Watanabe–Epic (SC 6057) 1966.
- ^ Jump up to: a b L. Bernstein–Sony (88875026142) 2015.
- ^ L. Maazel–Decca (478 8541) 2015.
- ^ J. Barbirolli–EMI (5 67299 2) 2000.
- ^ G. Rozhdestvensky–Melodiya (MEL CD 10 01669) 2010.
- ^ C. Davis–Decca (478 3696) 2012.
- ^ M. Abravanel–Vanguard (SVC 3133) 1995.
- ^ K. Sanderling–Brilliant (6328) 2003.
- ^ P. Berglund–EMI (50999 9 73600 2 5) 2013.
- ^ A. Watanabe–Denon (COCO-80410-413) 1996.
- ^ A. Gibson–Chandos (CHAN 6559) 2004.
- ^ V. Ashkenazy–Decca (473 590-2) 2003.
- ^ Jump up to: a b N. Järvi–BIS (CD-622/24) 1993.
- ^ S. Rattle–EMI (50999 5 00753 2 4) 2007.
- ^ P. Berglund–EMI (5 74485 2) 2001.
- ^ J. Saraste–RCA (19439704812) 2020.
- ^ A. Leaper–Naxos (8.550197) 1990.
- ^ A. Leaper–Naxos (8.550198) 1991.
- ^ A. Leaper–Naxos (8.550199) 1990.
- ^ A. Leaper–Naxos (8.550200) 1991.
- ^ L. Segerstam–Chandos (CHAN 7054) 1996.
- ^ L. Maazel–Sony (SB5K 87882) 2002.
- ^ J. Saraste–Finlandia (4509-99963-2) 1995.
- ^ Jump up to: a b C. Davis–RCA (82876-55706-2) 2003.
- ^ H. Blomstedt–Decca (475 7677) 2006.
- ^ O. Vänskä–BIS (CD-1286/1288) 2001.
- ^ P. Berglund–Finlandia (3984-23389-2) 1998.
- ^ P. Sakari–Naxos (8.554102) 1998.
- ^ P. Sakari–Naxos (8.554266) 1999.
- ^ P. Sakari–Naxos (8.554377) 2000.
- ^ P. Sakari–Naxos (8.554387) 2000.
- ^ S. Oramo–Erato (2564 60294-2) 2003.
- ^ L. Segerstam–Ondine (ODE 1075-2Q) 2005.
- ^ N. Järvi–DG (4776654) 2007.
- ^ V. Ashkenazy–Exton (OVCL-00279) 2007.
- ^ V. Ashkenazy–Exton (OVCL-00282) 2007.
- ^ V. Ashkenazy–Exton (OVCL-00292) 2007.
- ^ V. Ashkenazy–Exton (OVCL-00293) 2007.
- ^ Jump up to: a b C. Davis–LSO Live (LSO0191) 2009.
- ^ A. Volmer–ABC Classics (ABC 476 3943) 2010.
- ^ P. Inkinen–Naxos (8.572305) 2010.
- ^ P. Inkinen–Naxos (8.572227) 2011.
- ^ P. Inkinen–Naxos (8.572704) 2011.
- ^ P. Inkinen–Naxos (8.572705) 2011.
- ^ P. Inkinen–Naxos (NYCC-27286-9) 2015.
- ^ J. Storgårds–Chandos (CHAN 10809) 2014.
- ^ O. Kamu–BIS (BIS-2076) 2015.
- ^ H. Lintu–Arthaus (ARTHAUS 101797) 2015.
- ^ O. Vänskä–BIS (BIS-1986) 2012.
- ^ O. Vänskä–BIS (BIS-1996) 2013.
- ^ O. Vänskä–BIS (BIS-2006) 2016.
- ^ S. Rattle–Berlin Phil (BPHR 150073) 2015.
- ^ D. Kim–Sony (S80210C) 2016.
- ^ P. Järvi–RCA (190759245125) 2019.
- ^ M. Elder–Hallé (CDHLL7514) 2009.
- ^ M. Elder–Hallé (CDHLL7516) 2013.
- ^ M. Elder–Hallé (CDHLL7543) 2016.
- ^ M. Elder–Hallé (CDHLL7553) 2020.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Urtext (Goss, ed.) 2005, p. xi.
- ^ Tawaststjerna 1976, p. 104, 107.
- ^ Barnett 2000, p. 7.
- ^ P. Berglund–EMI (5 74200 2) 2000.
- ^ P. Berglund–EMI (5 65080 2) 1994.
- ^ L. Segerstam–Chandos (CHAN 9393) 1995.
- ^ J. Saraste–Finlandia (0630-14906-2) 1996.
- ^ O. Vänskä–BIS (CD-1215) 2001.
- ^ L. Segerstam–Ondine (ODE 1122-5) 2008.
- ^ H. Lintu–Ondine (ODE 1338-5) 2019.
- ^ O. Vänskä–BIS (BIS-2506) 2020.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Tawaststjerna 1997, p. 329.
- ^ Layton 2001, p. 26.
- ^ Tawaststjerna 1997, p. 330.
- ^ Layton 2001, p. 26–27.
- ^ P. Kletzki–Angel (35313) 1956.
- ^ P. Kletzki–Angel (35314) 1956.
- ^ P. Kletzki–Angel (35315) 1956.
- ^ H. Karajan–Warner (0825646336210) 2014.
- ^ Jump up to: a b E. Ormandy–Sony (88875108582) 2015.
- ^ H. Karajan–DG (457 748-2) 1999.
- ^ H. Karajan–Warner (0825646336197) 2014.
- ^ L. Bernstein–DG (474 936-2) 2004.
- ^ M. Jansons–EMI (0777 7 54273 2 5) 1991.
- ^ M. Jansons–EMI (0777 7 54804 2 9) 1993.
- ^ M. Jansons–EMI (7243 5 55533 2 4) 1996.
- ^ J. Levine–DG (437 828-2) 1993.
- ^ J. Levine–DG (445 865-2) 1995.
- ^ P. Berglund–LPO Live (LPO 0005) 2005.
- ^ P. Berglund–LPO Live (LPO 0065) 2012.
- ^ T. Søndergård–Linn (CKD 462) 2015.
- ^ T. Søndergård–Linn (CKD 502) 2017.
- ^ S. Rouvali–Alpha (ALPHA 440) 2019.
- ^ S. Rouvali–Alpha (ALPHA 574) 2020.
- ^ Y. Nézet-Séguin–ATMA (ACD2 2452) 2019.
- ^ O. Hughes–Rubicon (RU 1055) 2020.
Sources[]
Books[]
- Abraham, Gerald (1947). The Music of Sibelius. New York: W.W. Norton & Company. ISBN 0-306-70716-0.
- Barnett, Andrew (2007). Sibelius. New Haven: Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0-300-11159-0.
- de Gorog, Lisa (1989). From Sibelius to Sallinen: Finnish Nationalism and the Music of Finland. New York: Greenwood Press. ISBN 0-313-26740-5.
- Downes, Olin (1956). Sibelius the Symphonist. New York: Philharmonic-Symphony Society of New York. OCLC 6836790.
- Ewen, David (1967). Ewen's Musical Masterworks: The Encyclopedia of Musical Masterpieces (2nd ed.). New York: Bonanza Books.
- Goss, Glenda Dawn (1995). Jean Sibelius and Olin Downes. Boston: Northeastern University Press.
- Hurwitz, David (2007). Sibelius: The Orchestral Works, an Owner's Manual. Pompton Plains, New Jersey: Amadeus Press. ISBN 978-1-57467-149-0.
- Layton, Robert (2001). "Chapter 2: From Kajanus to Karajan: Sibelius on record". In Jackson, Timothy; Veijo, Murtomäki (eds.). Sibelius Studies. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp. 14–34. ISBN 0-521-62416-9.
- Rickards, Guy (1997). Jean Sibelius. London: Phaidon. ISBN 978-0-7148-3581-5.
- Smith, Frederick Key (2002). Nordic Art Music : From the Middle Ages to the Third Millennium. Westport, Connecticut: Praeger. ISBN 0-275-97399-9.
- Steinberg, Michael (1995). "Chapter 31: Sibelius". The Symphony. New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 574–610. ISBN 978-0-19-512665-5.
- Tawaststjerna, Erik (1976). Sibelius: Volume 1, 1865–1905. (Robert Layton, English translation). London: Faber and Faber. ISBN 978-0-520-03014-5.
- Tawaststjerna, Erik (1986). Sibelius: Volume 2, 1904–1914. (Robert Layton, English translation). London: Faber and Faber. ISBN 978-0-571-24773-8.
- Tawaststjerna, Erik (1997). Sibelius: Volume 3, 1914–1957. (Robert Layton, English translation). London: Faber and Faber. ISBN 978-0-571-24774-5.
Liner notes[]
- Kajanus conducts Sibelius, Vol. 1 (CD booklet). Robert Kajanus & London Symphony Orchestra [& "Royal Philharmonic Orchestra"]. Naxos Historical. 2012. 8.111393.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) OCLC 867581760
- Kajanus conducts Sibelius, Vol. 2 (CD booklet). Robert Kajanus & London Symphony Orchestra [& "Royal Philharmonic Orchestra"]. Naxos Historical. 2013. 8.111394.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) OCLC 858154504
- Kajanus conducts Sibelius, Vol. 3 (CD booklet). Robert Kajanus & London Symphony Orchestra. Naxos Historical. 2013. 8.111395.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) OCLC 859432959
- Jean Sibelius: Symphonies Nos. 4, 6 and 7 (CD booklet). Leopold Stokowski & Philadelphia Orchestra / Goerg Schnéevoigt & Finnish National Orchestra / Serge Koussevitzky & BBC Symphony Orchestra. Naxos Historical. 2013. 8.111399.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) OCLC 1131520158
- Sibelius: Symphony No. 2 / Symphony No. 5 (CD booklet). S. Koussevitzky & Boston Symphony Orchestra. Naxos Historical. 2001. 8.110170.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) OCLC 191900882
- Prokofiev: Peter and the Wolf / Sibelius: Symphony No. 2 (CD booklet). Serge Koussevitzky & Boston Symphony Orchestra. Naxos Historical. 2008. 8.111290.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) OCLC 416976080
- Koussevitzky Conducts Sibelius, Vol. 1: Symphony No. 1 / Symphony No. 7 (CD booklet). Serge Koussevitzky & Boston Symphony Orchestra. Rococo Records. 1960s. 2-RR-2103-1.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) OCLC 50879968
- Koussevitzky Conducts Sibelius, Vol. 2: Symphony No. 5 / Symphony No. 6 / The Swan of Tuonela (CD booklet). Serge Koussevitzky & Boston Symphony Orchestra. Rococo Records. 1960s. 2-RR-2103-2.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) OCLC 3824659
- Sibelius: Symphony No. 4 / Symphony No. 5 / Others (CD booklet). Sir Thomas Beecham, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, & London Philharmonic Orchestra. EMI Classics. 1991. CDM 7 640 27 2.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) OCLC 28124429
- Jean Sibelius: Symphonies 1–7 (CD booklet). Sixten Ehrling & Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra. Finlandia. 1999. 3984-22713-2.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) OCLC 47069132
- Sibelius: Great Performances (CD booklet). Anthony Collins & London Symphony Orchestra. Decca. 2015. 0289 478 8589 4.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) OCLC 936561655
- The Seven Symphonies of Sibelius (LP booklet). Akeo Watanabe & Japan Philharmonic Orchestra. Epic [Nippon Columbia]. 1966. SC 6057.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) OCLC 9336032
- Sibelius: The Symphonies (Remastered Edition) (CD booklet). Leonard Bernstein & New York Philharmonic. Sony Classical. 2015. 88875026142.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) OCLC 910867669
- Sibelius: The Seven Symphonies (CD booklet). Lorin Maazel & Vienna Philharmonic. Decca. 2015. 478 8541.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) OCLC 1001522911
- The Sibelius Edition: Symphonies 1–7 / Orchestral Works (CD booklet). Sir John Barbirolli & Hallé Orchestra. EMI Classics [Warner]. 2000. 5 67299 2.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) OCLC 45170478
- Sibelius: The Symphonies (CD booklet). Gennady Rozhdestvensky & Moscow Radio Symphony Orchestra. Melodiya. 2010. MEL CD 10 01669.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) OCLC 707195295
- Complete Symphonies / Tone poems (CD booklet). Colin Davis & Boston Symphony Orchestra. Decca. 2012. 478 3696.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) OCLC 781689113
- Sibelius: Symphonies (CD booklet). Kurt Sanderling & Berlin Symphony Orchestra. Brilliant Classics. 2003. 6328.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) OCLC 52076322
- Sibelius: The Seven Symphonies (CD booklet). Maurice Abravanel & Utah Symphony Orchestra. Vanguard Classics. 1995. SVC 3133.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) OCLC 49033507
- Sibelius: Complete Symphonies (CD booklet). Paavo Berglund & Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra. EMI Classics [Warner]. 2013. 50999 9 73600 2 5.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) OCLC 823893835
- Sibelius: The Complete Symphonies (CD booklet). Akeo Watanabe & Japan Philharmonic Orchestra. Denon. 1996. COCO-80410-413.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) OCLC ????
- Sibelius: Complete Symphonies (CD booklet). Sir Alexander Gibson & Royal Scottish National Orchestra. Chandos. 2004. CHAN 6559.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) OCLC 33950599
- Sibelius: The Symphonies / Tone Poems / Violin Concerto (CD booklet). Vladimir Ashkenazy & Philharmonia Orchestra. Decca. 2003. 473 590-2.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) OCLC 54781243
- Jean Sibelius: The Seven Symphonies / Kullervo (CD booklet). Neeme Järvi & Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra. BIS. 1993. CD-622/24.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) OCLC 29242082
- Sibelius: Symphonies 1–7 / Violin Concerto / Others (CD booklet). Sir Simon Rattle & City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. EMI Classics [Warner]. 2007. 50999 5 00753 2 4.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) OCLC 26668650
- Sibelius: The Complete Symphonies / Tone Poems (CD booklet). Paavo Berglund & Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra. EMI Classics [Warner]. 2001. 5 74485 2.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) OCLC 51667439
- Sibelius: Symphonies 1–7 / Karelia Suite / Valse triste (CD booklet). Jukka-Pekka Saraste & Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra. RCA Red Seal. 2020. 19439704812.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) OCLC 1240345371
- Sibelius: Symphonies Nos. 1 & 6 (CD booklet). Adrian Leaper & Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra. Naxos. 1990. 8.550197.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) OCLC 28030033
- Sibelius: Symphonies Nos. 2 & 7 (CD booklet). Adrian Leaper & Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra. Naxos. 1991. 8.550198.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) OCLC 28885200
- Sibelius: Symphonies Nos. 3 & 4 (CD booklet). Adrian Leaper & Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra. Naxos. 1990. 8.550199.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) OCLC 29204087
- Sibelius: Symphony No. 5 / En saga / Belshazzar's Feast (CD booklet). Adrian Leaper & Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra. Naxos. 1991. 8.550200.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) OCLC 30051915
- Sibelius: The Complete Symphonies (CD booklet). Leif Segerstam & Danish National Symphony Orchestra. Chandos. 1996. CHAN 7054.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) OCLC 40855944
- Sibelius: Symphonies 1–7 / Violin Concerto / Orchestral Works (CD booklet). Lorin Maazel & Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. Sony Classical. 2002. SB5K 87882.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) OCLC 52201392
- Sibelius: Symphonies 1–7 (CD booklet). Jukka-Pekka Saraste & Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra. Finlandia. 1995. 4509-99963-2.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) OCLC 34102550
- Sibelius: The 7 Symphonies / Finlandia / Kullervo / Valse triste / More (CD booklet). Sir Colin Davis & London Symphony Orchestra. RCA Red Seal. 2003. 82876-55706-2.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) OCLC 55118128
- Sibelius: The Symphonies (CD booklet). Herbert Blomstedt & San Francisco Symphony. Decca. 2006. 475 7677.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) OCLC 71325962
- Sibelius: The Complete Symphonies (CD booklet). Osmo Vänskä & Lahti Symphony Orchestra. BIS. 2001. BIS-CD-1286/1288.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) OCLC 48935305
- Sibelius: Symphonies (CD booklet). Paavo Berglund & Chamber Orchestra of Europe. Finlandia [Warner]. 1998. 3984-23389-2.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) OCLC 155854395
- Sibelius: Symphonies Nos. 1 and 3 (CD booklet). Petri Sakari & Iceland Symphony Orchestra. Naxos. 1998. 8.554102.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) OCLC 1162527184
- Sibelius: Symphony No. 2 / The Tempest, Suite No. 1 (CD booklet). Petri Sakari & Iceland Symphony Orchestra. Naxos. 1999. 8.554266.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) OCLC 42252832
- Sibelius: Symphonies Nos. 4 and 5 (CD booklet). Petri Sakari & Iceland Symphony Orchestra. Naxos. 2000. 8.554377.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) OCLC 45633259
- Sibelius: Symphonies Nos. 6 and 7 / The Tempest, Suite No. 2 (CD booklet). Petri Sakari & Iceland Symphony Orchestra. Naxos. 2000. 8.554387.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) OCLC 47111710
- Sibelius: Symphonies Nos. 1-7 / Finlandia / Karelia Suite / Tone Poems (CD booklet). Sakari Oramo & City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. Erato [Warner]. 2003. 2564 60294-2.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) OCLC 783181636
- Sibelius: Complete Symphonies / Violin Concerto / Finlandia (CD booklet). Leif Segerstam & Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra. Ondine. 2005. ODE 1075-2Q.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) OCLC 68623498
- Sibelius: The Symphonies & Tone Poems (CD booklet). Neeme Järvi & Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra. Deutsche Grammophon. 2007. 4776654.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) OCLC 302357737
- Jean Sibelius: Symphony No. 1 / Symphony No. 3 / Rakastava (CD booklet). Vladimir Ashkenazy & Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra. Exton. 2007. OVCL-00279.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) OCLC 713662002
- Jean Sibelius: Symphony No. 4 / Symphony No. 5 / Finlandia (CD booklet). Vladimir Ashkenazy & Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra. Exton. 2007. OVCL-00282.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) OCLC 635955299
- Jean Sibelius: Symphony No. 2 / Tapiola / The Swan of Tuonela (CD booklet). Vladimir Ashkenazy & Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra. Exton. 2007. OVCL-00292.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) OCLC 642909278
- Jean Sibelius: Symphony No. 6 / Symphony No. 7 / Karelia Suite (CD booklet). Vladimir Ashkenazy & Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra. Exton. 2007. OVCL-00293.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) OCLC 656016325
- Sibelius: Symphonies Nos. 1–7 / Kullervo (CD booklet). Sir Colin Davis & London Symphony Orchestra. LSO Live. 2009. LSO0191.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) OCLC 762569923
- Sibelius: Complete Symphonies / Violin Concerto / Finlandia / Valse triste (CD booklet). Arvo Volmer & Adelaide Symphony Orchestra. ABC Classics. 2010. ABC 476 3943.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) OCLC 729684400
- Sibelius: Symphonies Nos. 1 & 3 (CD booklet). Pietari Inkinen & New Zealand Symphony Orchestra. Naxos. 2010. 8.572305.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) OCLC 693874209
- Sibelius: Symphonies Nos. 4 & 5 (CD booklet). Pietari Inkinen & New Zealand Symphony Orchestra. Naxos. 2011. 8.572227.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) OCLC 694397742
- Sibelius: Symphony No. 2 / Karelia Suite (CD booklet). Pietari Inkinen & New Zealand Symphony Orchestra. Naxos. 2011. 8.572704.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) OCLC 729684515
- Sibelius: Symphonies Nos. 6 & 7 / Finlandia (CD booklet). Pietari Inkinen & New Zealand Symphony Orchestra. Naxos. 2011. 8.572705.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) OCLC 752482990
- Sibelius: Complete Symphonies (CD booklet). Pietari Inkinen & Japan Philharmonic Orchestra. Naxos Japan. 2015. NYCC-27286-9.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) OCLC ????
- Sibelius: Complete Symphonies / Three Late Fragments (CD booklet). John Storgårds & BBC Philharmonic. Chandos. 2014. CHAN 10809.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) OCLC 876016492
- Sibelius: The Symphonies (CD booklet). Okko Kamu & Lahti Symphony Orchestra. BIS. 2015. BIS-2076.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) OCLC 936493089
- Sibelius: Symphonies Nos. 2 and 5 (CD booklet). Osmo Vänskä & Minnesota Orchestra. BIS. 2012. BIS-1986.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) OCLC 773584674
- Sibelius: Symphonies Nos. 1 and 4 (CD booklet). Osmo Vänskä & Minnesota Orchestra. BIS. 2013. BIS-1996.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) OCLC 839274411
- Sibelius: Symphonies Nos. 3, 6 & 7 (CD booklet). Osmo Vänskä & Minnesota Orchestra. BIS. 2016. BIS-2006.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) OCLC 958883733
- Sibelius: 7 Symphonies (DVD/Blu-ray booklet). Hannu Lintu & Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra. Arthaus Musik. 2015. ARTHAUS 101797.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) OCLC 957192543
- Jean Sibelius: Symphonies 1–7 (CD booklet). Sir Simon Rattle & Berlin Philharmonic. Berlin Philharmonic Recordings. 2015. BPHR 150073.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) OCLC 1023032503
- Sibelius: Complete Symphonies (CD booklet). Kim Dae-jin & Suwon Philharmonic Orchestra. Sony Classical. 2016. S80210C.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) OCLC ????
- Sibelius: Symphonies 1–7 (CD booklet). Paavo Järvi & Orchestre de Paris. RCA Red Seal. 2019. 190759245125.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) OCLC 1089837063
- Sibelius: Symphony No. 1 in E minor / Symphony No. 3 in C major (CD booklet). Sir Mark Elder & Hallé Orchestra. Hallé. 2009. CDHLL7514.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) OCLC 471522235
- Sibelius: Symphony No. 2 / Oceanides / Pohjola's Daughter (CD booklet). Sir Mark Elder & Hallé Orchestra. Hallé. 2013. CDHLL7516.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) OCLC 866814577
- Sibelius: Symphony No. 5 in E-flat / Symphony No. 7 in C / En saga (CD booklet). Sir Mark Elder & Hallé Orchestra. Hallé. 2016. CDHLL7543.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) OCLC 949907753
- Sibelius: Symphony No. 4 / Symphony No. 6 (CD booklet). Sir Mark Elder & Hallé Orchestra. Hallé. 2020. CDHLL7553.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) OCLC 1151355860
- Sibelius: Kullervo (CD booklet). Paavo Järvi & Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra. Virgin Classics [Warner]. 1997. 7243 5 45292 2 1.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) OCLC 39802174
- Sibelius: Kullervo (CD booklet). Sakari Oramo & BBC Symphony Orchestra. BBC Music Magazine. 2017. BBC MM413.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) OCLC 1004749372
- Sibelius: Kullervo Symphony / The Oceanides / Tapiola (CD booklet). Paavo Berglund & Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra. EMI Classics [Warner]. 2000. 5 74200 2.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) OCLC 47956466
- Sibelius: Kullervo Symphony (CD booklet). Paavo Berglund & Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra. EMI Classics [Warner]. 1994. 5 65080 2.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) OCLC 1060180370
- Sibelius: Kullervo (CD booklet). Leif Segerstam & Danish National Symphony Orchestra. Chandos. 1995. CHAN 9393.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) OCLC 35755203
- Sibelius: Kullervo Symphony (CD booklet). Jukka-Pekka Saraste & Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra. Finlandia [Warner]. 1996. 0630-14906-2.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) OCLC 223131185
- Jean Sibelius: Kullervo (CD booklet). Osmo Vänskä & Lahti Symphony Orchestra. BIS. 2001. CD-1215.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) OCLC 49721406
- Sibelius: Kullervo (CD booklet). Leif Segerstam & Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra. Ondine. 2008. ODE 1122-5.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) OCLC 223995484
- Sibelius: Kullervo (CD booklet). Hannu Lintu & Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra. Ondine. 2019. ODE 1338-5.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) OCLC 1140138975
- Sibelius: Symphony No. 1 (LP booklet). Paul Kletzki & Philharmonia Orchestra. Angel Records. 1956. 35313.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) OCLC 3537432
- Sibelius: Symphony No. 2 (LP booklet). Paul Kletzki & Philharmonia Orchestra. Angel Records. 1956. 35314.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) OCLC 5810168
- Sibelius: Symphony No. 3 (LP booklet). Paul Kletzki & Philharmonia Orchestra. Angel Records. 1956. 35315.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) OCLC 3537435
- Orchestral Spectaculars From Handel To Bartók: Karajan, 1949–1960 (CD booklet). Herbert von Karajan & Philharmonia Orchestra. Warner [EMI Classics]. 2014. 0825646336210.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) OCLC 908656037
- Eugene Ormandy conducts Sibelius (CD booklet). Eugeme Ormandy & Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. Sony Classical. 2015. 88875108582.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) OCLC 928140194
- Symphonien Nos. 4–7 / Der Schwan von Tuonela / Tapiola (CD booklet). Herbert von Karajan & Berlin Philharmonic. Deutsche Grammophon. 1999. 457 748-2.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) OCLC 42387951
- Sibelius: Karajan, 1976–1981 (CD booklet). Herbert von Karajan & Berlin Philharmonic. Warner [EMI Classics]. 2014. 0825646336197.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) OCLC 880359802
- Leonard Bernstein–Sibelius: Complete Recordings on Deutsche Grammophon (CD booklet). Leonard Bernstein & Vienna Philharmonic. Deutsche Grammophon. 2004. 474 936-2.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) OCLC 56079220
- Sibelius: Symphony No. 1 / Karelia Suite / Finlandia (CD booklet). Mariss Jansons & Oslo Philharmonic. EMI Classics [Warner]. 0777 7 54273 2 5.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) OCLC 25332830
- Sibelius: Symphony No. 2/ The Swan of Tuonela / Valse triste (CD booklet). Mariss Jansons & Oslo Philharmonic. EMI Classics [Warner]. 0777 7 54804 2 9.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) OCLC 29404142
- Sibelius: Symphonies Nos. 3 & 5 (CD booklet). Mariss Jansons & Oslo Philharmonic. EMI Classics [Warner]. 7243 5 55533 2 4.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) OCLC 35739856
- Sibelius: Symphonie No. 2 / Finlandia / Valse triste (CD booklet). James Levine & Berlin Philharmonic. Deutsche Grammophon. 1993. 437 828-2.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) OCLC 30808446
- Sibelius: Symphonies Nos. 4 & 5 (CD booklet). James Levine & Berlin Philharmonic. Deutsche Grammophon. 1995. 445 865-2.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) OCLC 35210941
- Sibelius: Symphony No. 2 / Symphony No. 7 (CD booklet). Paavo Berglund & London Philharmonic Orchestra. LPO Live. 2005. LPO 0005.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) OCLC 150252455
- Sibelius: Symphony No. 5 / Symphony No. 6 / The Swan of Tuonela (CD booklet). Paavo Berglund & London Philharmonic Orchestra. LPO Live. 2012. LPO 0065.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) OCLC 809034008
- Sibelius: Symphonies 2 & 7 (CD booklet). Thomas Søndergård & BBC National Orchestra of Wales. Linn Records. 2015. CKD 462.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) OCLC 907135086
- Sibelius: Symphonies 1 & 6 (CD booklet). Thomas Søndergård & BBC National Orchestra of Wales. Linn Records. 2017. CKD 502.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) OCLC 1016159176
- Sibelius: Symphony No. 1 / En saga (CD booklet). Santtu-Matias Rouvali & Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra. Alpha Classics. 2019. ALPHA 440.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) OCLC 1089813289
- Sibelius: Symphony No. 2 / King Christian II (CD booklet). Santtu-Matias Rouvali & Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra. Alpha Classics. 2020. ALPHA 574.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) OCLC 1147955021
- Sibelius: Symphony No. 1 (CD booklet). Yannick Nézet-Séguin & Orchestre Métropolitain. ATMA Classique. 2019. ACD2 2452.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) OCLC 1091058452
- Sibelius: Symphonies Nos. 1 & 3 (CD booklet). Owain Arwel Hughes & Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Rubicon Classics. 2020. RU 1055.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) OCLC 1201358812
- Symphonies by Jean Sibelius