This week we have unearthed something very special from the seemingly endless treasures in the NBC Symphony Orchestra archives. How lucky are we to have such a fabulous orchestra being recorded in great quality sound (for the era) at just about their every turn?
Finland's contribution to the 1939-40 New York World's Fair was the eminent conductor and close friend of Sibelius, Georg Schnéevoigt, whose two-hour concert at Carnegie Hall with the NBC Symphony Orchestra in September 1939 was broadcast in part and captured for posterity by the NBC.
Here we bring you previously unheard performances of Finlandia, the Symphony No. 2, two revised movements from the Lemminkäinnen Suite receiving their world premières, and an almost-complete Symphony No. 7 that's unique in Schnéevoigt's slender discography. It adds up to a truly unmissable combination for anyone interested in the music of Sibelius in the hands of one of his greatest interpreters.