Sibelius
The core of his oeuvre is his set of seven symphonies which, like his other major works, continue to be performed and recorded in his home country and internationally. His other best-known compositions are Finlandia, the Karelia Suite, Valse triste, the Violin Concerto, the choral symphony Kullervo, and The Swan of Tuonela (from the Lemminkäinen Suite). Other works include pieces inspired by nature, Nordic mythology, and the Finnish national epic, the Kalevala, over a hundred songs for voice and piano, incidental music for numerous plays, the opera Jungfrun i tornet (The Maiden in the Tower), chamber music, piano music, Masonic ritual music, and 21 publications of choral music.
Sibelius composed prolifically until the mid-1920s, but after completing his Seventh Symphony (1924), the incidental music for The Tempest (1926) and the tone poem Tapiola (1926), he failed to produce any major works in his last thirty years, a stunning and perplexing decline commonly referred to as "The Silence of Järvenpää", the location of his home. Although he is reputed to have stopped composing, he attempted to continue writing, including abortive efforts on an eighth symphony. In later life, he wrote Masonic music and re-edited some earlier works while retaining an active but not always favourable interest in new developments in music.
Sibelius
The core of his oeuvre is his set of seven symphonies wh...
BARBER Violin Concerto
HONEGGER Symphony No. 4 'Deliciæ Basiliensis"
SIBELIUS Symphony No. 7
Live recordings, 1948/49
Total duration: 71:37
Ruth Posselt, violin
Boston Symphony Orchestra
conducted by Serge Koussevitzky
SIBELIUS Symphony No. 1
SIBELIUS Symphony No. 2
SIBELIUS Symphony No. 5
SIBELIUS Symphony No. 6
SIBELIUS Valse Triste
SIBELIUS The Swan of Tuonela
SIBELIUS Finlandia
Live concert recordings, 1945-48
Total duration: 2hr 37:22
Boston Symphony Orchestra
conducted by Serge Koussevitzky
WEBER Euryanthe - Overture
HANDEL Concerto Grosso In D
SIBELIUS Symphony No. 1 (mvts. 2 & 3)
GRIFFES The Pleasure Dome Of Kubla Khan
WAGNER Lohengrin - Prelude
RAVEL Daphnis Et Chloé Suite No. 2
Live broadcast recording, 1937
Total duration: 78:27
NBC Symphony Orchestra
conducted by Pierre Monteux
SIBELIUS Violin Concerto
R STRAUSS Symphonia Domestica
Live stereo recordings, 1959/60
Total duration: 77:19
Ruggiero Ricci, violin
Boston Symphony Orchestra
conducted by Charles Munch
RACHMANINOV Symphony No. 2 (world première recording)
SCHUBERT Symphony No. 8, “Unfinished”
BORODIN Polovtsian Dances
and works by Tchaikovsky, Wagner, Brahms, J. Strauss, Sibelius and others
Studio recordings, 1924-28
Total duration: 3hr 0:20
The Cleveland Orchestra
conducted by Nikolai Sokoloff
TELEMANN Suite for Flute and Strings
MOZART Divertimento No. 10
BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 1
SIBELIUS Finlandia
SIBELIUS The Swan of Tuonela
SIBELIUS Lemminkäinen’s Return
SIBELIUS Symphony No. 1
ENESCU Romanian Rhapsody No. 1
Studio recordings, 1937-1941
Total duration: 2hr 12:05
The Philadelphia Orchestra
conducted by Eugene Ormandy