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...
GRIEG Peer Gynt Suite No. 1
SIBELIUS Lemminkäinen Suite
Recorded 1947-1951
Total duration: 56:52
The Philadelphia Orchestra
conductor Eugene Ormandy
SIBELIUS En Saga, Op.9
SIBELIUS Pohjola's Daughter, Op.49
SIBELIUS Oceanides, Op.73
SIBELIUS Tapiola, Op.112
ALFVÉN Swedish Rhapsody No.1
Recorded 1953 and 1955
Total duration: 65:58
The Philadelphia Orchestra
conducted by Eugene Ormandy
SIBELIUS Symphony No. 4
SIBELIUS Symphony No. 5
SIBELIUS The Swan of Tuonela
SIBELIUS Finlandia
Recorded in 1954 and 1950
Total duration: 77:40
The Philadelphia Orchestra
conducted by Eugene Ormandy
HANDEL-HARTY Water Music Suite
SIBELIUS Pohjola's Daughter
DEBUSSY Nocturnes: Nuages, Fêtes
BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 5
Live broadcast recording, 1937
Total duration: 79:29
NBC Symphony Orchestra
conducted by Artur Rodziński
TCHAIKOVSKY Symphony No. 4
TCHAIKOVSKY Romeo & Juliet
TCHAIKOVSKY 1812 Overture
FRANCK Symphony in D minor
SIBELIUS Symphony No. 5
Studio recordings, 1939-41
Total duration: 2hr 20:33
NBC Symphony Orchestra
The Cleveland Orchestra
conducted by Artur Rodziński
SIBELIUS Symphony No. 2
Recorded in 1956
Total duration: 44:07
N.W.D.R. Symphony Orchestra of Hamburg
conducted by Hans Schmidt-Isserstedt