Search - Sibelius, Ormandy, Bernstein :: Sibelius: Symphonies Nos. 1 & 5 / Romance for Strings

The two best for the price of one

Charles Emmett | Oroville, California (the boonies) | 07/30/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Ah, to have Maestroes Bernstein and Ormandy together with Jean Sibelius on one recording. Marvelous!I would like to speak to one of the critics here. There was a mention of pedantic and unmoving passages in the Ormandy performance of the First. I would like to say that the First Symphony is a 'Winter' symphony. You can feel the cold and the wind and snow. So many 'loud-soft' passages (echos), so beautifully shaped here. There was no Spring here and it was as if Sibelius was wondering if there was ever going to be a spring. I had always rated the Ormandy performance above Maestro Bernstein in the First Symphony, but the opposite for the Fifth.Here Maestro Bernstein is at his interpretive best, espicially as a young man, in this recording. It shows maturity that I hear in his later recordings, and the clarity of the sound of Carnegie Hall is wonderful. The finale of the first movement is played as in no other recording, powerful and clear! The New York Philharmonic shines here.My only longing here is one that I have stated before; it is so sad that Ormandy and the PHO did not have a venue to make their wonderful sound come through in recordings. There were several early ('58-'59) that still sound wonderful and a few from the middle sixties and those with RCA, but the rest, though you knew the tone was there were not able to experience it.This recording is a must for the beginners classical music library. I recommend this recording highly. I would give it 7 stars if I could."

Second Best Recording of Sibelius's First Symphony!

Charles Emmett | 04/15/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This CD contains the second best recording of Sibelius's First Symphony I've ever heard, second only to a live recording with Bernstein and the Vienna Philharmonic, now available on a DG 3-CD set. (Incidentally, Bernstein's other recording of this piece, with the NY Philharmonic--available on an import CD set, originally recorded for Sony--isn't nearly as good). Ormandy was one of the best Sibelius conductors out there and this recording of the First Symphony is probably his greatest Sibelius recording. The opening clarinet is hauntingly beautiful and the remainder of the first movement contains crackerjack excitement, with just the right tempos. The middle movements are executed flawlessly, but it's the final movement that really stands out. Ormandy draws out the moving "big tune" in a manner that other recordings(save the Bernstein/Vienna) miss. The Philadelphia strings have never sounded better. This is the ultimate "Romantic" recording of this symphony, one that every fan of this work must own.
Benstein's Fifth Symphony is amazing, with shattering climaxes and some of the most mindblowing brass I've ever heard!Another must-own for fans of this work. All in all, a desert-island disc if ever there was one. The budget price makes it a steal!"

Lenny is at his best

Charles Emmett | 11/12/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This recording by the New Philharmonic of Sibelius' Fifth Symphony is one of the best Bernstein made on CBS Masterworks(now known as Sony). In the finale, the trombones play very well, something that was not alway the case during Bernstein's tenure. Ormandy does a very good job with the First Symphony. The price can't be beat and the sound is very, very good. Go for it!"