London Philharmonic Orchestra & Paavo Berglund - Sibelius: Symphonies Nos. 5 & 6 (2012/2019) [Official Digital Download]

Finnish conductor Paavo Berglund, who passed away in January 2012, was one of the last remaining conductors with a direct personal connection to Sibelius. With the Second and Seventh Symphonies already released on the LPO Label, Berglund’s Sibelius legacy is further cemented in these live concert recordings with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, in which he vividly captures the natural flight of the Fifth Symphony and the freefall journey of the Sixth.

The affinity Berglund felt with the music of Jean Sibelius went beyond shared nationality and personal acquaintance. Berglund revealed a rare physicality in Sibelius’s scores. It was there in his three recorded symphony cycles, but in these late London performances it emerged in a different, darker light. Berglund wasn’t as meticulous about observing marked tempi as some of his younger compatriots are. Instead he was impulsive, rugged and heartfelt. But his instincts always seemed to serve the musical architecture, the curious symphonic meta-flow unique to Sibelius. His death in January 2012 was talked of as a goodbye to one of the last conductors of the ‘old school’.

"Both interpretations have impressive strengths, with Berglund's familiar and admirable no-nonsense directness everywhere in evidence, and with much fine and vividly focused orchestral playing to match…The special experience here is Berglund's unlingering, atmospheric way with The Swan of Tuonela, whose cor anglais solo - flowingly and beautifully phrased, and flawlessly in tune - is as spellbinding as you'll ever hear." (BBC Music Magazine)

"Berglund's earlier recordings are undoubtedly the more consistent and enduring readings but this new disc casts a different light on his views of these great works. Nicely remastered" (Gramophone Magazine)

Tracklist:
1 Symphony No. 5 in E-Flat Major, Op. 82: I. Tempo molto moderato. Allegro moderato 13:40
2 Symphony No. 5 in E-Flat Major, Op. 82: II. Andante mosso - quasi allegretto 08:22
3 Symphony No. 5 in E-Flat Major, Op. 82: III. Allegro molto 09:36
4 Symphony No. 6 in D Minor, Op. 104: I. Allegro molto moderato 08:47
5 Symphony No. 6 in D Minor, Op. 104: II. Allegretto moderato 06:19
6 Symphony No. 6 in D Minor, Op. 104: III. Poco vivace 03:52
7 Symphony No. 6 in D Minor, Op. 104: IV. Allegro molto 10:46
8 Swan of Tuonela, Op. 22, No. 2 09:12

Personnel:
London Philharmonic Orchestra
Paavo Berglund, conductor

Digitally remastered