Sibelius: Symphonies Nos. 5 & 7 / Boston Symphony Orchestra & Colin Davis (2001)

Colin Davis has visited the Sibelius Symphonies three times in his outstanduing recorded career–first here with the Boston Symphony, then twice at the helm of the London Symphony. All are distinguished interpretations, but this 1970s series with the BSO is by far the best. Davis served for several seasons as a frequent guest conductor of the BSO and was rumored as the prefered successor to Ozawa–but alas that was not to be. But these incomparable Sibelius performances give us a taste of what might have been. Both the 5th and 7th Symphonies begin in near silence. Sibelius signature "sound" evokes the windy cold and expansiveness of the Finnish forests, and the BSO gets that sound exactly right. The 5th Symphony grows in this performance to a blazing finale, while the more organic 7th slowly evolves into a tragic cry. The sheer beauty of the Boston Symphony's ensemble playing in these recordings is a thing of real marvel, but so too is Davis' ability to shape the long-line that is so essential to a genuinely great Sibelius performance. After the 7th Symphony Sibelius lived for decades in a sad silence of bitterness and loss. What might have been? The Colin Davis/BSO series gives noble voice to his haunting ideas. We can only hope that I Tunes shares the rest of the series with us. Very strongly recommended!– Carl Fowler


The immense music of Jean Sibelius, while maybe a little too rich for some, has clearly always been a favorite with audiences of big bold 20th century music. Obviously, it has also been a favorite of British conductor Sir Colin Davis, who has recorded the Sibelius symphonic cycle twice, the most recent being as music director of the London Symphony Orchestra.

The recordings here of Sibelius' 5th and 7th Symphonies date from Davis' first Sibelius cycle with the Boston Symphony, one of America's finest. Both orchestra and conductor were at their best in these recordings, which date from the winter of 1974-75. They are bold without being bombastic.

Philips was right to re-release these two symphonies onto CD in their original LP form, with vastly improved sound. Next to the more recent recordings by Herbert Blomstedt and the San Francisco Symphony, the Davis/BSO recordings are the best available ones of these two 20th century symphonic giants.–Amazon

Tracklisting:

01. Sibelius: Symphony No.5 in E flat major, Op. 82 - I. Tempo molto moderato <15:06>
02. Sibelius: Symphony No.5 in E flat major, Op. 82 - II. Andante mosso quasi allegretto <9:04>
03. Symphony No.5 in E-flat Major, Op. 82 - III. Allegro molto <8:08>
04. Sibelius: Symphony No.7 in C major, op.105 - I. Adagio <10:02>
05. Sibelius: Symphony No.7 in C major, op.105 - II. Vivacissimo - Adagio <2:31>
06. Sibelius: Symphony No.7 in C major, op.105 - III. Allegro molto moderato - Allegro moderato <3:54>
07. Sibelius: Symphony No.7 in C major, op.105 - IV. Vivace - Presto - Adagio - Largamente molto <3:00>
08. Sibelius Symphony No.7 in C major, op.105 - V. Affettuoso <2:02>



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