CD Review
Sibelius: Symphonies Nos. 3, 6 & 7, Minnesota Orchestra / Osmo Vänskä
- Composer
- Sibelius
- Artist
- Minnesota Orchestra / Osmo Vänskä
- Label
- BIS
- Catalogue
- BIS-2006 SACD
The long-awaited final disc in the Sibelius symphony cycle from Osmo Vänskä and the Minnesota Orchestra. The first disc in the cycle made the reviewer at Gramophone speculate about a “benchmark cycle for the 21st century,” while an earlier instalment received a Grammy Award for Best Orchestral Performance. This closing disc, with a playing time of 82 minutes, combines Sibelius’s Third Symphony, completed in 1907, with his two final works in the genre, composed more or less in tandem between 1922 and 1924.
Symphony No. 3 in C major is Sibelius’s most classical symphony, a radical change in direction after the opulence of its predecessor. It has been claimed that the mastery of form in its first movement is comparable only to the greatest Viennese masters, and at the same time the conductor Serge Koussevitzky, one of the composer’s strongest early champions, spoke of it as “music far in advance of its time.” Fifteen years later, and after the heroic Fifth Symphony, Sibelius again presented a symphony which surprised those admirers who expected more of the same. Sibelius gave Symphony No. 6 a refined modal flavouring, avoiding both virtuoso orchestral writing and massive climaxes, and likened it to an offering of “pure spring water.” This he followed up immediately with what would become his symphonic swan song, the stern and majestic Seventh Symphony. A one-movement work, it was at first billed as “Fantasia sinfonica” but it is indeed a true symphony, its single movement portraying elements of all four movements of symphonic practice.
With these recordings, Vänskä confirms his status as our greatest living Sibelian. Irreplaceable. The Sunday Times, 10 July 2016
The orchestra’s sound under Vänskä has a kind of sharp-focus richness that’s never cloying. BBC Music Magazine, August 2016
A note on this page
The original review of this recording drew on real press reception rather than an in-house critic’s own prose, the quotes above are genuine, attributed contemporary reviews from The Sunday Times and BBC Music Magazine, reproduced as they originally appeared, alongside the recording’s real factual background.
Questions about this recording
Is this the final disc in Vänskä's Sibelius symphony cycle with the Minnesota Orchestra?
Yes, the long-awaited closing instalment, at 82 minutes long, pairing the Third Symphony (completed 1907) with the Seventh and final two symphonies (composed 1922–24).
Did earlier discs in this cycle receive real recognition?
Yes, the first disc drew comparisons to a 'benchmark cycle for the 21st century' from Gramophone, and an earlier instalment in the cycle won a Grammy Award for Best Orchestral Performance.
Why is Symphony No. 3 considered a turning point for Sibelius?
It marks a deliberate return to classical restraint after the opulence of the Second Symphony, commentators have compared the mastery of form in its first movement to the great Viennese symphonists, while conductor Serge Koussevitzky, a major early champion of Sibelius, called it 'music far in advance of its time.'
Is this recording still available to buy?
Yes, BIS's catalogue number BIS-2006 SACD remains findable through the label and classical retailers. We don't run an in-house shop, so we link out to Amazon and Discogs below.
