Jean Sibelius
Violin Concerto
Tapiola · Symphony No. 7
David Oistrakh, violin
Finnish RSO
Nils-Eric Fougstedt, conductor
Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra
Sir Thomas Beecham, conductor
Track listing
8 tracks · 65:36Listen to samples on selected tracks.
Jean Sibelius
- Violin Concerto in D Minor, Op. 47 (1905) 28:54
- 1 I. Allegro moderato 14:13
- 2 II. Adagio di molto 7:48
- 3 III. Allegro, ma non tanto 6:45
- 4 Tapiola, Symphonic Poem for Orchestra, Op. 112 17:26
- Symphony No. 7 in C Major. Op. 105 19:23
- 5 I. Adagio- 6:12
- 6 II. Un pochettino meno adagio-Vivacissimo-Adagio- 4:44
- 7 III. Allegro molto moderato- 3:49
- 8 IV. Vivace-Presto-Adagio 4:39
About this recording
This CD combines three essential works by the great Finnish composer Sibelius, in live-captured historic performances from the Sibelius Week 1954 in Helsinki. The predecessor of the renowned Helsinki Festival attracted legendary musicians to Finland, such as violinist David Oistrakh and conductor Sir Thomas Beecham. The mono recordings by the Finnish Broadcasting Company have been digitally remastered (ADD).
Features
Booklet with liner notes in English, German, French and Finnish
Press
The full-bodied, voluptuous sound of Oistrakh's violin in this historic recording from the "Sibelius Week" is dazzlingly beautiful. (...) Beecham's live performance of Tapiola, Sibelius's orchestral testament, is equal to his ideal studio recording for EMI. (...) a stunning interpretation of the Seventh Symphony.
Franck Mallet, Le Monde de la Musique, 1994, Choc
The artists
David Oistrakh
One of the greatest violinists of the 20th century, David (Fyodorovich) Oistrakh (1908-1974) began studying the violin at age five in Odessa, Ukraine, with P. S. Stolyarski. Graduating from the Odessa Conservatory in 1926, he moved to Moscow, where he was in 1934 appointed to the faculty of the Conservatory. He gave recitals throughout the Soviet Union and eastern Europe and in 1937 won first prize in the Eugène Ysaÿe Violin Competition, which launched his international career. In 1942 he received the Stalin Prize. He toured extensively through Europe beginning in 1951, and through the U.S. as soloist with major American orchestras and in recitals from 1953, winning enthusiastic acclaim. Oistrakh also made appearances as a conductor from 1962.
Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra
The Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, the first professional symphony orchestra to be founded in the Nordic countries (1882), has grown from a band of 36 players to an orchestra of 102 regular members.