Sibelius: Orchestral Works (Finlandia, Vlase triste, Swan of Tuonela, Le Cygne de Tuonela, Karelia Suite, En Saga, Pohjola's Daughter)
This budget-priced disc contains some very fine performances. Eugene Ormandy and Leonard Bernstein were both dedicated Sibelius interpreters, and their approaches are both complementary and shrewdly highlighted in this collection. Bernstein is represented by a single work:Pohjola's Daughter. This is not only Sibelius's finest tone poem, but this performance has also long been regarded as the best available. Ormandy, on the other hand, selected the kind of Romantic, colorful music that he always conducted with special authority, and the Philadelphia Orchestra makes some gorgeous sounds, particularly in theValse TristeandThe Swan of Tuonela. A bargain.--David Hurwitz