Wonderful performances by a gtreat Sibelian!
06/24/1999
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Leonard Bernstein and the NYPO give splendid performances of the first three symphonies of Sibelius. Bernstein is absolutely at home in this music. These performances are rich and satisfying. I especially admire the performance of symphony #3. The second movement is pure perfection. Although I find Bernstein's performance Of Symphony #2 with the Vienna Philharmonic to be the most probing and profound statement of the work I have ever heard, this earlier performance with the NYPO is indeed a fine one."
First choice, believe it or not
Santa Fe Listener | Santa Fe, NM USA | 09/17/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Because Beecham was such a great champion of Sibelius and because so much of music criticism comes from the UK, we are led to believe that Simon Rattle and Colin Davis are the last word in Sibelius conducting, followed by various Scandinavian conductors leading provincial Finnish orchestras. This set belies all of it. Bernstein with the virtuosic NY Phil plays the wheels off these peices. Bernstein was an acclaimed Sibelian in this country and remains exceptional even after forty years. A must buy."