Search - Sibelius, Rpo, Beecham :: Symphony 2 & 6

Great 6th, Disappointing 2nd

Jeffrey Lipscomb | Sacramento, CA United States | 05/01/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Sir Thomas Beecham founded the Royal Philharmonic in 1946. This Sibelius 2nd was recorded just two months after the orchestra's first concert. Perhaps because the orchestra was so new, the playing here sounds disappointingly tentative. Beecham's live 1954 concert account (BBC Legends) is far more exciting. The latter was one of the truly great mono readings, along with Serge Koussevitzky's 1950 Boston Symphony account on Victrola LP (NOT his 1930s reading on a Naxos CD).



Things go much better in the 6th (from 1947). The recorded sound is superior (Dutton's re-mastering is exemplary) and here the orchestra sounds like it's been playing together for decades. This fairly uptempo interpretation joins two other great mono accounts in my personal pantheon: the 1934 Georg Schneevoigt, with the Helsinki Philharmonic (on Finlandia, coupled with the wonderful Ignatius/Jarnefelt reading of the Violin Concerto), and the 1950s Collins/London Symphony (Beulah).



This Beecham 6th reportedly was Sibelius's personal favorite among ALL recordings of his symphonies.



Recommended."

A great Sym. #6 compensates for a lackluster Sym. #2

Santa Fe Listener | Santa Fe, NM USA | 03/15/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Given the great popularity of the Sibelius Second, most listeners will be attracted by Beecham's 1946 performance, which is poor, however. In fact, it's so underplayed that one wonders why he approved it, but then it was his bent to favor the step-children of the classical repertoire. Perhaps he simply didn't think he had anything to say and was cavalier enough to prove it.



The Sym. #6, recorded in supernaturally good mono for the time, is another story, one of the very best performances on disc in terms of really putting across this enigmatic work. Beecham dramatizes every vague mood and keeps one's interest alive throughout, no small accomplishment. Dutton's remastering, as usual, is impeccable. So half a loaf is better than none, particularly if you can find this CD cheap on the used market."