COMPOSERS: Sibelius
LABELS: Decca Ovation
WORKS: Symphony No. 4; Symphony No. 5
PERFORMER: Philharmonia Orchestra/Vladimir Ashkenazy
CATALOGUE NO: 430 749-2 DDD (1981)
The first mid-price release from Ashkenazy’s Sibelius cycle couples performances of the Fourth and Fifth Symphonies that are among the best available – and in superb wide-ranging digital recordings. The Fifth has terrific excitement and grandeur, with the Philharmonia horns splendid in the finale, while the vast, dark landscape of the Fourth is powerfully evoked. David Michaels
Sibelius: Symphony No. 4; Symphony No. 5
The first mid-price release from Ashkenazy’s Sibelius cycle couples performances of the Fourth and Fifth Symphonies that are among the best available – and in superb wide-ranging digital recordings. The Fifth has terrific excitement and grandeur, with the Philharmonia horns splendid in the finale, while the vast, dark landscape of the Fourth is powerfully evoked. David Michaels
Our rating
5
Published: January 20, 2012 at 2:36 pm