Repertoire: The BEST Sibelius Fifth Symphony

This glorious symphony cost Sibelius a huge amount of work before it assumed its final shape, and it still costs conductors and orchestras a tremendous amount of effort in playing it. There are so many moments that can go wrong; but happily there are quite a few superb versions where just about everything goes right. Here they are.
Musical Examples courtesy of Supraphon Records and Ondine Records

[AlexMadorsky]

This truly is an amazing symphony, isn’t it? Sibelius 5 is one of the 20th-century symphonies which kept the form not only viable but thriving over the past 100-odd years. Bernstein and the NYPO is still my favorite. Lenny didn’t futz around because he didn’t feel like he needed to, and his sympathetic, adoring interpretation is magnificent. For a piece that hardly plays or conducts itself, there are a lot of great performances out there. All the Nordic examples you cite are worthy, but Segerstam and the hometown team deliver a truly mesmerizing recording that blots out the sun and absorbs the listener completely.

[richardcaffyn]

I once saw Paavo Berglund conduct Sibelius 5 live at a concert & his control of the orchestra was marvellous. The end of the first movement was electrifying, especially the total silence after the final note

[richardwilliams]

You are an absolute joy to hear and watch your videos! Being a Timpanist for 53 years, I hang on your every word regarding your Percussion knowledge! Thank you

[colinerswell]

The amazing 5th. What a fantastic symphony has been one of my favourites for years. Your review has really brought this music alive. Thanks for all you do for classical music and being so entertaining!! 🎶🎵🎻🎻

[lucasamory]

It was the Lahti and Vänska cycle that first got me into Sibelius back when I was 16 with their breathtaking nuancing and dynamic range; I hold it very close! That 5th also does absolute justice to the timpani part, especially in the coda of the 1st movement.

[lukesinclair]

David, I really want to express my amazement at our very similar reactions to the Blomstedt. After being swept away by the Segerstam and promptly adding it to my Spotify playlist, I went on to the Blomstedt and took it on its own merits. I loved it, added it to the list. Then it was time to be blown away by the Ormandy (added to the list as well of course). At the end of all this, I felt in my mind the two glowing pinnacles of Segerstam and Ormandy, and wondered why I had kept the Blomstedt? I re-listened after a break, only to again find myself believing it to be one of the best. It was a trademark of his whole cycle, that natural, organic style. I think I've mentioned it before, but I stand by the Blomstedt Sibelius cycle as one of the best things you've introduced to me.

[Bezart]

Another excellent talk. Thank you, David. That 'Iceland' 5th on Naxos, is a wonderful version, and I'm congratulating myself that I agree with you on that! And Colin Davis - LSO Philips; again a real hundinger of a 5th. I shall spend time listening to my various versions of this knockout symphony.

[hillcresthiker]

I dont know how to read music, I never played an instrument.... but because he is so incredible in his descriptions, as long as I am familiar with the piece, I know exactly what Dave is talking about. He is an astounding speaker and the last guy who spoke about music with this much talent, was Lenny!

[davidmayhew]

Yummy!!! I had the NYP great recording! In my teens! Mind boggling!

[nicholasjschlosser]

Thanks again for another wonderful survey. I imprinted on Karajan's digital EMI recording (on an old cassette coupled with his EMI 4th), and it still remains one of my favorites. One other nice element is that in the third movement Karajan lets the woodwind counter melody come through during the first statement of the swan-melody (the strings drown them out on DG). Excepting the sludgy recording of the 2nd, those EMI digital sessions produced one of the finest Sibelius collections ever.

[MaggiMagg]

Thanks, Dave, for the great talk. I'm in total agreement regarding Segerstam - always interesting and truly outstanding in Sibelius (for example, his recording of the violin concerto with Pekka Kuuisto is fantastic). For something different, although not perhaps among the very best, I really like Kurt Sanderling's recording of the 5th with the Berliner Sinfonie-Orchester. In fact, I love the whole cycle very much and turn to it quite frequently. I bought it on your recommendation and what a cycle it is (his En Saga is also outstanding). Different but, IMO, truly great. Thanks for the recommendation.

[Kijjy]

Timpanist here, playing this in concert in two days, definitely taken some of the things you've mentioned to this performance David!

[davidmeyer]

There is a great moment in a DVD of a conducting seminar that Bernstein was taking when he can't resist seizing the baton from the hapless pupil to take the orchestra through the last part of the first movement himself - ' You see they want to go faster already, but don't let them.'
There is also an interesting early performance on DVD with the LSO performing in Croydon ! ; it has plenty of the good points about early LB you speak about.
What a terrific talk David, your dissection of the final pages of the first movement were revelatory.

[jamesdavidson]

Fantastic insights as always! Thank you Dave for sharing your knowledge so generously!

[alexchristopher]

I find the horns drowning out the strings, too, at the end of the 1st movement in the Czech Philharmonic recording, while the brass has too much treble (a high-pitched or shrilly sound) and a thin "tinny?" texture that deprives the sound of deep richness and majesty. My favorite recording for the final crescendo of the 1st movement is the one by Karajan and the BPO on DG released in 1965 because of the performance of the brass section. There's a richness and pulsation to it and a more moderate application of treble. The dissonance is perfectly tempered. Absolutely no distortions or aberrations. Thanks, David for another superb and masterful review.

[RichardGreen]

Your comments on Bernstein remind me of a friend of mine from many years ago. He would play as a sub at a major East Coast symphony, and he basically hated conductors (to use your word, he considered almost all of them to be poseurs). I can remember two exceptions: he said Ozawa had the best pair of ears of anyone, and that Bernstein (I am paraphrasing here) knew more about music than the whole orchestra put together.

[OuterGalaxyLounge]

Nice overview, Dave. Luckily, I have most of these, including Segerstam. Does anyone here have any memory of hearing young Esa-Pekka Salonen doing the Sib Fifth live on public radio circa 1989 from LA, possibly at the Hollywood Bowl, and prior to his being named music director there? I remember being quite excited by how he spaced the chords in the finale. I've been fruitlessly searching for any leads or information about the performance.

[edwinbaumgartner]

What a stunning recording Delogu‘s is! Thanks so much! I didn‘t know it. It‘s the 2nd time, I am overwhelmed by this conductor. With czech forces he made for Supraphon one of the best „Carmina burana“ I ever heard, full of clear and fresh colours and lively rhythms. It‘s absolutely great - as is his 5th Sibelius!

[providence]

Super talk love this type of analysis, Elaine

[richardwilliams]

I saw the late great Alan Cumberland playing timpani with the London Philharmonic this particular Symphony of Sibelius and was floored with his technique !!!