Sibelius Symphony No 1 LSO Anthony Collins

[David69547]

When I got my first record token in 1959 I asked my dad what I should buy

He immediately responded 'Sibelius 1'

I had never heard of Sibelius, but when I put this recording on the turntable i was immediately hooked.

My Dad was a professional clarinet player - so perhaps he had enjoyed the opening few bars of the symphony

I wonder if the player on this recording was the great Jack Brymer?

[A60stock]

@David69547 No Jack played in the RPO at the time. It is more likely to be Gervese de Peyer.

[onofrioscriba]

While Boult expressed domestic and cultivated nature, Collins represented

wild and tutonistic nature. I smell in his music roky beach. How wouderful they are! In front of them Beecham seems to be more human and with humor. Nowadays there is no talented conductors more in England neither in Europe. Europe is becoming extincting.

[ggn1234]

Probably the most successful recording of this movement ever made. No one else gets the tempo quite as perfectly as Collins.

For the finale of this wonderful symphony, I urge you to check out Victor de Sabata's recording also available on this site.

[RattleAbbado]

Beautiful clarinet solo. I played it just yesterday with our orchestra and I know what is about... Very complex symphony... One of the Sibelius´s best...

[shadoman1992]

Our orchestra just played this. Being a viola player, our part was pretty dull but i must say that the brass solo at the end was brilliant!

[A60stock]

Collins had died by the time Decca came around to recording stereo versions of these symphonies. Still Ken Wilkinson's mono is amazing and heard on good systems you are transported into the orchestra. For me these performances have always been the benchmark.

[bannan61]

Anthony Collins, the viola player and composer of Vanity Fair. As a conductor he should have been asked by Decca to do a stereo remake of his Sibelius cycle. At around 2'20'' nobody has ever done the timp and horn motif as well as Collins. Maazel's Decca version failed to reach this standard. As good as Hannikainen was as a Sibelius interpreter, Collins beat him hands down. If you haven't got this, then go and buy it!!

[A60stock]

They are a pretty incredible band. At the time Sibelius was writing Symphonies, Mahler was the NYPO conductor. At the same time the NYPO dubbed Samuel Coleridge-Taylor their black Mahler. SC-T conducted the orchestra on two of his visits to the USA in the early years of the 20th century. SC-T had an African father and English mother ( reminds me of a Democratic hopeful).

[merkleel1]

I heard the New York Philharmonic play this, and it was incredible!