The BIS Sibelius Edition sets its cap at recording the complete works. That’s the treatment accorded to Beethoven by DGG in the early 1970s on vinyl, later to Mozart by Philips and to a wider range of the classic greats over the last two decades.

‘Complete’ has a forbidding and academic connotation. It offers the collector the excitement and possibly disappointment of discovery and the record company the frustration of what can be left out without calling comprehensiveness into question. Do we include sketches? Do we include only final versions? Do we commission speculative completions? How different does an earlier version have to be before it deserves its own recording? When researchers turn up a once unheard of manuscript or a known work whose score has been lost – what do we do? Do we wait a couple of years until we have enough for a new CD to issue as an anhang or just ignore it? Bis’s answers will become apparent when the project reaches fruition in 2010. Some of Bis’s answers we can guess at now. They will record juvenilia but in general not sketches. They will not seek speculative completions although editorial work has of necessity been commissioned with Sibelius family approval. They will record and have recorded earlier versions of works – witness the Lemminkainen Legends, En Saga, Oceanides, Violin Concerto and Fifth Symphony.

The Bis Sibelius Edition takes two quite different formats. The first is a series of single issue volumes beginning in 1979 with BIS-LP-153 of the piano music. Such is the sedulous attention to detail that they gradually reissued the LPs as CDs giving them equivalent numbers. Second, beginning in 2007, the 50th anniversary of Sibelius’s death in 1957, is a 13-volume boxed edition in uniform livery. We are part way through that programme. Each box in the Edition has a letter of the composer's name on the spine - rather like the spine design for the Olympia-Regis Myaskovsky cycle. The name is spelt out across the spines of the 13 volumes: I – XIII with one carrying a blank to separate Jean from Sibelius. A further nice design touch is the cool blue sky-lakes-conifers-swan flight used as illustration for the boxes. In each box the swans are seen winging further across the lake.

The first five boxes - all available separately - encompass the familiar and the unfamiliar – vintage, pot-boiler and juvenilia. We do not regard the piano music and chamber music as characteristic. The tone poems, theatre music and the works for voice and orchestra are more familiar; especially the first two genres. Indeed in these are found his most famous works - Finlandia, The Swan of Tuonela, Valse Triste and Pelléas and Mélisande. We struggle to find works of any real exposure in the other two boxes: at a stretch, Kyllikki among the piano solos and Voces Intimae from the chamber music.

Individual boxes may have some very approximate 'competition' but nothing with anything like the reach of the Bis project. Three 3-CD sets of the tone poems can be had from DG (Järvi), Chandos (Gibson) and Saisons Russes HM (Sinaisky) – the latter long gone to the great deleter in the sky. These sets are restricted to the best known tone poems and none of them offer rarities or alternative versions. Berglund's Helsinki/BSO set (EMI Collectors Edition) includes tone poems, incidental music and the symphonies. There is one piece of almost direct competition and that comes from Annette Servadei. Her Alto-Regis set of the solo piano music is on ALC 5001 across 5 CDs which began life with individual issues on Olympia. That set is admirable in every way yet tackles only a fraction of the piano works that will appear in the two Gräsbeck Bis piano solo volumes.

In the early years - 1978 onwards into the 1980s - it was Neeme Järvi and the Gothenburg Symphony who were Bis’s orchestral collaborators in Project Sibelius. For whatever reason horses were then changed and since then the stewardship has been carried by the magnificent Lahti Symphony Orchestra and Osmo Vänskä. This team are behind the recordings on the first four discs of Volume 1 and for Luonnotar, Oceanides (Yale version) and In Memoriam (1909 original version) on disc 5. Järvi and the Gothenburg Symphony preside over the two Scènes Historiques suites on CD5 and the final 1909 version of the Cassazione. The 1904 original of the Cassazione is on CD2 (tr. 4) from Vänskä.

The first disc of Volume 1 - TONE POEMS - will have the dedicated Sibelian sitting on the edge of the seat waiting for the next surprise, the next unexpected touch and theme. The original (1896) version of Lemminkainen and the Maidens of the Island is heavier-textured with an easier proclivity to plod than the more impulsive and Lemminkainen-like revised version from 1897 and finally 1939. Even so it is fascinating to encounter so many unexpected twists, diversions and turns by comparison with the familiar text. New Sibelius of this quality is always to be welcomed.

By comparison the original version of En Saga which shares the first CD with the whole of Colin Davis's edition of the 1896 version of Lemminkainen in Tuonela and two later versions (original and of 1896 and then 1897) blazes with creative inspiration. It will be remembered from the wonderful Nupen Sibelius DVD that in these years Sibelius's mind was a fearsomely inventive dynamo of ideas. His problem was knowing which ideas to discard and which to build in. The ideas spilled onto the page in profusion. Allowing for the prelude to the opera The Maiden in the Tower there appear to have been no earlier versions of the Swan of Tuonela so one must wait to hear that work until one gets to CD 3.

The 1896 version of Lemminkainen's Return is especially prone to bombast in its last five minutes when a triumphant Karelian theme for brass dominates the proceedings. The composer's final 1897-1900 tightening up and revision was certainly to the good.

On CD 2 the Cassazione defies the lighter expectations of the title and begins in a manner that is stern, relentlessly insistent and ferocious. It remains uniformly serious throughout. This is a surprising work and certainly not the sort of light Sibelius we hear in the various late string suites. There is even a Balakirev-style clarinet solo at 4.50, an Elgarian serenade at 7.02 and a chaste oboe at 10.37. It is played and recorded with wit, rapacious energy, and gripping concentration. This is more ballade than cassation. Serious Sibelians need to hear this.

Musik zu Einer Scène was written for a tableau so its filmic Tchaikovskian qualities should not surprise. Here Sibelius to the first two symphonies. In the later and lighter moments there is much work for flute and tambourine. The piece ends as rain-heavy storm clouds rumble.

The final 1902 version of En Saga is the one we hear performed and recorded today. It is tighter but I am very pleased to be able to go back to the four-minute-longer original on CD1. I say this even though its transitions can be ramshackle and there is a tendency for grandeur to tip over into lumbering bombast.

Finland Awakes is the first version of the piece we know today as Finlandia. Its differences are largely in the last few pages - fascinating!

Disc 3 start with the now definitive score of Finlandia complete with it familiar truculent brass opening. Capable though this is it lacks the acrid cordite rasp of the Horst Stein and Barbirolli recordings. Not that it is any slouch for Vänskä twists its tail to achieve a stertorous emphasis and dramatic stride. His In Memoriam of 1910 can be compared with the original of 1909 on disc 5. At the end of CD3 he delivers a thrummingly life-enhancing and poetic Four Lemminkainen Legends in their final versions. His Lemminkainen and the Maidens of the Island is hoarsely exciting and challenges Ormandy's second Philadelphia sequence on EMI for first place in a field now bumping and jostling with competition. By the way, let me also recommend Ormandy's first and little known mono recording of the four Lemminkainen tone poems. Frustratingly it seems forever consigned to obscurity unless you can find either of the two privately reissued versions issued some years ago in the States. I see that it is now featured in the custom download series offered by Naxos in their 9. series. Don’t miss it. 1950s Ormandy Sibelius was outstanding.

Disc 4 sets out the familiar editions of five well-known tone poems including Pohjola's Daughter, Night Ride, The Bard, Oceanides and Tapiola.

In the wonderful Pohjola's Daughter Vänskä is remarkably gentle as the weaver of rainbows and dreams. Sample this mood at 4.10. His is a successful reading if less volatile than the lusty Stein version on Decca. Night Ride and Sunrise is spikier and more thrustingly dynamic than the recently heard Paavo Järvi version heard on an impressive Virgin Classics reissue. Bis have some typically and adroitly wide-ranging dynamics and subtle lighting for the orchestra. The 1910 Dryad takes us to the bleak Sibelius we know from the Fourth Symphony while the Dance-Intermezzo is enchantingly light and Tchaikovskian - a little like the meeting of Swan Lake with Karelia. The Bard is a bleached pastel – a reserved soliloquy with harp.

Much is made of the Oceanides’ Mediterranean and specifically Greek references. Perhaps it is Beecham's way with the piece that established that sound image. Here however I hear a warmth, certainly, but this is more suggestive of summers in the Baltic or of the Swedish archipelago.

The Oceanides of 1914 in its final garb can be compared with the Yale version of the same year. The earlier Yale version was written at the commission of Carl Stoeckel for the Norfolk Festival. Some of the themes and treatments are familiar from the final edit but themes often go off in new directions. There is also fresh material, lush harp sweeps from Luonnotar, romantic yearning from the Second Symphony, shrills and shudders from Tapiola and an almost Debussian warmth. Coming to it afresh you should approach it, not in the spirit of study, but simply appreciate it as a 'new' Sibelius tone poem with its own identity but with some familiar material.

A sturdy Tapiola grips me less than other versions. This is understated and lacks the possibly over-italicised but irresistibly gruff drive of Van Beinum - a little regarded Sibelian doyen. He is to be heard in virile sound on the Australian Eloquence label. Don't miss out on hearing Van Beinum's Sibelius; it maybe in mono but it is stunning and well up there with classic Sibelius of the calibre of Mravinsky's and Ormandy’s Sibelius 7, Beecham, Barbirolli and Ormandy's Sibelius 2, Van Damen's and Oistrakh's versions of the Violin Concerto, Furtwängler's En Saga and Horst Stein's Pohjola's Daughter.

This set could easily have been a rather bleached academic exercise but Vänskä and Järvi approach it with freshness, vigour and a poetry completely in sympathy with the Sibelian voice.

The tone poems are with one exception (The Dryad) organised chronologically with the final version of En Saga coming first complete with its one moment of obvious Tchaikovskian pizzicato. There are many delights along the way including the caramel sweet serenading of Tuula Ylonen's clarinet at 12:10 and 16:42 and some haunting flute playing at 13:02. Ideally you will also need to hear Furtwängler's vertiginous way with this piece (Music and Arts) and also Horst Stein's tempestuous and highly charged version on Decca (452 576-2) - some of the most creepily romantic playing I have ever heard; totally unmissable. Vänskä's 18:03 compares with Stein's 16:15.

The Dryad is from 1910 and its fluttering awkwardnesses link with the Fourth Symphony but also recall a work by one of Sibelius's English champions, Granville Bantock. The work in question is Bantock's fey little overture The Pierrot of the Minute. Sibelius might well have heard it. Those horn yelps at 2.34 and 2.42 are reminiscent of similar but more majestic outbursts at the peak of the Seventh Symphony.

The Dance Intermezzo starts with a miniature snowstorm of Tchaikovskian harp arpeggiation. It's a little gem of a piece with a touch of the grand ball-room and even a little tambourine and castanets. The resonant acoustic really registers at the end of this piece.

Andrew Barnett - whose Sibelius biography is now published by Yale University Press - reminds us of something too easily forgotten: that all these great tone poems predate the Great War. Tapiola came some six years after the war had finished and it was to be a more brooding and less vigorously coloured effort than Pohjola's Daughter or The Oceanides or Nightride.

The Luonnotar of Helena Juntunen is a miracle of electric atmosphere, steely yet feathery delicacy. Juntunen's perfectly controlled, flexible voice is coupled with pellucid enunciation. My most recently heard version of Luonnotar was the one conducted by Paavo Järvi on Virgin Classics. Juntunen’s singing has more colour and vocal control in ascent or descent. There is at least one point where the awesome tessitura of the piece challenges Järvi’s soprano into a swallowed gulp where Juntunen flies onwards. I still favour the 1976 EMI Berglund recording by Taru Valjakka but this one from Bis is so much better recorded.

We are spoilt with two versions of In Memoriam in this volume. CD 5 has the 1909 original - very angry-tragic. On CD 3 we can hear the final version from 1910 which I think loses some of the rasp that makes the first version so awesome in its tread and fury. I have to confess somewhat shamefacedly to a sneaking high regard for Segerstam's impossibly distended reading - once on Chandos and now on Brilliant Classics.

The final and fifth disc in the tone poems set adds the two Scènes Historiques suites conducted by Neeme Järvi and recorded by Bis in February 1985. I am glad that Järvi has not been abandoned. His imaginative resource delivered and continues to deliver considerable pleasures across the two decades dividing us from those original sessions. We might forget that they took place only two years after the launch of the compact disc. Järvi brings to the All'Overtura a full-blooded rush. His Scena is another gentle pastel with some bumbling and burblingly characterful Tchaikovskian woodwind. His thrumming-bustling and light-hearted Festivo ends the first triptych. La Chasse rustles with intimations of the Third Symphony. Love Song is a rather pallid and low key affair with Sibelius only hitting his stride again with the light Prokofiev-style skip and pizzicato of the wonderful At the Draw-Bridge. Thus the disc ends with enchantment - a spell and a smile.

Then comes the first of two chamber music volumes – CHAMBER MUSIC I. Chamber music and Sibelius? They don’t really pair up that well, do they? Volume 2 in the Sibelius Edition aims to put us straight on that. If we had got it into our heads that apart from Voce Intimae he didn’t really write any then this box and a Chamber volume 2 will put us back on the straight and narrow. He wrote masses of chamber music – especially in his youth.

On CD1 the 1885 Molto Moderato possesses an urbane bustle: Beethoven meets Smetana: the cafe cultures of Vienna and Helsingfors. The fluency of the Theme and Variations of 1888 can be admired. The fragments of small chamber pieces are rather akin to the Catalogue of Themes in Piano Volume 1. They’re all very polished - several sounding grown-up. The silvery flow of the allegretto in b flat major of 1889 presents some lovely ideas. Pay heed also to the flying Allegro that is last movement of the 1899 String Quartet in A minor.

CD3 includes the regretful, nuanced and gentle Andante Sostenuto of the 1890 String Quartet in B flat major. This contrasts with the famous Voces Intimae (1910) with its snow-flake-flighty Allegro. We are even treated to the preliminary ending of the Allegro.

CD4 places the Trios in front of the listener. There’s an 1883 one for 2 violin and piano which has its charms but more impressive is the shimmering flutter of the Menuetto of the 1884 A Minor Piano Trio. The Hafträsk piano trio in A Minor is more classical with few presentiments of the mature Sibelius.

CD5 Korpo Trio still bays very much for classical models couth and civilised. It’s al rather tame but the lovely floating allegro in d minor fairly scampers along as completed by Kalevi Aho who has done quite a bit of the recovery work on the chamber pieces.

The last CD in the set includes the wheeze of the harmonium alongside sophistication of the violin, cello and piano. This functions as a reminder that these pieces were played by family members in what was a very musical home. The Lisztian storm-clouds thunder of the Quartet in C minor of 1891 give way to an urbane and feather-limned melody that candidly carries the DNA of the later mature Sibelius.

With the voice we reach much closer to the Sibelius we know. In Sibelius the voice and the orchestra (Volume 3 – VOICE AND ORCHESTRA) combine in double potency.

CD 1 is the Vänskä/Lahti Kullervo. It is superbly weighted, calculated and recorded. The approach is steady and unglamorous but the recording is a constant grace - delightfully balanced and captured. This is an understated Kullervo with many slow-blooming and pastel-shaded colours. It does not tower over you like the versions by Berglund, Davis or Spano.

The second disc includes Herr du bist ein els – a Bachian cantata replete with dancing delight. Rakastava for male voices and orchestra is not as bleakly fey as the string orchestra version. The University cantata is a 30 minute piece. It is quite new but this is a generally lower key work with some fine Sibelius along the way. There’s a swayingly enchanting Andantino and a student-body sense of a grave yet youthful processional singing in silvery light. The Wood Nymph is for reciter, piano and orchestra. It dates from 1894 and is out of the same bran tub as Finlandia in the contour of the melody at start. Lasse Pöysti picks up on the melodic shaping in his carefully intoned - almost singing - oration. The 1895 Serenade is taken by for Tommi Hakala. The orchestra has that lovely trademark trembling-quiet strings and pizzicato writing. Finally the Cantata for the Coronation of Nicholas II (1896) is suitably majestic. It is self-consciously grand and glows with a splendid lustre in part I. Part II becomes more rhetorical before developing a Finlandia style grandeur. The passionate exaltation to be heard at 3.38 recalls similar echo effects in waltons Te Deum from 1937.

CD 3 - The recording of Sibelius’s only completed opera, Jungrun i Tornet has been around a long time. It’s still very good but in a head to head not to be referred to Paavo Järvi’s version on Virgin. Järvi beings a minted excitement to the Overture – very light on the aural palate. The Wagnerian stentor brought to the singing has a passionate warmth that fades back into a sighing duet (tr.7 1.17).

I could continue but frankly this set is packed with good things. You cannot go wrong if you want to investigate the complete Sibelius for voice and orchestra or even to compare earlier and final versions of Song of the Athenians, Höstkvall, Har du mod (3 versions) and Tulen Synty.

In Volume 4 – PIANO MUSIC I - try sampling the mannered 1886 Scherzo in E major. It’s all early Beethoven and Mozartean cut-glass. Much the same goes for the sequence of jigsaw-small fragments in the Catalogue of Themes – also on CD1. The invitation appears to be: throw them up in the air and arrange them into a bigger work. Nothing very personal here but certainly capable and lively.

CD2 offers a haltingly pensive Andantino in B Major JS 44. Then there’s the Grieg-like and rustically trilled Moderato from Florestan JS82 (1889). The stuttering overlapping layers of the Scherzo in F sharp minor explodes into a grandeur that reminds u again of Grieg – this time of the Piano Concerto.

CD 3 brings the pesante exhaustion of the first of the Six Impromptus – more Grieg – in fact a sentimental Troll. The Ballade from Karelia Suite at least offers us something familiar among all the new impressions tumbling in. The peremptory little Caprizzio dates from 1895.

On CD 4 the Lisztian mitrailleuse roulades of the Caprice (1898) remind us that Sibelius spent may of his formative years in Germany. The Musette from Kung Kristian II works well although the rumbling sepulchral thunder and forked lightning of Finlandia is better caught by Servadei on Regis.

The next disc offers the promise of something even more characteristic in the shape of some Finnish Folk songs - six of them - all a-tremble. The Ten Bagatelles are beautifully turned – all elegance and spin. They are pleasing miniatures just like the Ten Pensées Lyriques. Sibelius did not spare the horses when it came to sentimentality. The rather nice Valse Triste is heard in two versions. Most challenging and satisfying is The Dryad – an almost minimalist portrait and mood-piece, all in one.

The theatre music in Volume 5 – THEATRE MUSIC - was recorded in suite form fairly thoroughly by Bis when their alliance was with the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra and Neeme Järvi. There's a lot of it. To date none of the discs in the Edition have been as tightly packed as these. Five of the six time out at between 77 and 79 minutes.

What we have here is every one of the ten sets of incidental music in both complete original sequence and in suite form – at least where a suite exists. Most of the strain is taken up by the Lahti orchestra with Osmo Vänskä - the Järvi Gothenburg team carry the King Christian II concert suite of 1898, the Swanwhite Suite of 1908 and the Belshazzar concert suite of 1906-7 as well as the complete ‘pantomime’ of Scaramouche, once roughly but pleasingly done by the Hungarian State Symphony Orchestra with Jussi Jalas and available on a long gone Decca double. They also do the Pelleas suite and the two Tempest suites and Prelude as well as several valuable gew-gaws such as the Canzonetta and Valse Romantique from Kuolema and the Kom nu hit dod from Twelfth Night sung by Hynninen. We should not forget the Wedding March from The Language Of The Birds by Adolf Paul. It’s a lot of music across six densely filled CDs. Järvi and one Panula track were recorded between 1983 - the CD dawn year - to 1990. Then along came the move to Lahti and Vänskä. Their recordings range from 1992 to 2008. These are all finely conceived and executed readings sensitive to sibelius's lighter hand yet responsive to the many strange and fey moments and paragraphs to be found in The Tempest. I am not ready to give up my allegiance to Beecham in The Tempest or to Gibson in King Christian II or to Rozhdestvensky in Belshazzar or even to Batiz and Tjeknavorian (Regis) but these Bis discs offer in one convenient and densely stocked package gifted recordings that are often gifted and mostly evince spellbinding clarity with lucid sound. Wonderful material.

Although there are another eight boxes to come the first five offer a wonderful series of in-depth tranches of the composer's works organised by genre.

On the other hand if you shrivel at the very thought of 13 boxes of between 4 and 6 CDs then you might like to go for Bis's "The Essential Sibelius". It's still in the shops and gives you what it says on the box … and a quite a bit more: 15 discs for the price of four. You get all the symphonies an most of the prime tone poems as conducted by Vänskä. Songs, choral works, chamber music and piano solos all appear in fine imaginative performances.

For the rest of us the 13 box sequence is the fulfilment of a dream. A lifetime's worth of discovery even if much of the early music is less than inspirational though wonderfully crafted.

Rob Barnett

Sibelius Edition on BIS Themed Review page

Detailed Contents and Tracklisting:

THE SIBELIUS EDITION Vol.1 – Tone Poems
Helena Juntunen (soprano)
Göteborgs Symfoniker/Neeme Järvi
Lahti Symphony Orchestra/Osmo Vänskä
5 CDs for the price of 3
BIS-CD-1900/02 [388:56]

CD 1:
1. En saga, Op.9 [1892 – original version] 21:51
Lemminkäinen Suite, Op.22 (earlier versions)
2. I. Lemminkäinen and the Maidens of the Island [1896 – original version (?)] 14:24
3. II. Lemminkäinen in Tuonela [1896 version – reconstruction] 22:07
4. IV. Lemminkäinen’s Return [1896 – original version (?)] 11:23
5. IV. Lemminkäinen’s Return [1896 – original version (?)] 11:50

CD 2:
1. Improvisation/Spring Song [Op.16] [1894 – preliminary version] 9:18
2. The Wood-Nymph, Op.15 – Ballad for Orchestra 21:37
3. En saga, Op.9 [1892, rev. 1902 – final version] 18:03
4. Cassazione, Op.6 [1904 – original version] 12:14
5. Musik zu einer Scène [1904 – preliminary version of Dance-Intermezzo] 5:32
6. Finland Awakes [1899 (?) – Preliminary version of Finlandia] 8:27

CD 3:
1. Finlandia, Op.26 [1899, rev. 1900 – final version] 8:28
2. Spring Song, Op.16 [1894, rev. 1895] 7:34
3. In memoriam, Op.59 [1909, rev. 1910 – final version] 11:21
Lemminkäinen Suite, Op.22
4. I. Lemminkäinen and the Maidens of the Island [1896, rev. 1897 & 1939 – final version] 15:12
5. II. The Swan of Tuonela [1893, rev. 1897 & 1900 – final version] 9:27
6. III. Lemminkäinen in Tuonela [1896, rev. 1897 & 1939 – final version] 17:41
7. IV. Lemminkäinen’s Return [1896, rev. 1897 & 1900 – final version] 6:27

CD 4:
1. Pohjola’s Daughter, Op.49 13:10
2. Night Ride and Sunrise, Op.55 17:20
3. The Dryad, Op.45 No.1 5:07
4. Dance-Intermezzo, Op.45 No.2 [1904, rev. 1907] 2:41
5. The Bard, Op.64 7:32
6. The Oceanides, Op.73 [1914 – final version] 10:03
7. Tapiola, Op.112 17:22

CD 5:
1. Luonnotar, Op.70 8:50
2. The Oceanides, Op.73 [1914 – Yale version] 7:25
3. In memoriam, Op.59 [1909 – original version] 10:25
4. Cassazione, Op.6 [1904, rev. 1905 – final version] 12:55
Scènes historiques I, Op.25 [1899, rev. 1911]
5. I. All’ Overtura 4:37
6. II. Scena 6:11
7. III. Festivo 7:07
Scènes historiques II, Op.66
8. I. La Chasse 6:27
9. II. Love Song 4:30
10. III. At the Draw-Bridge 6:37
Helena Juntunen (soprano)
Göteborgs Symfoniker/Neeme Järvi
Lahti Symphony Orchestra/Osmo Vänskä

THE SIBELIUS EDITION Vol.2 – Chamber Music I
Kristiina Mäkele (soprano); MariAnne Häggander (soprano); Helena Juntunen (soprano); Lilli Paasikivi (mezzo); Matleena Vakkilainen (mezzo); Tone Kruse (alto); Erland Hagegård (tenor); Tom Nyman (tenor); Juha Hostikka (baritone); Tommi Hakala (baritone); Raimo Laukka (baritone); Jorma Hynninen (baritone); Jyrki Korhonen (bass); Tytti Vänskä (narrator); Stina Ekblad (narrator); Lasse Pöysti (narrator); Lahti Boys: Choir; Jubilate Choir; Dominante Choir; YL Male Voice Choir; Göteborgs Konserthuskör; Lahti Symphony Orchestra/Osmo Vänskä; Göteborgs Symfoniker/Jorma Panula, Neeme Järvi
6 CDs for the price of 3
BIS-CD-1903/05 [437:47]

CD 1:
1. Molto moderato – Scherzo, JS134 4:15
2. [Scherzo] in B minor, 1885 0:43
String Quartet in E flat major, JS184
3. I. Allegro 8:56
4. II. Andante molto 22:46
5. III. Scherzo. Allegretto 1:28
6. IV. Vivace 4:27
[Four Themes] 1887 7. I. G major 0:40
8. II. E flat major 0:19
9. III. A minor 0:29
10. IV. E minor 0:16
[Three Pieces]
11. I. Alla marcia in E minor, JS16 0:58
12. II. Presto in F major, JS154 0:55
13. III. Theme and Variations in G minor, JS197 1:26
14. Allegretto in D major, JS20 2:12
15. Andantino in C major, JS39 3:06
16. Theme and Variations in C sharp minor, JS195 6:20
[33 Small Pieces] 1888-89
17. 1. E major 0:13
18. 2. A minor – C major 0:20
19. 3. F major 0:13
20. 4. A minor 0:28
21. 5. A flat major 0:46
22. 6. F sharp minor 0:25
23. 7. F major 0:20
24. 8. G major 0:30
25. 9. A major 0:20
26. 10. E flat major 0:49
27. 11. A major 0:17
28. 12. C minor 0:52
29. 13. E major 0:33
30. 14. C minor/E flat major 0:19
31. 15. E major 0:18
32. 16. D minor 0:36
33. 17. C minor 0:29
34. 18. B flat major 0:50
35. 19. D minor 0:29
36. 20. A major 0:39
37. 21. A minor 0:42
38. 22. B minor 1:08
39. 23. F major 0:58
40. 24. E flat major 0:42
41. 25. Moderato. G major 0:23
42. 26. Allegretto. A minor 0:18
43. 27. Presto. C major 0:10
44. 28. Andante. C major 0:26
45. 29. Andantino. D major 0:17
46. 30. Alla marcia. E major 0:22
47. 31. Andante. E flat major 0:20
48. 32. Andantino. A major 0:17
49. 33. Moderato. D major 0:55
50. [Allegro] in G minor, 1888–89 0:32
51. Andante – Allegro molto in D major, JS32 6:17
52. Andante molto sostenuto in B minor, JS37 7:40

CD 2:
1. Moderato – Allegro appassionato in C sharp minor, JS131 10:33
[Three Pieces]
2. Allegro in E minor, JS28 7:42
3. Allegretto in A major, JS17 & Più lento in F major, JS149 3:14
4. Adagio in F minor, JS14 5:28
5. Allegretto in B flat major, 1889 1:00
6. Fuga för Martin Wegelius, JS85 5:28
String Quartet in A minor, JS183
7. I. Andante – Allegro 11:06
8. II. Adagio ma non tanto 8:33
9. III. Vivace 5:43
10. IV. Allegro 8:40

CD 3:
1. Adagio in D minor, JS12 12:15
String Quartet in B flat major, Op.4
2. I. Allegro 7:24
3. II. Andante sostenuto 7:57
4. III. Presto 5:23
5. IV. Allegro 8:40
String Quartet in D minor, ‘Voces intimae’, Op.56
6. I. Andante – Allegro molto moderato 5:53
7. II. Vivace 2:18
8. III. Adagio di molto 10:51
9. IV. Allegretto (ma pesante) 5:34
10. V. Allegro 4:57
String Quartet in D minor, ‘Voces intimae’: preliminary ending
11. V. Allegro [from Risoluto, 8 bars before Fig.11] 0:32
12. Andante festivo, JS34a 5:11

CD 4:
Trio ‘in G major’ for two violins and piano, JS205
1. I. Andante – Allegro 4:03
2. II. Adagio 4:28
3. III. Vivace 1:27
4. [Menuetto] in D minor for violin, cello & piano, 1882-85 1:07
5. Menuetto in F major for two violins and piano, JS126 2:07
6. [Andante] – Adagio – Allegro maestoso for violin, cello and piano, 1883–85 3:53
Piano Trio in A minor, JS206
7. I. Allegro con brio 6:24
8. II. Andante 9:13
9. III. Menuetto 5:12
10. [Moderato] in A minor for violin, cello and piano, 1885 3:09
11. [Allegro] in C major for violin, cello and piano, 1885 1:40
12. Allegro in D major for violin, cello and piano, JS27 3:16
13. [Andantino] in A major for violin, cello and piano, 1886 2:18
Piano Trio in A minor, ‘Hafträsk’, JS207
14. I. Allegro maestoso 8:35
15. II. Andantino 4:20
16. III. Scherzo. Vivace 2:40
17. IV. Rondo 6:10

CD 5:
Piano Trio in D major, ‘Korpo’, JS209
1. I. Allegro moderato 10:50
2. II. Fantasia. Andante – Adagio – Molto adagio – Andantino – 15:30
3. III. Finale. Vivace 9:21
4. Andantino in G minor for violin, cello and piano, JS43 1:40
5. [Allegretto] in A flat major for violin, cello and piano, 1887–88 0:46
Piano Trio in C major, ‘Lovisa’, JS208
6. I. Allegro 6:57
7. II. Andante – Più lento – Lento 4:04
8. III. Allegro con brio 4:37
9. [Allegro] in D minor for violin, cello and piano, 1889 6:09
10. [Allegretto] in E flat major for violin, cello and piano, 1891–92 1:39
11. La pompeuse Marche d’Asis for violin, cello and piano, JS116 3:21

CD 6:
Quartet in D minor for two violins, cello and piano, JS157
1. I. Andante molto – Allegro moderato 11:34
2. II. Adagio 7:54
3. III. Menuetto 4:31
4. IV. Grave – Rondo. Vivacissimo 8:34
Ljunga Wirginia, Quartet for violin, cello and piano four hands, 1885
5. I. Moderato quasi andantino – Cantabile – Recitativo 3:44
6. II. Prestissimo 3:54
7. III. Largo 1:50
8. IV. Andantino 1:27
9. V. Allegretto 0:25
10. VI. Allegro – Più vivo quasi Presto – Allegro con fuoco – [Moderato] 4:20
11. Scherzo in E minor for violin, cello and piano four hands, JS165 4:40
12. Andante cantabile in E flat major for piano and harmonium, JS30b 4:12
13. Quartet in G minor for violin, cello, piano and harmonium, JS158 8:47
14. Quartet in C minor for two violins, cello and piano, JS156 8:23
Jaakko Kuusisto (violin)
Satu Vänskä (violin)
Taneli Turunen (cello)
Marko Ylönen (cello)
Folke Gräsbeck (piano)
Peter Lönnqvist (piano)
Harri Viitanen (harmonium)
Tempera Quartet

THE SIBELIUS EDITION Vol.3 – Voice and Orchestra
Kristiina Mäkele (soprano); MariAnne Häggander (soprano); Helena Juntunen (soprano); Lilli Paasikivi (mezzo); Matleena Vakkilainen (mezzo); Tone Kruse (alto); Erland Hagegård (tenor); Tom Nyman (tenor); Juha Hostikka (baritone); Tommi Hakala (baritone); Raimo Laukka (baritone); Jorma Hynninen (baritone); Jyrki Korhonen (bass); Tytti Vänskä (narrator); Stina Ekblad (narrator); Lasse Pöysti (narrator); Lahti Boys: Choir; Jubilate Choir; Dominante Choir; YL Male Voice Choir; Göteborgs Konserthuskör; Lahti Symphony Orchestra/Osmo Vänskä; Göteborgs Symfoniker/Jorma Panula, Neeme Järvi
6 CDs for the price of 3
BIS-CD-1906/08 [447:36]

CD 1:
Kullervo, Op.7
1. I. Introduction 12:50
2. II. Kullervo:s Youth 19:18
3. III. Kullervo and his Sister 25:27
4. IV. Kullervo Goes to War 10:04
5. V. Kullervo:s Death 12:22

CD 2:
[Two Chorales] for mixed choir and orchestra, 1889
1. Herr du bist ein Fels (Lord, you are a rock) 1:41
2. Herr erzeige uns deine Gnade (Lord, show us your mercy) 3:05
3. Rakastava (The Lover), JS160b, 1894 6:28
Kantaatti tohtorin- ja maisterin-vihkijäisissä 31 päivänä toukokuuta 1894, JS105 [Cantata for the University Graduation Ceremonies of 1894]
4. I. Syntyi kun maailmat… (When the planets were born…) 7:23
5. II. Kaskeksi korvet ne raadettiin… (We tore down and burned the woods…) 15:17
6. III. Andantino [orchestra] 8:53
7. The Wood-Nymph, Op.15, melodrama for recitation, piano and orchestra 10:10
8. Serenad (Serenade), JS168, for baritone and orchestra 5:47
Kantaatti ilo- ja onnentoivotusjuhlassa Marraskuun 2. päivänä 1896, JS104 (Cantata for the Coronation of Nicholas II)
9. I. Terve nuori ruhtinas… (Hail, young prince…) 8:33
10. II. Oikeuden varmassa turvassa… (In the sure security of justice…) 9:58

CD 3:
Jungfrun i tornet (The Maiden in the Tower), JS101, opera in one act
1. Overture 2:50
2. Scene 1: Bailiff: Fagraste mö… (Fairest maiden…) 5:49
3. Scene 2: Maiden: Santa Maria… 3:48
4. Scene 3: Maiden: Ah, hör jag rätt… (Ah, do I hear right…) 4:05
5. Intermezzo 1:01
6. Scene 4: Lover: Ack, när jag ser hennes drag… (Ah, when I see her face…) 4:01
7. Scene 5: Maiden: Brännande kval… (Burning torment…) 8:10
8. Scene 6: Bailiff: Vem är du… (Who are you…) 1:04
9. Scene 7: Chatelaine: Vad är det jag ser? (What:s this I see?) 1:27
10. Scene 8 Maiden: Så är jag fri… (Now I am free…) 2:57
11. Laulu Lemminkäiselle (A Song for Lemminkäinen), Op.31 No.1 4:08
12. Koskenlaskijan morsiamet (The Rapids-Rider:s Brides), Op.33 9:00
13. Sången om korsspindeln (Fool:s Song of the Spider), Op.27 No.4 3:31
14. Sandels, Op.28 8:57
15. Athenarnes sång (Song of the Athenians), Op.31 No.3, original version 3:31
16. Islossningen i Uleå älv (The Breaking of the Ice on the Oulu River), Op.30 10:30

CD 4:
1. Athenarnes sång (Song of the Athenians), Op.31 No.3, arr. 3:26
2. Snöfrid, Op.29 14:15
3. Impromptu, Op.19, original version 5:27
4. Tulen synty (The Origin of Fire), Op.32, original version 11:20
5. Se:n har jag ej frågat mera, Op.17 No.1 1:53
6. Höstkväll (Autumn Evening), Op.38 No.1 4:29
7. På verandan vid havet (On a Balcony by the Sea), Op.38 No.2 3:06
8. I natten (In the Night), Op.38 No.3 3:37
9. Har du mod? (Have You Courage?), Op.31 No.2 1:38
10. Höstkväll (Autumn Evening), Op.38 No.1 (for voice and string orchestra) 4:55
11. Vapautettu kuningatar (The Captive Queen), Op.48 9:16
12. Grevinnans konterfej (The Countess:s Portrait), JS88 3:31
13. Impromptu, Op.19, final version 6:57

CD 5:
1. Vapautettu kuningatar (The Captive Queen), Op.48, rev. 1910 (?) 9:21
2. Tulen synty (The Origin of Fire), Op.32, final version 9:03
4. Arioso, Op.3 3:48
5. Har du mod? (Have You Courage?), Op.31 No.2, 3rd version 1:54
6. Hertig Magnus (Duke Magnus), Op.57 No.6 3:35
7. Luonnotar, Op.70 9:00
8. Soluppgång (Sunrise), Op.37 No.3 2:22
9. Våren flyktar hastigt (Spring is Flying), Op.13 No.4 1:30
10. Har du mod? (Have You Courage?), Op.31 No.2 1:58
11. Sandels, Op.28 8:57
12. Demanten på marssnön, Op.36 No.6 2:58
13. Jääkärien marssi (March of the Finnish Jäger Battalion), Op.91a 2:23
14. Partiolaisten marssi (Scout March), Op.91b 2:50
15. Oma maa (My Own Land), Op.92 13:26

CD 6:
1. Jordens sång (Song of the Earth), Op.93 14:20
2. Autrefois, Scène pastorale, Op.96b 5:40
3. Maan virsi (Hymn to the Earth), Op.95 5:47
4. Väinön virsi (Väinämöinens Song), Op.110 8:53
5. Processional (Onward, Ye Peoples), Op.113 No.6 3:46
6. Koskenlaskijan morsiamet (The Rapids-Riders Brides), Op.33 8:36
7. Ett ensamt skidspår (A Lonely Ski-Trail), JS77b 2:41
8. Kullervon valitus (Kullervos Lament) from Op.7 2:17
9. Kom nu hit, död (Come Away, Death), Op.60 No.1 2:48
Kristiina Mäkele (soprano)
MariAnne Häggander (soprano)
Helena Juntunen (soprano)
Lilli Paasikivi (mezzo)
Matleena Vakkilainen (mezzo)
Tone Kruse (alto)
Erland Hagegård (tenor)
Tom Nyman (tenor)
Juha Hostikka (baritone)
Tommi Hakala (baritone)
Raimo Laukka (baritone)
Jorma Hynninen (baritone)
Jyrki Korhonen (bass)
Tytti Vänskä (narrator)
Stina Ekblad (narrator)
Lasse Pöysti (narrator)
Lahti Boys: Choir, choir
Jubilate Choir
Dominante Choir
YL Male Voice Choir
Göteborgs Konserthuskör
Lahti Symphony Orchestra/Osmo Vänskä
Göteborgs Symfoniker/Jorma Panula, Neeme Järvi

THE SIBELIUS EDITION Vol.4 – Piano Music I
Folke Gräsbeck (piano)
Lasse Pöysti (narrator)
5 CDs for the price of 3
BIS-CD-1909/11 [392:45]

CD 1:
1. Scherzo in E major with Trio in E minor, JS134a 2:34
2. Con moto, sempre una corda in D flat major, JS52 3:34
[Three Pieces], 1885
3. [Andante] in E flat major, JS74 3:00
4. [Menuetto] in A minor, JS5 1:16
5. [Tempo di valse] in A major, JS2 0:55
6. Scherzo in E major with [Trio] in A major, JS134b 2:04
7. [11 Variations on a harmonic formula] in D major, 1886 10:12
from [Music Book, 118 Harmony Exercises], 1886
8. [Waltz] in D minor (No.105) 1:01
9. [Andantino] in B flat major (No.111) 1:15
[A Catalogue of Themes, 50 Short Pieces]
10. 1. [Andante cantabile], 6/8, G major 0:08
11. 2. [Moderato], C [=4/4], C minor 0:08
12. 3. [Moderato], C, G minor 0:11
13. 4. [Allegretto], 3/4, A major 0:07
14. 5. [Andantino], 6/8, A minor 0:09
15. 6. [Andante], C, G major 0:10
16. 7. [Adagio], [C], F major 0:11
17. 8. [Andante], [C], B minor 0:09
18. 9. [Allegro risoluto], [C], G minor 0:06
19. 10. [Adagio], C, A minor 0:07
20. 11. [Moderato], 3/4, G minor 0:06
21. 12. [Alla marcia], C, D major 0:06
22. 13. [Andante], 6/8, B flat major 0:07
23. 14. [Allegro con spirito], C, G major 0:05
24. 15. [Adagio], C, D major 0:16
25. 16. [Allegro moderato], C, A flat major 0:12
26. 17. [Allegro giocoso], C, C major 0:13
27. 18. [Allegretto], C, B flat major 0:08
28. 19. [Tempo di valse], 3/4, A major 0:14
29. 20. [Allegro con fuoco], 3/4, D minor 0:08
30. 21. [Allegro], 3/4, G major 0:09
31. 22. [Allegro con fuoco], 2/4, D minor 0:11
32. 23. [Allegretto], 2/4, C sharp minor 0:11
33. 24. [Andante cantabile], 6/8, G major (elaboration of No.1) 0:12
34. 25. [Moderato], C, C minor (elaboration of No.2) 0:14
35. 26. [Andantino], 6/8, A minor (elaboration of No.5) 0:16
36. 27. [Andante], C, G major (elaboration of No.6) 0:17
37. 28. [Allegro risoluto], C, G minor (elaboration of No.9) 0:10
38. 29. [Andante], 6/8, B flat major (elaboration of No.13) 0:12
39. 30. [Allegro con spirito], C, G major (elaboration of No.14) 0:11
40. 31. [Adagio], C, D major (elaboration of No.15) 0:30
41. 32. [Allegro moderato], C, A flat major (elaboration of No.16) 0:20
42. 33. [Andante cantabile], 6/8, G major (elaboration of Nos1 & 24) 0:22
43. 34. [Moderato], C, C major 0:19
44. 35. [Allegretto], 6/8, B flat minor 0:30
45. 36. [Moderato], C, D major 0:24
46. 37. [Moderato], C, C minor (elaboration of Nos2 & 25) 0:46
47. 38. [Andantino], 6/8, E major 0:36
48. 39. [Andantino], 6/8, E major (elaboration of No.38) 0:34
49. 40. [Mazurka], 3/4, B flat minor 0:14
50. 41. [Adagio], C, D major 0:25
51. 42. [Allegro inquieto], 6/8, A minor 0:20
52. 43. [Alla polacca], [3/4], E major 0:18
53. 44. [Andante mesto], C, E minor 0:32
54. 45. [Andantino], C, G major 0:27
55. 46. [Ballade], 9/8, C minor 0:28
56. 47. [Allegro], 6/8, C major 0:18
57. 48. [Allegretto rustico], 6/8, D minor 0:19
58. 49. [Commodo], C, G major 0:22
59. 50. [Andantino], 6/8, E major (elaboration of Nos38 & 39) 1:57
Trånaden (Suckarnas mystèr), Fantasy for piano with recitation, JS203
60. Poem: Tvenne lagar styra människolivet… 1:11
61. Piano: Largo – Andante 4:02
62. Poem: Ser du havet? 1:02
63. Piano: Andantino 3:17
64. Poem: Hör du vinden? 0:39
65. Piano: Molto allegro – Andante – Adagio cantabile 3:29
66. Poem: Vad är våren? 0:36
67. Piano: Allegro – Andantino – Moderato – Andante – Poco adagio – Allegretto 2:08
68. Poem: Mänska, vill du livets vishet lära… 0:45
69. Piano: Largo 2:18
70. Andante in E flat major, JS30a 4:02
71. [Aubade] in A flat major, JS46 2:48
72. Au crépuscule, JS47 1:52
[Five Short Pieces], 1888
73. Tempo di menuetto in F sharp minor 0:24
74. Allegro in E major 0:27
75. [Moderato] in F minor 0:27
76. Vivace in E flat major 0:16
77. Andantino in C major 1:17

CD 2:
[Three Short Pieces], 1888
1. Andantino in B major, JS44 1:22
2. Allegretto in B flat minor, JS18 1:02
2. [Waltz] in D flat major, 1891–93 2:12
[Three Short Pieces], 1888
3. Allegro in F minor 0:43
[Three Waltzes], 1888
4. [Waltz] in E major 1:03
5. Più lento – Tempo di valse in E flat major, JS150 3:19
6. [Waltz, Fragment] in F minor 0:31
[Two Pieces], 1888
7. Andantino in E major, JS41 0:49
8. [Two Sketches. Presto] in A minor, JS6 1:00
9. Allegretto in G minor, JS24 0:49
10. Moderato – Presto in D minor, JS133 1:30
11. [Allegro, Fragment] in E major, 1888 0:18
12. O, om du sett, for recitation and piano, JS141 4:27
[Three Sonata Movements], 1888
13. Largo in A major, JS117 4:07
14. Vivace in D minor, JS221 2:36
15. Adagio in D major, JS11 4:04
16. [Three Fugue Expositions] in D minor, 1888–89 1:35
17. [Polka] in E flat major, JS75 1:08
Florestan, Suite for Piano, JS82
18. I. Moderato 1:33
19. II. Molto moderato 2:23
20. III. Andante 4:06
21. IV. Tempo I 2:04
22. Allegretto in E major, JS21 1:33
23. À Betzy Lerche – Valse in A flat major, JS1 4:07
24. [Sonata Allegro: exposition and development section] in D minor, JS179a 6:51
Sonata Fragments for Becker 1889 J.S.
25. [Two Sonata Sketches] 0:47
26. [Eleven Sonata Sketches] 2:17
27. [Sonata Allegro: exposition] in F minor, JS179b 4:04
28. [Sonata Allegro: exposition] in C major, JS179c 1:29
29. [Sonata Allegro] in E major, JS179d 5:00
30. [Sonata Allegro: exposition] in C minor, JS179e 3:38
31. [Polka, Fragment] in E minor, 1890–92 0:21
32. [Mazurka, Sketch] in D minor, 1891–94 0:23
33. Scherzo in F sharp minor, JS164 1:44

CD 3:
1. Menuetto in B flat major, 1891–92 2:42
2. [Waltz] in D flat major, 1891–93 2:12
Six Impromptus, Op.5
3. Impromptu No.1 in G minor 1:53
4. Impromptu No.2 in G minor 1:51
5. Impromptu No.3 in A minor 2:33
6. Impromptu No.4 in E minor 2:07
7. Impromptu No.5 in B minor 3:36
8. Impromptu No.6 in E major 6:02
from Karelia Suite, Op.11
9. I. Intermezzo 3:06
10. II. Ballade 6:40
Sonata in F major, Op.12
11. I. Allegro molto 5:51
12. II. Andantino 6:54
13. III. Vivacissimo 4:00
14. from The Wood-Nymph, Op.15 3:18
15. Allegretto in F major, JS23 2:40
16. Caprizzio in B flat minor, 1895 2:10
17. Lento in E major, JS119 3:22
18. Allegretto in G minor, JS225 1:10
19. [Caprice] in B minor, 1898 1:59
20. Andantino in F major, Op.24 No.7 3:34
21. Menuetto in B flat major, 1898–1900 1:47
22. Marche triste, JS124 5:31
23. [Allegro] in G minor, 1899–1903 1:26
24. Kavaljeren, JS109 1:29

CD 4:
1. Andantino in F major, 1897 2:33
Ten Pieces, Op.24
2. 1. Impromptu in G minor 4:53
3. 2. Romance in A major 6:52
4. 3. Caprice in E minor, 1898 3:07
5. 4. Romance in D minor 3:48
6. 5. Valse in E major 2:16
7. 6. Idyll in F major 4:00
8. 7. Andantino in F major 3:45
9. 8. Nocturno in E minor 3:35
10. 9. Romance in D flat major 3:46
11. 10. Barcarola in G minor 4:46
12. Idyll in F major, Op.24 No.6 3:56
13. Finlandia, Op.26 8:42
Kung Kristian II (King Christian II), Op.27
14. 1. Élégie 4:32
15. 2. Menuetto 1:38
16. 3. Musette 2:08
17. 4. Sången om korsspindeln 4:12
[Three Sketches], 1895–98
18. B flat minor 0:39
19. D flat major 0:24
20. C major 0:28
21. [Largamente] in D minor, 1897-99 1:16
22. Har du mod? (fourth version), Op.31 No.2 1:48
23. Athenarnes sång, Op.31 No.3 2:28

CD 5:
Finnish Folk-songs arranged for piano, JS81
1. 1. Minun kultani kaunis on, sen suu kuin auran kukka 1:31
2. 2. Sydämestäni rakastan 1:45
3. 3. Ilta tulee, ehtoo joutuu 1:12
4. 4.Tuopa tyttö, kaunis tyttö 1:09
5. 5. Velisurmaaja 1:42
6. 6. Häämuistelma 1:21
7. Minun kultani kaunis on, vaikk’ on kaitaluinen 1:24
8. [Adagio] in C major, 1901–05 0:41
9. [Polka] ‘Aino’ in C minor 0:24
10. Couplet in D major, Op.34 No.4 1:35
Ten Bagatelles, Op.34
11. 1. Valse in D flat major 1:46
12. 2. Air de danse in E major 0:51
13. 3. Mazurka in A major 1:16
14. 4. Couplet in D major (second version) 1:21
15. 5. Boutade in A flat major 1:33
16. 6. Rêverie in E minor 2:39
17. 7. Danse pastorale in A major 1:02
18. 8. Joueur de harpe in B flat minor 2:13
19. 9. Reconnaissance in D major 0:54
20. 10. Souvenir in A minor 2:14
21. [Andante (ma non troppo lento)] in C sharp minor, 1898-99 2:36
Ten Pensées lyriques, Op.40
22. 1. Valsette in E minor 0:48
23. 2. Chant sans paroles in E minor 2:24
24. 3. Humoresque in C major 1:04
25. 4. Menuetto in C major 2:14
26. 5. Berceuse in D major 1:59
27. 6. Pensée mélodique in C major 1:54
28. 7. Rondoletto in A flat major 1:30
29. 8. Scherzando in A flat major 0:55
30. 9. Petite sérénade in B flat major 2:12
31. 10. Polonaise in C major 1:47
Kyllikki, three lyric pieces, Op.41
32. I. Largamente – Allegro 2:51
33. II. Andantino 4:23
34. III. Comodo 3:04
35. Valse triste (preliminary piano transcription), Op.44 No.1 4:42
36. Valse triste (definitive piano transcription), Op.44 No.1, 4:47
37. The Dryad, Op.45 No.1 5:10
38. Dance-Intermezzo, Op.45 No.2 2:33
Lasse Pöysti (narrator)
Folke Gräsbeck (piano)

THE SIBELIUS EDITION Vol.5 – Orchestral Music for the Theatre
Lahti Symphony Orchestra/Osmo Vänskä
Göteborgs Symfoniker/Neeme Järvi
6 CDs for the price of 3
BIS-CD-1912/14 [465:27]

CD 1:
Kung Kristian II (King Christian II), Op.27
1. No.1. Elegy. Lento assai (Overture) 5:50
2. No.2. Musette. Allegretto (Act II, Scene 2) 2:06
3. No.3. Menuetto. Non troppo lento (Act III, Scene 1) 1:51
4. No.4. Fool’s Song of the Spider (Act V, Scene 3) 4:11
5. No.5. Nocturne. Moderato (After Act I) 6:20
6. No.6. Serenade. Moderato assai – Moderato (Act III, Scene 1) 4:22
7. No.7. Ballade. Allegro molto – Vivace (Act IV) 5:32
Kuolema (Death), JS113
8. Scene I. Tempo di valse lente – Poco risoluto 4:23
9. Scene II. Moderato (Paavali’s Song: ‘Pakkanen puhurin poika’) 3:04
10. Scene III. Moderato assai – Moderato (Elsa’s Song: ‘Eilaa, eilaa’) – Poco adagio 7:07
11. Scene IV. Andante (The Cranes) 0:51
12. Scene V. Moderato 2:25
13. Scene VI. Andante ma non tanto 1:55
Svanevit (Swanwhite)
14. Preliminary sketch for No.9 (c.1908) 0:50
Svanevit (Swanwhite). Original theatre music (1908)
15. No.1. A horn signal in the distance. Largo 0:11
16. No.2. Comodo 2:31
17. No.3. A swan flies past. Adagio 0:16
18. No.4. Now the harp begins to play. Lento assai 3:12
19. No.5. A white swan flies past. Adagio 0:15
20. No.6. Swanwhite’s mother. Lento – Commodo – Lento – Allegro 4:21
21. No.7. The harp falls briefly silent and strikes up a new melody. Andantino 1:31
22. No.8. Elsewhere! Andante 3:15
23. No.9. Stepmother: Where is the bride? Lento 2:32
24. No.10. The golden clouds become rose red. Moderato 2:17
25. No.11. Swanwhite. Allegretto 0:57
26. No.12. Fire at the castle. Largamente 1:27
27. No.13. Now the harp plays. Adagio 1:41
28. No.14. All bend their knees as if in thanks and praise. Largamente molto 1:23

CD 2:
Pelléas och Mélisande (Pelléas and Mélisande), JS147
1. No.1. Grave e largamente (Act I, Prelude, Scene 1) 2:53
2. No.2. Andantino con moto (Act I, Scene 2) 4:10
3. No.3. Adagio (Act I, Scene 4) 2:02
4. No.4. Commodo (Act II, Prelude, Scene 1) 1:53
5. No.5. Con moto (ma non tanto) (Act III, Prelude, Scene 1) 1:59
6. No.6. Tranquillo (Mélisande’s Song, Act III, Scene 2) De trenne blinda systrar 2:17
7. No.7. Andantino pastorale (Act III, Scene 4) 1:52
8. No.8. Allegretto (Act IV, Prelude, Scene 1) 2:47
9. No.9. [no tempo marking] (Act IV, Scene 2) 3:00
10. No.10. Andante (Act V, Prelude, Scene 2) 5:38
Jokamies (Jedermann), Op.83
11. No.1. Largo 0:15
12. No.2. Largo 1:04
13. No.3. Allegro 1:25
14. No.3a. Allegro commodo 0:08
15. No.4. Dance Song (‘Me kutsun saimme…’) Tempo commodo 3:15
16. No.5. ‘On riemussa hetket mennehet taas’. Tempo andante 0:14
17. No.6. ‘Kun vettä sataa, niin kastutaan’. Un poco con moto 0:08
18. No.7. ‘Maat ja metsät viheriöivät…’ Tempo moderato 0:58
19. No.8. ‘Oi, Lempi, armas Lempi!…’ Allegretto 0:41
20. No.9. ‘Maat ja metsät viheriöivät…’ Tempo moderato 1:10
21. No.10. Allegro molto 2:31
22. No.11. Largo, sempre misterioso 9:44
23. No.12. Adagio di molto 2:58
24. No.13. Adagio di molto (continued) 4:27
25. No.14. Largo e molto – Doloroso – Con grande dolore 5:24
26. No.15. [Lento] 3:37
27. No.16. ‘Gloria in excelsis Deo’. Sempre dolce sin al Fine 2:12

CD 3:
Kuolema (Death), Op.44. Revised versions.
1. No.1. Valse triste (1904) 4:22
2. No.2. Kurkikohtaus (Scene with Cranes). Andante sostenuto (1906) 4:55
The Tempest, Op.109 3
3. No.1. [Overture – The Ship Sinks beneath the Waves]. Largamente molto 6:36
4. No.2. Miranda is Lulled into Slumber. (Act I) 1:43
5. No.3. Ariel Flies In. (Act I) 0:20
6. No.4. Chorus of the Winds. (Act I) 2:21
7. No.5. [Ariel Hastens Away]. (Act I) 0:16
8. No.6. Ariel’s First Song, with Introduction and Choir. (Act I) ‘Hietikolle käymme näin’ 1:57
9. No.7. Ariel’s Second Song. (Act I) ‘Sun isääs’ peittävät synkeät veet’ 2:18
10. No.8. Interlude [Prospero]. (Act II) 4:10
11. No.9. The Oak Tree (Ariel) Plays the Flute. (Act II) 2:43
12. No.10. Ariel’s Third Song. (Act II) ‘Täällä senkun kuorsataan’ 0:54
13. No.11. Interlude: Caliban. (Act II) 1:20
14. No.12. Stephano’s Song. (Act II) ‘En enää lähde merelle’ 1:11
15. No.13. Caliban’s Song. (Act II) ‘Hei, Prosperon perkele’ 1:26
16. No.14. Interlude: Miranda. (Act III) 1:43
17. No.15. [Humoresque]. (Act III) 1:58
18. No.16. Canon [Caliban, Trinculo, Stephano]. (Act III) Kurkitaan, urkitaan 2:09
19. No.17. Antonio. Dance of the Shapes. (Act III) 5:05
20. No.18. Ariel as Harpy (– Melodrama). (Act III) 1:56
21. No.19. The Shapes Dance Out (Ballet II). (Act III) 1:53
22. No.20. Intermezzo [Alonso mourns]. (Act IV) 1:58
23. No.21. [Ariel Flies In]. (Act IV) 0:21
24. No.22. Ariel’s Fourth Song. (Act IV) ‘Ennen kuin ehdit huokaamaan’ 0:45
25. No.23. The Rainbow. (Act IV) 2:16
26. No.24. Iris’s Melodrama. (Act IV) 1:00
27. No.25. [Juno’s Song]. (Act IV) ‘Kunnia ja vaurautta’ 1:32
28. No.26. Dance of the Naiads. (Act IV) 2:27
29. No.27. Dance of the Harvesters. (Act IV) 1:47
30. No.28. [Ariel Flies In]. (Act IV) 0:19
31. No.29. [Ariel Hastens Away] (Act IV) 0:16
32. No.30. [Ariel Flies In]. (Act IV) 0:19
33. No.31. The Dogs. (Act IV) 0:59
34. No.31bis. Prelude. (Act V) 1:02
35. No.32. [Ariel Brings the Foes to Prospero] (Act V) 3:06
36. No.33. Ariel’s Fifth Song. (Act V) ‘Mä mettä janooni juoda saan’ 1:00
37. No.34. Cortège. 2:15
38. No.34bis. Ossia [Epilogue]. (Act V) 1:20
The Tempest
39. Canon. (Preliminary version of movement No.5 of The Tempest Suite No.1, Op.109 No.2) 2:02

CD 4:
Belsazars gästabud (Belshazzar’s Feast), JS48
1. No.1. Alla marcia. (Act I) 2:03
2. No.2a. Prélude: Nocturno. (Act II) 3:23
Belsazars gästabud (Belshazzar’s Feast), JS48
3. No.2b. The Jewish Girl’s Song. (Act II) ‘Vid älvarna i Babylon’ 3:11
Belsazars gästabud (Belshazzar’s Feast), JS48
4. No.3. Allegretto (Act III) 0:57
5. No.4. Dance of Life. (Act III) 1:13
6. No.5. Dance of Death. (Act III) 1:14
7. No.6. Dance of Life: extract. (Act III) 0:30
8. No.7. Tempo sostenuto (Act IV) 3:08
9. No.8. Allegro (Act IV) 2:21
10. No.9. Dance of Life (shortened). (Act IV) 0:48
11. No.10. Dance of Death (Act IV) 1:14
Kung Kristian II (King Christian II), Op.27. Concert Suite
12. No.1. Nocturne. 7:40
13. No.2. Elegy. 5:23
14. No.3. Musette. 2:12
15. No.4. Serenade. 4:43
16. No.5. Ballade. 5:14
Svanevit (Swanwhite), Op.54. Concert Suite
17. No.1. The Peacock. 2:53
18. No.2. The Harp. 3:22
19. No.3. The Maidens with Roses. 2:33
20. No.4. Listen, the Robin Sings. 4:55
21. No.5. The Prince Alone. 3:56
22. No.6. Swanwhite and the Prince. 3:33
23. No.7. Song of Praise. 3:18
Twelfth Night, Op.60 24.
No.1. ‘Kom nu hit, död’ (‘Come Away, Death’) 2:48
Die Sprache der Vögel (The Language of the Birds), JS62
25. Wedding March (Act III) 3:27

CD 5:
Belsazars gästabud (Belshazzar’s Feast), Op.51. Concert Suite
1. No.1. Oriental Procession. 2:18
2. No.2. Solitude. 2:52
3. No.3. Nocturne. 5:05
4. No.4. Khadra’s Dance. 3:42
Scaramouche, Op.71
5. Scene 1 (Act I) 0:49
6. Scene 2 (Act I) 0:26
7. Scene 3 (Act I) 5:03
8. Scene 4 (Act I) 2:41
9. Scene 5 (Act I) 7:25
10. Scene 6 (Act I) 2:44
11. Scene 7 (Act I) 0:39
12. Scene 8 (Act I) 2:30
13. Scene 9 (Act I) 0:35
14. Scene 10 (Act I) 5:57
15. Scene 1 (Act II) 0:20
16. Scene 2 (Act II) 0:18
17. Scene 3 (Act II) 1:27
18. Scene 1 (Act II) 0:24
19. Scene 5 (Act II) 2:58
20. Scene 6 (Act II) 2:16
21. Scene 7 (Act II) 7:02
22. Scene 8 (Act II) 3:15
23. Scene 9 (Act II) 3:37
24. Scene 10 (Act II) 13:00
25. Scene 11 (Act II) 0:36

CD 6:
Pelléas och Mélisande (Pelléas and Mélisande), Op.46. Concert Suite
1. No.1. At the Castle Gate. 3:49
2. No.2. Mélisande. 4:15
3. No.2a. At the Seashore. 1:48
4. No.3. By a Spring in the Park. 2:23
5. No.4. The Three Blind Sisters. 2:29
6. No.5. Pastorale. 2:01
7. No.6. Mélisande at the Spinning Wheel. 2:14
8. No.7. Entr’acte. 2:49
9. No.8. The Death of Mélisande. 6:04
Kuolema (Death), Op.62. Additional movements for 1911 production
10. a. Canzonetta. 3:41
11. b. Valse romantique. 3:52
12. The Tempest. Prelude, Op.109 No.1. 4:50
The Tempest.
Suite No.1, Op.109 No.2
13. No.1. The Oak Tree. 2:25
14. No.2. Humoresque. 1:00
15. No.3. Caliban’s Song. 1:09
16. No.4. The Harvesters. 2:12
17. No.5. Canon. 1:24
18. No.6. Scene. 1:31
19. No.7. Intrada. Berceuse. 2:06
20. No.8. Entr’acte. Ariel’s Song. 3:14
21. No.9. The Storm. 3:13
The Tempest.
Suite No.2, Op.109 No.3
22. No.1. Chorus of the Winds. 3:14
23. No.2. Intermezzo. 1:39
24. No.3. Dance of the Nymphs. 1:49
25. No.4. Prospero. 1:50
26. No.5. Song I. 1:08
27. No.6. Song II. 1:01
28. No.7. Miranda. 2:03
29. No.8. The Naiads. 1:23
30. No.9. Dance Episode. 1:23
Lahti Symphony Orchestra/Osmo Vänskä
Göteborgs Symfoniker/Neeme Järvi

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