CD1
01. - 04. Symphony No. 1 in E minor, op.39 [37'07]
05. - 07. Symphony No. 3 in C major, op.52 [29'46]
08. Finlandia, op.26 [8'05]
CD2
01. - 04. Symphony No. 2 in D major, op.4 3[44'10]
05. - 08. Symphony No. 4 in A minor, op.63 [35'48]
CD3
01. - 03. Symphony No. 5 in E-flat major, op.82 [31'14]
04.- 06. Karelia Suite, op.11 [14'55]
07. Pohjola's Daughter, op.49 [11'51]
08. The Bard, op.64 [7'58]
CD4
01. - 04. Symphony No. 6 in D minor, op.104 [27'01]
05. Symphony No. 7 in C major, op.105 [21'19]
06. Tapiola, op.112 [15'42]
City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra conducted by Sakari Oramo
Erato 2564 66279-5 (recorded January 2002, May/June 2000, April 2001 and January 2003; CDs issued 2001 - 2003)
(digital downloads; flacs, cover and inlay scans, no booklet)
Recording venue: Symphony Hall, Birmingham
Recording engineer: Jean Chutauret; Producer: Tim Oldham
Although not universally well received at the time of issue, this is a fine series of recordings - in my view much superior to the City of Birmingham orchestra's earlier Sibelius cycle under Oramo's predecessor as chief conductor, Simon Rattle. I much prefer Rattle's later recordings with the Berlin Philharmonic which is one of the highest recommendations for the complete cycle and for a single conductor set, I think Oramo joins Rattle (BPO), Paavo Berglund/Bournemouth (EMI), Paavo Jarvi/Paris (Sony) and Neeme Jarvi/Gothenburg (BIS).
Of course, there are always going to be niggles in a set with just the one conductor and undoubtedly a superior set can be made up from different conductors, orchestras and recordings but the orchestral playing for Oramo is excellent and tempi are generally well judged apart from a very occasional lapse into slowness. The sound recording is also fine.
Suitably chilly, the Tapiola is also superb and is one of the swiftest recorded performances although not as swift as Paavo Berglund in Helsinki. Oramo's 2015 Proms performance with the BBC Symphony, recently issued on a BBC Music Magazine cover disc, adds more than two minutes.
Download from MEGA.