05. - 08. Jean Sibelius - Symphony No. 4 in A minor, op.63 [35'08]
BBC Symphony Orchestra conducted by Malcolm Sargent
BBC Legends BBCL 4237-2 (recorded August 1963 and September 1965; this CD release 2008)
(CD-rip; flacs, cover and inlay scans - no booklet)
Recording venue: Royal Albert Hall, London
Recording engineers and Producers: not stated
Two more BBC broadcast recordings made at Promenade concerts in excellent stereo sound. These valuable recordings have been around on a number of blogs but currently seems to be elusive. This is not my rip, many thanks to the original poster.
Although Sir Malcolm was always recognised as a fine interpreter of both composers, he was never invited to record either work commercially. It's good to have two favourite symphonies together in such compelling performances. Both are angry works, written at times of great stress and although Sargent isn't as grim and cold as some interpretations in the Vaughan Williams the rhythms and detail are well pointed. Sargent uses glockenspiel rather than tubular bells in the last movement of the Sibelius which warms the atmosphere to only a little less icy that in the preceding movements.
Unfortunately the audience is particularly noisy in the Sibelius but at least they don't applaud at the end of movements as now seems to have become fashionable.
Download from MEGA.