01. - 03. Jean Sibelius - Symphony No. 3 in C major, op.52 [27'41]
04. - 07. Igor Stravinsky - Violin Concerto in D major* [20'40]
08. - 11. Jean Sibelius - Symphony No. 6 in D minor, op.104^ [26'24]
Thomas Zehetmair- violin^; Northern Sinfonia conducted by Thomas Zehetmair
Avie AV2150 [recorded: April* & August 2007, September^ & November 2008^; CD issued 2009]
[digital download; flacs, booklet, cover & inlay scans]
Recording engineer & Producer: Simon Fox-Gal
Two of my favourite recordings of Sibelius'"problematic" Third and Sixth Symphonies. Zehetmair uses a quite small orchestra and maybe this helps to sort out the instrumental lines but these are performances which fully understand both works and provide great transparency. I can't imagine Eugene Ormandy claiming to "not understand these works" and declining to record them if he had heard these recordings.
It seems rather odd in having the Stravinsky concerto sandwiched between the two symphonies but it works somehow and Zehetmair gives an ebullient performance as both violinist and conductor.He really delves fully into the music,
The Northern Sinfonia play beautifully for Zehetmair in all three works and sound fine despite the rather dry acoustic at The Sage concert hall. It is a pity that this team have not recorded more of the Sibelius symphonies.