01. Pohjola's Daughter, op.49 [14'01]
02. The Oceanides, op.73 [10'18]
03. Tapiola, op.112 [18'43]
04. En saga, op.9 [18'54]
05. The Bard, op.64 [8'07]
Iceland Symphony Orchestra conducted by Petri Sakari
Naxos 8.555299 [recorded June 2000; CD released 2002]
[CD-rip; flacs, booklet, cover and inlay scans]
02. - 03. Karelia Suite, op.11 * [15'57]
05. - 08. Lemminkainen Suite, op.22 * [48'36]
Iceland Symphony Orchestra conducted by Petri Sakari
Naxos 8.554265 [recorded May & November 1997; CD released 1999]
[CD-rip; flacs, booklet, cover and inlay scans]
Recording venue: University Hall, Reykjavik, Iceland
Recording engineers: Simon Eadon and Bjarni Bjarnason, Thorir Steigrimsson & Vigfus Ingvarsson *;
Producers: Chris Hazell and Paul Myers *
As a follow up to my post last year of the Sibelius symphonies with Petri Sakari and the Iceland Symphony, here are two discs worth of the Tone Poems in equally fine performances. Sakari's pacing is spot-on throughout and the dark orchestral colours are again perfect for this music; although strings can be a little thin at times. Certainly not the Philadelphia or Berlin strings - but many may think this no bad thing. For me, quintessential Sibelius and excellent recorded sound. The Lemminkainen Suite, En saga and Pohjola's Daughter are outstanding interpretations.
Friend Scotch added the Lemminkainen disc in a comment to my Sibelius symphonies post but I have included my CD rip here as there is some question over access to the Zippyshare file provided by Scotch. And please note, Naxos use the old sequence of movements in the Lemminkainen Suite.