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Robert Kajanus, conductorSibelius: Symphony No. 1

FIRST RECORDING. Recorded in 1930. Columbia Set No. 151. London Symphony Orchestra. Includes March from Karelia Suite.
Digital Transfer by F. Reeder


This audio is part of the collection: 78 RPMs & Cylinder Recordings

Artist/Composer: Robert Kajanus, conductor
Keywords: classical; historical; orchestra; 78

Creative Commons license: Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0

Notes

Sibelius: Symphony No. 1 in E Minor, Op. 39
Sibelius: Karelia Suite, Op. 11: Alla marcia

Robert Kajanus, conductor
London Symphony Orchestra

I. Andante ma non troppo; Allegro energico
II. Andante
III. Scherzo
IV. Finale

Columbia Masterworks Set No. 151 67844-D - 67848-D (YX1-YX9, YX20)
Recorded in 1930
FIRST RECORDING
{This set of discs was discarded ca. 1935 by Oberlin Conservatory}

[from Wikipedia]
Kajanus & Sibelius

Kajanus had a decisive impact upon the development of the career of Jean Sibelius. He was considered an authority on the interpretation of Sibelius's music, and he and Sibelius were close friends; this was compromised in 1898 when Sibelius was appointed to a university post for which Kajanus was himself a candidate. Kajanus appealed and the decision was overturned. However they reconciled for the orchestra's tour of Europe in 1900, where they appeared at the Exposition Universelle at the invitation of the French government. Kullervo, Sibelius's epic masterpiece, was written in the wake of Kajanus' symphonic poem Aino. Additionally, as a conductor, Kajanus was responsible for commissioning one of Sibelius' most popular and enduring works, En Saga, following the success of Kullervo. Pohjola's Daughter was dedicated to Kajanus. When Kajanus took the Helsinki Orchestra on a tour of Europe in 1900, both he and Sibelius served as conductors, in what proved to be the first performances of Sibelius's music outside of Finland. This ensured the spread of the young composer's reputation far beyond the borders of his homeland, the first Finnish composer to receive such attention.

He was the first to make recordings of Sibelius's First, Second, Third and Fifth symphonies. They were recorded in the early 1930s, with the London Symphony Orchestra. The relationship between Kajanus and Sibelius was such that his interpretations of the composer's music are usually regarded as being extraordinarily close to Sibelius's own wishes.

In 1930, the Finnish government and Britain's EMI-Columbia label, perceiving a potentially wide audience for the composer's work, contrived to secure recordings of Sibelius's first two symphonies, and Kajanus was selected to record both at the insistence of the composer. In 1932, Kajanus recorded Symphonies Nos. 3 and 5, along with several of the orchestral suites and tone poems. Apart from being the most massive recording project ever attempted around the work of a living composer, these recordings were considered definitive for many years, and are still regarded as necessary listening for serious fans of Sibelius. Only his death in July 1933, at the age of 76, prevented Kajanus from recording the composer's complete extant works.

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