Peter Varley, wrote of the Sibelius symphonies:

>>I recall the Collins set, which I heard on LP in my youth, as being very
>>good indeed, but that was decades ago and my memory isn't all that reliable.

Deryk Barker replied:

>Collins is superb. Your memory doesn't fail you.

Agree with Deryk completely.  They'll cost you but they are available
on CD.  These were my introduction to the symphonies and are still my
reference points.  He also did a superb En Saga and Karelia Suite.

Someone referred to the Vanska set as eccentric.  While some of the tempi
are highly unusual, not least in the 4th, I find them generally very
refreshing.  Certainly Vanska finds things I've not heard before.  I'm
currently getting used to his Lemminkainen Legends CD, which includes
original versions of Lemminkainen and the Maidens of the Island (aka other
translations) and Lemminkainen's Homecoming.  These IMHO are even more
interesting than the other original versions Vanska has given us, eg the
5th symphony.  As the CD runs nearly 80', that might be enough to make the
temptation irresistible.

Richard Pennycuick
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