The passion and sweep of the First, where I feel Sibelius – intentionally or otherwise – beat the Russians at their own game in writing a symphony on the Russian model, is even more electric than in ...

Strauss took a number of swings at creating the music to match the majesty of the mountains, and finally got what he wished ...

But it meandered more than it moved and ultimately seemed an odd intro for the bopping, Basque-themed Ravel and the majestic Sibelius symphony. That closing work by Sibelius, his second and most ...