Sibelius: Finlandia, Op. 26; Valse Triste; The Swan Of Tuonela; En Saga, Op. 9 & Grieg: Peer Gynt Suite No. 1, Op. 46 [CD]

I have been looking forward to the release of this collection for years primarily for the version of Finlandia with the Mormon Tabernacle choir singing the hymn now associated with this piece. I found this CD being sold and delivered elsewhere online and bought it. After receiving it, I discovered that the choir was completely missing from the performance. Even the though the Mormon Tabernacle Choir is boldly printed on the jacket cover and every where else on this CD and in the booklet as performing with the Philadelphia Orchestra in Finlandia a different version by Ormandy and the Philadelphia orchestra without choir has been substituted. For that reason I have rated this CD with 1 star only. That may not be fair to the performances or recorded sound on this disc but I cannot overlook such a problem and give it anything higher. If your primary reason for buying this is to get Finlandia with the Mormon Tabernacle choir I would pass on this purchase.

As for the performances actually on this disc, if it had been labelled correctly, I would have given it 5 stars for performance and 4 for sound. The Finlandia is outstanding on its own merits but very good performances with orchestra alone are plentiful while those with choir are nowhere to be found. You also get the best Swedish Rhapsody I've ever heard and the rest of the Sibelius are well done also. The major negative in sonics concerns the last three of the four Peer Gynt excerpts. There is a higher than normal tape hiss in the background and is very noticeable at normal levels of play. Tape hiss isn't noticeable for any of the other performances on this disc but your subwoofer will appear to be taking a nap while playing it. Even though the sound on the whole is lacking a little in the lowest bass region the detail and upper frequencies are bright and clear.

*** Update ***
Based on the latest reviewer's comment that his CD had the choir in the performance of Finlandia, I obtained the CD thru Amazon. I can confirmn that the latest batches now have the advertised performance with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Philadelphia orchestra. However there is no way to tell the difference between a defective cd (one that is missing the choir) and the good one. The numbers on the case are exactly the same and I can tell no discernible difference anywhere between the cases of the good CD and the bad CD. An inquiry to a cheaper third party vendor resulted in a response that they had no way of telling either (short of actually listening to it). Another inquiry on my part to Sony about exchanging a defective cd with a good one got no response either. Sony should treat its customers better than this. If they had any real integrity they would offer to exchange a defective CD with a good one, free of charge, rather than letting potential customers take a shot in the dark on getting the correct CD. Your safest bet is to buy directly from amazon for now or from a vender who is aware of the problem and has made an effort to only stock the latest versions of this CD.

Regarding my earlier assessment of the sound on this cd I have one mea culpa to make. The bass response is better than I previously described especially upon turning the volume up a little higher. My disgust over the missing Tabernacle Choir prevented me from repeated listing which would have corrected my first inpression. The third reviewer is correct in his assessment of the bass in the Hall of the mountain king. For me, Ormandy conducts this movement perfectly. It seems like the conductors in later recordings are all trying to out do each other in increasing the frenetic tempo for this piece. However, instead of making it sound more menacing, it just ends up making it sound more comical. Because of the analog tape hiss still present in the Peer Gynt I still give the sound a 4 but overall the performances deserve a 5. If Sony had acted more responsibly my review would now be a five star.

I read the previous two reviews, and I'm a bit surprised, since the chorus is clearly present in my copy.
And what performances these are! The sound retains some of its original hiss, but it's really full-range sound, with the Philadelphia Orchestra in all its glory. The Peer Gynt Suite to my knowledge sees its first release on CD. The Hall of the Mountain king wows with excitement (and really deep bass response). The strings are unparallelled in the Morning Mood, Anitra's Dance and the Death of Ase.

As for En Saga, this is simply the most exciting performance you will hear.

If there was room in my collection for only one CD representing the sound of the Philadelphia Orchestra, this might be it.

By the CD cover I was really looking forward to the reissue of this disc. That is I thought I was. I read the liner notes and yes this was the one I wanted. It had Sibelius' Finlandia performed by Eugene Ormandy and the Philadelphia Orch and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. However after listening I found it was a Finlandia without the choir. Otherwise it is a good disc, but it is disappointing with misleading liner notes. I sent an e-mail to Sony Columbia with my complaint but have hed no reply. So buyer beware!