Thomas Sondergard - Sibelius: Symphony 7 Live - BachTrack

Sibelius' Seventh seems so final a statement that it feels strange to hear it first. Its long, organic and unfurling logic and lines allowed the orchestra to shine immediately. They gave conductor Thomas Søndergård a clean and ringing sound that rendered Sibelius' orchestral writing transparent but wonderfully warm. Strings, particularly, shone, combining this clarity with legato flow that helped Søndergård achieve the sense of natural growth and pace he was clearly after. He joined up the parts of this famously ingenious structure with great assurance, and the ending he arrived at was one of contented finality.