During recording sessions taking place between 2012 and 2014, the Lahti Symphony Orchestra and its principal conductor Okko Kamu have been preparing their tribute to Finland’s great son, Jean Sibelius, on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the composer’s birth. The official launch of the result – a new cycle of the seven symphonies as a boxed set from BIS – takes place during the 2015 edition of the orchestra’s annual Sibelius Festival.
In this film clip, made during the recordings, Okko Kamu describes the Lahti orchestra as ‘probably the most Sibelian of all orchestras in the world – it has played everything that Sibelius ever wrote’. This is certainly true – the orchestra forms the backbone in the comprehensive Sibelius Edition on BIS, and its previous, acclaimed symphony cycle is included in that collection. Okko Kamu, too, is a seasoned and highly respected Sibelius interpreter, but uniquely among the many Finnish conductors with an international standing he has never previously recorded a complete cycle. Referring to this in the film clip, Kamu remarks that he is glad he didn’t do so until being ‘close to seventy years of age’ as his readings of the works have changed over the years.
The seven symphonies were recorded in the internationally acclaimed acoustics of Lahti’s Sibelius Hall during six recording periods, by recording producer Martin Nagorni and sound engineer Fabian Frank. They are released as BIS-2076, a boxed set consisting of three Hybrid SACDs playable on CD players as well as SACD players, and offering a surround sound option for those with the necessary equipment.