I love Sibelius. One of the most talented Composers. I like the Performance of Maestro Saraste. This is Finland pure! The Second Movement is absolutely brilliant The guiding theme is so beautiful
Andante ma non trroppo - Allegro energico 00:57 Andante non troppo lento 11:45 Scherzo (Allegro) 20:22 Andante - Allegro molto (Quasi una fantasia) 25:13
Thank you for posting this taut and beautifully played performance, with perfectly balanced views of the orchestra and conductor. Maestro Saraste seems to favor neat, sane tempi, with a minimum of "histrionics", a perfectly logical approach. Might someone care to explain the curious head/neck braces used by the bassoonist and oboist? What might be their function? Empty seats? In Lahti? At a Sibelius Festival?? The Minnesota Orchestra, led by their "hero" Osmo Vanska, will be performing this symphony, along with # 3, and the Violin Concerto, with soloist Hilary Hahn, at Carnegie Hall, on March 3rd. The "excitement" grows....can't wait!!
+Medea Jason The oboe and bassoon are heavy on the hands. The "thumb rest" in the left hand is the only thing holding up the instrument. Much weight is placed there. It takes away the strain from the hand. It's simply a matter of preference; some people have strong hands and arms than others. It's also a matter of preference to avoid hand injuries.
Medea, those are hearing protection for the oboist and bassoonist. They have the brass directly behind them and it gets pretty loud there. In addition to the head protectors, the bassoonists are also wearing earplugs - you can see them taking them out for some passages like at the 32:40 minute mark. The empty seats in the front row were for the video camera which recorded all of the concerts for the 2015 Sibelius Festival. The camera angle at minute mark 29:48 is the view from the "empty" seats in the front row.
It is a kind of ear protection stand to protect musician’s ears from loud noises, it is very common in Finland especially for woodwind players that seat in front of the brass.
