Sibelius: Symphonies Nos. 1 & 3

This recording from Owain Arwel Hughes and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra is the first in a cycle of all seven of Sibelius's symphonies. Symphony No.1, from 1899, is coupled with No.3, from 1907. Although bound by classical conventions, and the influence of Tchaikovsky, No.1 displays a remarkable and striking independence of thought. No.3 shows the composer making the transition from the large-scale symphonic structures of the first two symphonies to the more compact, tightly argued symphonies that followed.