This eagerly awaited recording is the second in Thomas Sondergard’s Sibelius series with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales. Their recording debut, Symphonies 2 and 7, revealed Sondergard to have a profound understanding of the great Finnish composer. Sibelius has been a major feature of Sondergard’s relationship with the BBC NOW since their debut eight years ago; their widely acclaimed Proms performance of the symphonies was a highlight. Symphony No. 1 combines the best of Russian romantic orchestration and melodic magic with a distinctive Nordic character and wonderful contrasts of texture and color. In the Sixth, Sondergard’s detailed reading highlights the many felicitous touches in Sibelius’ writing and conjures heavenly tones from the strings in the closing bars. This recording will cement their partnership as one of the great new Sibelius teams. Danish conductor Thomas Sondergard is Principal Conductor of BBC NOW and Principal Guest Conductor of Royal Scottish National Orchestra; a rare honor to hold titled positions with two major British orchestras. In recent years he has made successful debuts with the Gothenburg, Atlanta, Brussels, Oslo and Luxembourg Philharmonic and the Seattle and Houston and Symphony Orchestras.