Simon Rattle was familiar with the music of Jean Sibelius from childhood. When, as a ten-year-old, he heard the Fifth Symphony live for the first time, it struck him – to use his own words – “like a thunderbolt”. The Berliner Philharmoniker can also look back on a long Sibelius tradition and the orchestra was conducted by the composer himself in 1902. However, the first complete performance of the seven symphonies was not realised until 2010 under the direction of Sir Simon Rattle, with the Third Symphony being performed by the Philharmoniker for the first time. For many music lovers in Berlin, this new encounter with Sibelius was an exhilarating experience, and so it was only natural to repeat the performance of the cycle in Sibelius’s anniversary year.

The complete recording of the symphonies is now being released in an exclusive edition. The edition presents the symphonies not only on 4 CDs, but also on two Blu-ray discs as HD video, in uncompressed audio resolution and DTS surround sound. The extensive product features include a comprehensive booklet and an hour-long video interview in which Sir Simon Rattle talks about his views on Sibelius and introduces the seven symphonies.

Recorded at the Berlin Philharmonie, December 2014 and February 2015

Pure Audio Blu-ray Disc
- All recordings in Pure Audio 24-bit / 96 kHz
- Running time: 227 mins
- 2.0 PCM Stereo · 5.0 DTS-HD MA

Video Blu-ray Disc
- Symphonies Nos. 1–7 in High Definition Video
- Running time: 297 mins
- Full HD 16:9 / PCM Stereo · 5.0 Surround DTS-HD, Region Code: ABC (worldwide)

Sir Simon Rattle in conversation (58 min bonus video)
- Full HD 16:9, Region Code: ABC (worldwide)