ATMA Classique proudly presents Jean Sibelius's Symphonies nos 2 & 5 with Yannick Nézet-Séguin conducting the Orchestre Métropolitain de Montréal.

Recorded at Maison symphonique de Montréal, this new release is part of our complete cycle of Sibelius symphonies launched in 2019 with Symphony no.1.

The two symphonies on this recording are among the best-loved works of Jean Sibelius. Symphony no.2 marks the conclusion of his first stylistic phase. Like many other Finnish patriotic artists around the turn of the century, Sibelius identified as a national Romantic. Symphony no.5, on the other hand, established the foundations of what would become Sibelius's mature style, in which he pushed concentration and austerity to extreme limits.

The popularity of these two works has never faltered since they were premiered in Helsinki more than a century ago. Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of the Orchestre Métropolitain since 2000, Yannick Nézet-Séguin signed a "lifelong" commitment with the Orchestre in September 2019.

"I would not have had Nézet-Séguin down as a natural Sibelian, and I would have been completely wrong...A Wagnerian melos imbues the conductor's handling of Sibelius's syntax throughout, and [the Fourth] emerges all the more strongly for it" - Gramophone Magazine on ACD22454 (Sibelius 3 & 4)