Has anyone else here heard this conductor's recordings of Sib 2 and 5? Critics are divided on this CD but predominantly lukewarm - I happen to really enjoy his fresh,strong but atmospheric approach. Any comments?

Never heard of him, unfortunately. Here's a little bio for anyone interested:

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Tauno Hannikainen was a fine Sibelian. I have his LP of the fifth symphony which is a powerful and thoughtful reading [SXLP 30149] the fill-up is a joyous account of the Karelia Suite, the Intermezzo and march are taken at a fair galop [a far cry from Hans Rosbaud] Good second symphony too. I also recall a fourth symphony on the Melodiya label worth looking out for, Hannikainen and USSR S. O. Years ago I had a rather tatty Everest LP of Tapiola with LSO. Its worth remembering that the maestro conducted the music at Sibelius's funeral, this was certainly an honour.--kp

I agree with KP - Hannikainen's Sibelius is 'old-school Finnish' in terms of tempi and overall approach, surely no bad thing! And it's tough as well - none of the one-size-fits-all generalized Romanticism that some modern conductors deliver.