Masterpiece week Sibelius
Symfonie nr. 5
- by the time he wrote his Fifth Symphony, Sibelius had attained demigod status
- four years after it was first composed, Sibelius perfected the final version and premiered it with the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra
- Sibelius was the first Finnish composer to give musical expression to the smouldering nationalism in his country
- Sibelius’s orchestral works – often inspired by the Kalevala, the Finnish national folk epic – were soon regarded as the perfect soundtrack to the scenic beauty of Scandinavia
- according to some, Sibelius’s Fifth has the most impressive finale ever composed
- pop and jazz musicians, such as Gorillaz and John Coltrane, borrowed from Sibelius’s Fifth
