Jean Sibelius in 1918. |
"It is as if God Almighty had thrown down pieces of a mosaic for heaven’s floor and asked me to find out what was the original pattern."
The Fifth, which premiered on the eve of Sibelius Day, and was conducted by the composer himself, (leading the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra), would mark a pivotal change in orchestral style for the birthday boy as more and more radical and dissonant music began to take center stage under prolific composers like Stravinsky and Schoenberg - so much so that Sibelius wrote three different versions of the work (only the first and last, and a small portion of the second survive).
The final, and most frequently performed version of the 5th Symphony premiered November 24, 1919, again with the HPO and with Sibelius at the helm.
Listen to the Official Music for Sibelius Day below. Conducted by Finnish maestro Jukka-Pekka Saraste.
Learn more about the 5th Symphony and it’s composer:
- at NPR.org
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