A Symphony That Contains Everything, A Symphony Like The World.

Lake Keitele, Akseli Gallen-Kallela (1905)

Of course it’s Mahler, not Sibelius, who said the symphony must be like the world:

A Trove of Sibelius Treasures

Wild Angelica, Akseli Gallen-Kallela

String Quartet in D-Minor op. 56, Voces Intimae.

In the 8th session of David Nice’s excellent survey of the music of Jean Sibelius, he took a time-out from symphonies to explore others of Sibelius’s musical treasures. Here are performances of each:

Klaus Mäkelä and the Oslo Philharmonic Perform Sibelius Symphony No. 3

Listen to this. You won’t regret it, I promise! With thanks to David Nice, Audun Breen, and Louisa Tuck for bringing the news about this marvelous conductor and orchestra.

Pohjola’s Daughter and Other Wonders of the World

Esa-Pekka Salonen

With thanks to David Nice for identifying this wonderful performance. For more on Sibelius’s Pohjola’s Daughter, click here.

Sibelius Symphony No. 2 in a Thrilling Performance

“The composer Sulho Ranta (1901-60) spoke on behalf of his fellow Finns when he declared, ‘There is something about this music—at least for us—that leads us to ecstasy; almost like a shaman with his magic drum.'” [citation]

With thanks to David Nice, once again, for identifying this phenomenal performance of Sibelius’s Symphony No. 2.