Symphony No. 3 in C Major, Op. 52

Quick Facts

• Written between 1906-07
• Premiered in 1907 with the Helsinki Philharmonic Society conducted by the composer
• Three movements
• Dedicated to English composer, conductor, and educator Sir Granville Bantock¹

About the Piece

• Symphony No. 3 stands in contrast to Sibelius’s first two and comes across as much more classical and restrained, evoking the character of Haydn and Mozart in a more modern context. The orchestration is also notably lighter than the first two symphonies.
• Listen for: the influence of Finnish folk music, specifically heard in:
  • The first theme of the first movement
  • The beginning of the second/ slow movement
• The work received mixed reviews at its premiere and remains one of the least performed for the composer. Many musicologists credit this to how different it was in comparison to “the pathos of the first symphony or the heroism of the second symphony.”
  • Sibelius wrote the following in response to the work’s public reception: “The third symphony was a disappointment for the audience, as everybody was expecting that it would be like the second. I mentioned this to Gustav Mahler, and he also observed that ‘with each new symphony you always lose listeners who have been captivated by previous symphonies.'”²

1. “Symphony No.3, Op.52 (Sibelius, Jean),” IMSLP, accessed February 15, 2024, https://imslp.org/wiki/Symphony_No.3%2C_Op.52_(Sibelius%2C_Jean).
2. “Third symphony op. 52 (1907),” Jean Sibelius, accessed February 15, 2024, https://www.sibelius.info/english/musiikki/ork_sinf_03.htm.