- Sibelius’s fifth symphony was inspired by a flock of swans. Sibelius wrote,
- “Just before 10-to-eleven [on a walk], I saw 16 swans. One of the greatest experiences of my life. Oh God, what beauty: they circled over me for a long time. Disappeared into the sun like a glittering silver ribbon. Their cries were of the same melancholy timbre as those of cranes, but without any tremolo… Nature’s mystery and life’s melancholy. The Fifth Symphony’s final theme.”1
- Sibelius completed this symphony in 1915, and it premiered on December 8 of that year. Sibelius conducted the Musical Society of Turku in Turku, Finland.
- Sibelius composed this symphony for celebrations in Helsinki in honor of his own fiftieth birthday.
- Sibelius developed three versions of this symphony: the 1915 version was revised in 1916, and revised again in 1919 to make the version best known today. The biggest change in the revised version was to meld the first two movements into one long movement which transforms from a slow movement into a fast one.
Sources
Cut IDs
40274 49006 14659 24671