Jean Sibelius

Sibelius's First Symphony begins with a solo clarinet above a quiet timpani roll, creating a distinctive introduction before the main orchestral movement. Four movements combine broad melodies with strongly profiled...

Sibelius's Second Symphony grows from small fragments that gradually form broader statements. A restless slow movement and a rapid scherzo lead toward a finale whose opening feels prepared by much that came before....

Sibelius reduced the orchestral weight and number of movements in his Third Symphony. The opening movement is followed by a measured, dance-like slow movement; the finale begins with fragmentary scherzo material that...

Sibelius's Fourth opens in the low register and makes the unstable tritone interval central to its musical language. Its four movements turn away from a conventional sequence of triumphal climaxes. The third movement...

Sibelius reworked his Fifth extensively, eventually combining earlier material into the familiar three-movement design. The finale's broad horn theme is connected with the swans he described in his diary. Rapid...

Sibelius's Sixth is often labeled D minor, but much of its distinctive harmony draws on the Dorian mode. The four-movement work uses relatively transparent textures and frequent exchanges between strings and winds....

Sibelius compresses a symphony's contrasting functions into one continuous movement. Tempos and textures change gradually or turn sharply, while a broad trombone theme acts as a recurring landmark. Rather than...

Sibelius combines an intensely demanding violin part with a strongly individual orchestral setting. The soloist enters over a quiet string texture, and an extended cadenza carries structural weight within the first...