Sibelius fifth symphony

This painting by Akseli Gallen-Kallela (1865(1865)–1931(1931)), depicts a scene from Kalevala, the Finnish epic poem. The warrior Lemminkäinen had been killed, his body hacked to pieces and thrown into the dark river that flows through the underworld, Tuonela. [if you look carefully, you can see in the background the famous Swan of Tuonela - C.]. His mother, having collected the parts from the river and sewing them back together, looks up to see a single bee bringing back honey from the halls of the god Ukko, a wondrous ointment that would bring her son to life.

The fourth movement of Sibelius’ Lemminkäinen Suite – Lemminkäinen’s Return (which depicts the truimphal return to his home of the hero Lemminkäinen after having been brought back to life by his mother) is closely related to the coda of the first movement of the Fifth Symphony. These two works, together with Roy Harris’ Third Symphony, “the quintessential American symphony”, will form our listening for the week.

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