March 06, 2026

Jean Sibelius (1865-1957)

1 hour 5 minutes

This week, Kate Molleson traces the development of Jean Sibelius’s symphonies. Set against Finland’s changing political climate and Sibelius’s own, turbulent personal circumstances, the podcast explores what shaped each symphony’s character – from the nationalism surrounding Nos. 1 and 2, to the renewed sense of form in the Third, the more inward Fourth, and the reworked Fifth. The week concludes with the distinctive Sixth and the single‑movement Seventh, composed during a period of uncertainty both for Finland and Sibelius himself.

Music featured includes:

Symphony No 2 in D, Op 43

Song of my Heart, Op 18 No 6

Symphony No 1 in E minor, Op 39

The Diamond on the March Snow, Op 36 No 6

Sunrise, Op 37 No 1

Kyllikki, Op 41 No 3

Symphony No 3 in C, Op 52

The Captive Queen, Op 48

Erloschen

String Quartet in D minor, Op 56 ‘Voces Intimae’

Des Abends, Op 58 No 5

Symphony No 4 in A minor, Op 63

Spring’s Spell, Op 61 No 8

Romance, Op 78 No 2

The Oceanides, Op 73

The Echo Nymph, Op 72 No 4

Symphony No 5 in E flat, Op 82

Jokamies, Op 83

Autrefois, Op 96b

Symphony No 6 in D minor, Op 104

Danses Champêtres, Op 106 No 1

Symphony No 7 in C, Op 105

Presented by Kate Molleson

Produced by Luke Whitlock for BBC Audio Wales and West

For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Jean Sibelius (1865-1957) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002rr2j

And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z

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By BBC Radio 3

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