The Finnish composer, Sibelius (the dedicatee for the popular music notation software) was known for his sweeping Romantic Symphonies and Tone Poems for full large-scale orchestra. He was prolific through the end of the 19th and beginning of 20th century with emotionally dense music and with a deep love of nationalism through his music. He had written two popular orchestral symphonies before 1907, when he penned Symphony No. 3.

Despite the grandeur of the typical orchestra of the time, the Third Symphony had a different atmosphere. The music has been described as good-natured, triumphal, and deceptively simple-sounding, with a playful beginning to listen out for. If you hear a folky influence, you will not be surprised to hear that Finnish folk tunes are used throughout the piece. This is a fun and jolly piece for you to enjoy this week in particular – as it was premiered by the Helsinki Philharmonic Society this very week 116 years ago, but still brimming with energy of today!

Mr Mercer, Head of Co-Curricular Music