Jean Sibelius, a Finnish composer, was born in 1865 to a Swedish-speaking family and learned Finnish at school, where he developed an interest in early Finnish legends.
Composer Biography
Sibelius initially aimed to be a violinist and studied law at university before his compositional talents were fully developed through studies in Berlin and Vienna.
Composer Biography
Sibelius received a government stipend for ten years, later converted into a pension for life, after being passed over for a professorship at the University of Helsinki.
Cultural Impact
Finlandia, originally part of a patriotic tableau for a Press Pensions Celebration, became a symbol of Finnish freedom under Russian Tsarist restrictions.
Performer Biography
Pietari Inkinen, the conductor on this album, was appointed Music Director of the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra in 2008 and became Principal Guest Conductor of the Japan Philharmonic Orchestra in 2009.
Composition History
Sibelius's symphonic poem Kullervo, based on the Finnish epic Kalevala, brought him almost immediate success in Finland in 1892.
Composer Biography
Sibelius stopped composing in 1926, destroying an eighth symphony in 1929, and remained isolated from contemporary music trends for the last 25 years of his life.
