Manchester
BBC Philharmonic - Sibelius Symphony No. 5
Surrounding Smith?s forest are two pieces linked by a single animal. In Wagner?s opera Lohengrin, the title character is sent in a swan-drawn boat to rescue a maiden. Sibelius too found inspiration in swans, writing in his diary about a skein of swans in flight inspiring the climax of his Fifth Symphony. Both composers find a majestic tone, especially in Sibelius?s final movement, containing one of the greatest moments in all symphonic music.
