

After the interval we will hear Sibelius' Second Symphony. The second is the most popular and probably most frequently performed of Sibelius' seven symphonies. It is more skilfully orchestrated than the first, the ideas of form are more mature and the violent Slavic gloom is replaced by a more classical touch. The heroic and optimistic first and final movements of the symphony were exactly what the Finnish public needed in 1902, during a period of Russian oppression. The first public performance consolidated Sibelius' fame as a national hero and the symphony was soon also triumphantly acclaimed abroad. There are many stories about the stages in which this popular work was composed. Sibelius is known to have improvised one of the themes for the finale during the christening of the son of the painter Akseli Gallen-Kallela in 1899. He was also sketching a motif which ended up in the slow movement while he was in in February 1901. In his sketches he associated it with the encounter between Don Juan and Death. Another sketch is titled Christus; this theme end also ended up in the slow movement. It took another year to complete the work, by which time the initial programmatic concepts had receded. The triumphant first public performance, which according to Oscar Merikanto "exceeded even the highest expectations", took place on 8th March 1902.
.