Jean Sibelius was born in Hämeenlinna, Finland, on December 8, 1865, and died in Järvenpää, Finland, on September 20, 1957. The first performance of the Symphony No. 5 took place in Helsinki, Finland, on December 8, 1915, with the composer conducting the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra. The Symphony No. 5 is scored for two flutes, two oboes, two clarinets, two bassoons, four horns, three trumpets, three trombones, timpani, and strings. Approximate performance time is thirty minutes.

The Symphony No. 5 is Jean Sibelius’s most important large-scale work from World War I. The start of composition was in close proximity to the outbreak of the conflict (although Sibelius may have been contemplating the work as early as 1912). Sibelius completed the first version of his Fifth Symphony in time for its premiere in Helsinki on December 8, 1915. The composer led the concert, given in honor of his fiftieth birthday. Sibelius revised the score of his Fifth Symphony the following year. However, it was not until 1919 that Sibelius penned the familiar third, final version of his Symphony No. 5.

It's not surprising that the period during which Sibelius composed the Fifth Symphony often found him in a reflective, somber mood. A few months after the outbreak of war, he wrote: “My heart sings, full of sadness—the shadows lengthen.” Without question, Sibelius’s Fifth Symphony has moments of gloom and conflict. However, like another famous Symphony No. 5—Ludwig van Beethoven’s C-minor, Opus 67 (1808)—the struggle depicted in the Sibelius Fifth culminates in triumph.

In September of 1915, shortly after he began work on the Fifth Symphony, Sibelius wrote in his diary: “In a deep dell again. But I already begin dimly to see the mountain I shall surely ascend…God opens his door for a moment and his orchestra plays the Fifth Symphony.” Jean Sibelius died in the evening of September 20, 1957, at the age of 91. At the moment of his passing, a concert was taking place in Helsinki. Conductor Sir Malcolm Sargent and the orchestra were performing the music of Sibelius—his Symphony No. 5.

The opening movement of the Sibelius Fifth (Tempo molto moderato; Allegro moderato; Presto) is based upon four principal themes.  Rather than immediately proceed to the traditional development section, Sibelius first offers a varied second exposition of the principal themes. A mysterious development section follows. A quicksilver episode in 3/4 time serves the dual function of the opening movement’s rather free recapitulation and the work’s scherzo. The coda gathers impressive momentum, bringing the opening movement to a rousing close. The slow-tempo second movement (Andante mosso, quasi allegretto) is a theme and set of variations, some of which offer hints of the ensuing finale. That final movement (Allegro molto; Misterioso) opens with a flurry of activity in the strings. This ultimately gives way to a majestic theme, introduced by the horns. The two themes return throughout in music notable for its energy and inexorable momentum. In the closing measures, the second theme reigns supreme until the work’s stunning conclusion—six hammer blow chords.

program notes by Ken Meltzer