Sibelius Symphony 5

Eduard Lalo: Symphonie Espagnole
Notes by violinist Yi-Chuan Li

Edouard Lalo’s Symphonie Espagnole, although directly translated to, “Spanish Symphony”, is considered a violin concerto by today’s standards. It was written in 1874 for violinist Pablo de Sarasate, the composer of Zigeunerweisen. It contains many Spanish themes and motifs throughout, including gypsy-style gestures in the first theme. This piece sparked a period of Spanish themed music, such as Bizet’s opera Carmen. Symphonie Espagnole also had an influence on Tchaikovsky. After Tchaikovsky went through a rough period of his life, his student Iosif Kotek introduced him to Lalo’s Symphonie Espagnole. He enjoyed it so much that he set aside his ongoing compositions to write his violin concerto in D major

Camille Saint-Saens:  Cello Concerto No. 1
Notes by cellist Nick Jacques

Saint-Saëns’ first cello concerto is a piece with drama and operatic storytelling. I associate the first movement with a hero finding himself in a storm, followed by expansive themes in both the first and third movements where this character wrestles with doubt. By the time we get to the coda, our hero has come out victorious, signalled by the transition from A minor to A major. My favorite part of the piece is the deep F major theme in the third movement, which reminds me of a wise old man.

Felix Mendelssohn: Piano Concerto No. 1
Notes by pianist Max Tian

Mendelssohn’s First Piano Concerto shifts moods so quickly in the last two movements that it feels like a series of scenes in a film. The Andante, to me, is the warmest part of the piece. It feels like a song shared in a quiet space with the piano just floating over the strings in a calm, singing line. From there, the music does not really stop, since it connects straight into the finale, where the piano suddenly has a sparkling, rapid-fire energy that is flowing rather than heavy

Sibelius Symphony No. 5 in E^b major, Op. 82
Notes by Dan Qu, first violin

Duration: Approximately 30 minutes

Instrumentation: 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 4 horns, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, timpani, and strings

Jean Sibelius (1865–1957) is often viewed as the sonic architect of the Finnish soul. While his contemporaries in the early 20th century were pushing toward atonality or lush Impressionism, Sibelius was engaged in a different struggle of macrostructure and instrumental coloring. His Symphony No. 5 is the triumphant result of that struggle—a work that feels less like a composed piece of music and more like a natural phenomenon, akin to the shifting of tectonic plates or the migration of birds.

The Fifth Symphony had a difficult birth. Sibelius began work on it in 1914 amid the darkness of World War I, and the piece underwent three distinct versions. The first version premiered on December 8, 1915—Sibelius’s 50th birthday and a national holiday in Finland. Despite the high praise it received, Sibelius was dissatisfied and began revisions immediately. Exactly one year later, a second version was performed to mixed reviews, leading to further refinement. This was a harrowing period for the composer; he struggled with debt and a relapse into heavy drinking. Worse still, the Finnish Civil War broke out in January 1918. The ensuing violence resulted in the deaths of acquaintances, the arrest of his brother, and the search of his own home. Despite these adversities, Sibelius completed the final version in 1919—the definitive version performed today.

The symphony opens with a “dawn” motif played by the horns. Woodwinds soon join with motifs that evoke the glimmering light of the Arctic. Beneath this radiance, string tremolos exert a growing sense of anxiety. When this tension reaches its peak, the full orchestra expands into a vast soundscape. Following this climax, the texture thins as the strings return to a murmur. A bassoon solo leads into a development-like section where the strings pour out a somber melody, building toward a second climax. Suddenly and unexpectedly, the music shifts gears into a light, rustic dancing Scherzo without a break. In the original version of the work, this was a separate movement, but Sibelius fused them for the final score. The pace of the dance accelerates until the movement concludes in a spinning whirlwind.

The second movement provides a moment of calm, though it is far from static. It consists of a set of variations on a simple theme, first introduced by pizzicato strings. Evoking a walk through a Finnish forest—gentle, rhythmic, and slightly mysterious—it serves as a lyrical bridge between the complexity of the opening movement and the grandeur of the finale.

The finale opens with a frantic rush of sixteenth notes in the violins and violas, resembling a torrent of rain (often referred to as the “woodpecker theme”), while faint timpani rolls sound like distant thunder. The woodwinds join as the music intensifies until, with a few bold timpani bursts, the sky clears. Here, the horns introduce the symphony’s most famous element: the “Swan Hymn.” On April 21, 1915, Sibelius witnessed sixteen swans taking flight at once, later writing: “One of my greatest experiences! Lord God, that beauty!” As in the first movement, the texture thins in the middle section; while the strings murmur, a flute melody leads the orchestra back to the “Swan Hymn.” In the final moments, the trumpets take up the hymn, and the entire orchestra joins in a tremendously expansive, richly textured melody. The symphony reaches its idiosyncratic conclusion with six isolated hammer-blow chords, each separated by profound silence.