Uploaded May 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
A lavish orchestral work as a birthday gift to himself: this is Jean Sibelius’s Symphony No. 5 in E-flat major, Op. 82. In this video, it's performed by the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra (also known as the Swedish Royal Philharmonic; Swedish: Kungliga Filharmonikerna or Kungliga Filharmoniska Orkestern), conducted by Sakari Oramo. The performance took place on December 8th 2010 at the Nobel Prize Concert in the Stockholm Concert Hall (Konserthuset Stockholm).
(00:00) Tempo molto moderato
(13:24) Andante mosso, quasi allegretto
(22:00) Allegro molto
And what a birthday gift it was! On 8 December 1915, Jean Sibelius (1865–1957) celebrated his 50th birthday with the premiere of his Symphony No. 5, composed specifically for the official state ceremony. In this way, his Fifth became a celebratory tribute to himself — after all, he was regarded as a national hero in Finland at the time. He was not only the most important composer of his homeland, but also the founder of Finnish national art music. At just 32 years of age, he was granted a state pension for life, allowing him to devote himself more fully to his musical work.
The genesis of Symphony No. 5 took place during a politically turbulent period. In the early 20th century, the Grand Duchy of Finland was largely autonomous internally but still part of the Russian Empire. As a result of the First World War and the Russian February Revolution of 1917, Finland separated from Russia. The divided independence movement led to a civil war (which lasted until May 1918), and by 1919 the Scandinavian country had become an independent republic. During these upheavals, Jean Sibelius had to leave his country home and take refuge in Helsinki. He composed Symphony No. 5 in 1914–1915 and revised it again in 1916 and 1919. As early as 1915, he compared his creative process to searching for the correct arrangement of scattered pieces of a mosaic that had been thrown down from the sky.
The great late-Romantic Fifth Symphony no longer gives any impression of this supposed patchwork construction; instead, its form feels balanced and cohesive. The first movement (originally conceived as two separate movements) opens romantically with horns introducing a more sustained section, while the second half turns more dance-like in a fast waltz rhythm. The second movement is a calm set of variations that gradually builds into a rich array of orchestral colors. The third movement mirrors the first in two parts: a section driven by rapid string writing is followed by a lyrical finale, featuring what Sibelius called the "incomparable swan hymn." The swan motif, one of the most beautiful melodies of the Romantic period (23:15), is said to have been inspired by a natural spectacle in which the composer observed sixteen swans taking flight simultaneously. This seemingly endless motif has entered musical history and has been widely quoted in popular music, for example:
The Murmaids: "Popsicles and Icicles"(1963)
First Class: "Beach Baby" (1974)
As instrumental accompaniment in Peach Union's hit "On My Own" (1997)
And as a refrain in Stories from Disney’s film "Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas" (1997)
Text: Rita Kass
© 2010 Accentus Music
Watch more great concerts here: youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_SdnzPd3eBV5A14dyRWy1KSkwcG8LEey
and in our playlist with famous symphonies: youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_SdnzPd3eBXvpOWNmQ1AUBPQeyNanpxY
Subscribe to DW Classical Music: youtube.com/dwclassicalmusic
#Symphony #sibelius #fullconcert
A lavish orchestral work as a birthday gift to himself: this is Jean Sibelius’s Symphony No. 5 in E-flat major, Op. 82. In this video, it's performed by the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra (also known as the Swedish Royal Philharmonic; Swedish: Kungliga Filharmonikerna or Kungliga Filharmoniska Orkestern), conducted by Sakari Oramo. The performance took place on December 8th 2010 at the Nobel Prize Concert in the Stockholm Concert Hall (Konserthuset Stockholm).
(00:00) Tempo molto moderato
(13:24) Andante mosso, quasi allegretto
(22:00) Allegro molto
And what a birthday gift it was! On 8 December 1915, Jean Sibelius (1865–1957) celebrated his 50th birthday with the premiere of his Symphony No. 5, composed specifically for the official state ceremony. In this way, his Fifth became a celebratory tribute to himself — after all, he was regarded as a national hero in Finland at the time. He was not only the most important composer of his homeland, but also the founder of Finnish national art music. At just 32 years of age, he was granted a state pension for life, allowing him to devote himself more fully to his musical work.
The genesis of Symphony No. 5 took place during a politically turbulent period. In the early 20th century, the Grand Duchy of Finland was largely autonomous internally but still part of the Russian Empire. As a result of the First World War and the Russian February Revolution of 1917, Finland separated from Russia. The divided independence movement led to a civil war (which lasted until May 1918), and by 1919 the Scandinavian country had become an independent republic. During these upheavals, Jean Sibelius had to leave his country home and take refuge in Helsinki. He composed Symphony No. 5 in 1914–1915 and revised it again in 1916 and 1919. As early as 1915, he compared his creative process to searching for the correct arrangement of scattered pieces of a mosaic that had been thrown down from the sky.
The great late-Romantic Fifth Symphony no longer gives any impression of this supposed patchwork construction; instead, its form feels balanced and cohesive. The first movement (originally conceived as two separate movements) opens romantically with horns introducing a more sustained section, while the second half turns more dance-like in a fast waltz rhythm. The second movement is a calm set of variations that gradually builds into a rich array of orchestral colors. The third movement mirrors the first in two parts: a section driven by rapid string writing is followed by a lyrical finale, featuring what Sibelius called the "incomparable swan hymn." The swan motif, one of the most beautiful melodies of the Romantic period (23:15), is said to have been inspired by a natural spectacle in which the composer observed sixteen swans taking flight simultaneously. This seemingly endless motif has entered musical history and has been widely quoted in popular music, for example:
The Murmaids: "Popsicles and Icicles"(1963)
First Class: "Beach Baby" (1974)
As instrumental accompaniment in Peach Union's hit "On My Own" (1997)
And as a refrain in Stories from Disney’s film "Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas" (1997)
Text: Rita Kass
© 2010 Accentus Music
Watch more great concerts here: youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_SdnzPd3eBV5A14dyRWy1KSkwcG8LEey
and in our playlist with famous symphonies: youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_SdnzPd3eBXvpOWNmQ1AUBPQeyNanpxY
Subscribe to DW Classical Music: youtube.com/dwclassicalmusic
#Symphony #sibelius #fullconcert
