Jean Sibelius - Symphony No. 2 in D Major Op. 43 (1902), Mvt. 1 and 2 (Leonard Bernstein)

http://www.sibelius.fi/english/musiikki/ork_sinf_02.htm The second symphony is the most popular and most frequently recorded of Sibelius's symphonies. It is more skilfully orchestrated than the first symphony. The ideas of form are more mature and the violent Finnish gloom is replaced by a more classical touch and by the light of the Mediterranean. 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's fame as a national hero. Soon the symphony was also triumphantly acclaimed abroad.

Jean Sibelius, born Johan Julius Christian Sibelius, was a Finnish composer and violinist of the late Romantic and early-modern periods. He is widely recognized as his country's greatest composer and, through his music, is often credited with having helped Finland to develop a national identity during its struggle for independence from Russia.

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