Sibelius' Symphony No. 5

Last night's Utah Symphony was so much fun because, not only did the program feature Sibelius (one of my favorite composers), but I was able to meet up with my friend Angela and we both thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.  When I was on a tour of Scandinavia several years ago I kept seeing statues of a man all around Helsinki so I decided to ask our bus driver who it was (we had bonded over a Finnish hockey player named Teemu Selanne who played briefly for the Colorado Avalanche).  He said it was Jean Sibelius and, when I didn't recognize the name, he was shocked and appalled that I didn't know about Finland's national treasure so he played Finlandia for me.  I absolutely loved it and, when the Utah Symphony programmed it the following season, I made sure to get a ticket and I always try to see it every time it is performed.  The orchestra began with this piece last night and I found it just as stirring as the first time I heard it!  This piece was composed to rouse Finnish patriotism against Russian control and it features epic themes by the brass, woodwinds, and timpani and ends as a hymn of triumph.  Next the orchestra was joined by Emmanuel Pahud for the U.S. premiere of a flute concerto called Lux Stellarum by Erkki-Sven Tüür (the front man of one of Estonia's most popular rock bands).  This piece is incredibly cool because it is meant to evoke the expansive nature of space.  The flute represents falling stars and the rest of the orchestra represents the explosion of faraway galaxies.  I really enjoyed themes played by the brass, because they reminded me of whispers, and the themes played by the piano, because they sounded like wind.  The use of lots of different percussion instruments (my favorites were the gong and chimes) sounded to me like the ripples of energy through space.  The themes by the solo flute are incredibly ethereal and I loved watching Pahud play because he moved his body with the music almost as if he was dancing with his flute!  He received a boisterous standing ovation which is really impressive because Utah Symphony audiences sometimes have a tepid response to more modern pieces!  After the intermission, the concert concluded with Symphony No. 5 by Sibelius.  This piece was commissioned by the Finnish government in 1915 to commemorate the composer's fiftieth birthday and it is incredibly majestic.  I loved the themes played by the horns and echoed by the woodwinds during the first movement because it is meant to depict a sunrise and also the so-called "swan's song" in the final movement played first by the horns and then the trumpets because it mimics the sound of sixteen swans taking flight at once.  The six chords separated by silence that end the piece are incredibly dramatic!  This was another wonderful concert in a season full of brilliant performances and I highly recommend getting a ticket for tonight's concert featuring the same program (go here for tickets).