Premieres Revisited: Sibelius Symphony No. 5

To accompany his complete cycle of the Sibelius symphonies, performed by Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, conductor Jukka Pekka Saraste looks back at the origins of the Fifth – the most popular of the seven works. This fascinating film explores what inspired the work and revisits its premiere in the Great Hall of Helsinki University, conducted by Sibelius himself on his 50th birthday on 8 December 1915. He was left deeply unsatisfied, though, and revised the work over the next four years until it reached the final version most often heard today.