The Swan Becomes the Sun

Sibelius’ composing hut was situated under a migration path of Finnish swans. And so, every year he bade farewell to these majestic creatures and awaited their return ager the long winter. His Fifth Symphony  climaxes with a glorious melody he called his ‘Swan Theme’. To tie in with his poetical idea, we have Nielsen’s Helios Overture, an ode to the sun and Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake Suite.