Conducted by Maurice Johnston "
Sibelius
Symphony No. 5, in E flat Romance in C (for strings)
Sibelius's Fifth Symphony was composed in 1915 and was the result of a commission from the Finnish Government to mark the composer's fiftieth birthday. The work was revised in 1916 and 'practically composed anew' in 1918-19. Its style is very different from that magnificent but unpopular work, the No. 4 in A minor, the terseness and concentration of which find little or no place in the E flat major. Melody and harmonv are comparatively straightforward, and the orchestration rich and colourful.