Symphony No. 4, in A minor played by BBC Orchestra
(Section B)
Leader, Paul Beard
Conducted by Leslie Heward
Sibelius's Symphony No. 4, in A minor was composed in 1911. Technically it remains one of the most astounding achievements in modern music. Despite the fact that Sibelius invents no new form nor system of harmony, nor actual method of orchestration, the work as a whole is entirely original in conception: the colouring is as stark as the material, and the treatment is concentrated and intense.
Those who judge a symphony by rule-of-thumb methods will be sorely disappointed, but those who have imagination and real understanding will realise that they are listening to a work which may one day be recognised as a landmark in the history of music as great as Beethoven's Fifth Symphony, of which Sibelius's Fourth is a true descendant.