With his seven symphonies the Finnish composer Jean Sibelius marks a high point in the symphonic repertoire of the 20th century. The music evokes the ghostliness of the Finnish landscape, carries an inner strength and depth and proves itself full of technical finesse that still poses a challenge for both conductors and performers. For Sibelius “a symphony is not a ‘composition’ in the ordinary sense. Rather, it is a declaration of faith at different stages of one’s life.”

On the occasion of Jean Sibelius’ 150th birthday this DVD edition offers the live recordings of the composer’s seven symphonies by the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra in the new Helsinki Music Centre under the direction of Hannu Lintu. Each symphony is preceded by a documentary and an introduction, giving a new and modern perspective to the legendary Finnish composer and his symphonies.

Special Features

This edition includes introductions for each symphony. These documentary sections of the programs, hosted and narrated by Hannu Lintu, the conductor of the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, can also been seen in an hour long separate program.

The short film series “Sort Of Sibelius!” demolishes the myth of Jean Sibelius.

These stories are about Sibelius, not about his music. The commentator is one of the most famous Finnish composers of our time: Kaija Saariaho. Each short story uses in its expression codes of different film genres. Animation replenishes the narration.

A detailed book about Sibelius’ life and work.

Sound Formats: PCM Stereo, Dolby Digital 5.1

Picture Format: 16:9

Audio Language: Finnish

Subtitles: English, German, French, Korean, Japanese (Symphonies, Introductions, Documentary)

DVD Format: 5 x DVD 9 / NTSC

Total running Time: 584 mins

Running Time: ca. 254 mins Symphonies / ca. 195 mins Introductions / 58 mins Documentary / 75 mins Bonus

FSK: 0