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Donald Macleod delves into the life and work of the man who is almost universally recognised as Finland's greatest ever composer - Jean Sibelius. Sibelius's music went a long way towards establishing a sense of national musical identity in Finland - a tradition that has flourished there ever since. Sibelius felt a strong connection with his homeland and the nature that flourished there, and the nationalist flavour of his works was highly appealing to a Finnish audience at a time when Finland was fighting for independence from Russia. In this episode, Donald explores Sibelius's youth as a promising violinist, the early impressions that the Finnish natural world had on the budding musician, and his time studying in both Helsinki and Berlin.

Vattendroppar, JS 216
Yoshiko Arai (violin)
Seppo Kimanen (cello)

Violin Concerto in D minor, Op 47
Lisa Batiashvili (violin)
Staatskapelle Berlin
Daniel Barenboim (conductor)

Serenad
Anne Sofie von Otter (mezzo-soprano)
Bengt Forsberg (piano)

Piano Quintet in G minor, JS159 - 1st movement
Folke Gräsbeck (piano)
Laura Vikman (violin)
Jaakko Kuusisto (violin)
Anna Kreetta Gribajcevic (viola)
Joel Laakso (cello)

Producer: Sam Phillips.