Once upon a time in Finland, Sibelius saw a flight of swans and felt his imagination take wing. That’s the story behind the unforgettable horn theme that crowns his Fifth Symphony: music as ...

If sonic splendour were the sole criterion, Vladimir Ashkenazy’s Sibelius symphony cycle with the Philharmonia would win ... the Romance for strings and Valse triste from that same deleted collection ...

and the same team left an abiding impression in Helsinki with the Second and Fifth Symphonies. It was the Sixth that featured in Sir John’s last-ever Manchester concert in May 1970. Within less than a ...