Described by Jean Sibelius (1865-1957) as “a confession of the soul,” Symphony No. 2 was written in Italy after Baron Axel Carpelan, who had given Finlandia its name, encouraged the composer to spend some time in “a country where one learns cantabile, balance and harmony, plasticity and symmetry of lines, a country where everything is beautiful - even the ugly.” While Sibelius always maintained that all of his symphonies were pure, absolute music, the work was appropriated as a programmatic emblem of Finland’s national liberation from Russia quickly following its March 8th, 1902 premiere by the Helsinki Philharmonic Society, Sibelius conducting. Instrumentation: 2.2.2.2: 4.3.3.1: Timp: Str (9-8-7-6-5 in set).