Sibelius's Lemminkäinen Suite

The BBC Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Sakari Oramo, in Sibelius's Lemminkäinen Suite, Coleridge-Taylor, and the pyrotechnics of Adès's Violin Concerto with Christian Tetzlaff.

Recorded at the Barbican on Friday 7th November 2025. Presented by Penny Gore.

Samuel Coleridge-Taylor: Symphonic Variations on an African Air
Thomas Adès: Violin Concerto 'Concentric Paths'

Interval

Jean Sibelius: Lemminkäinen Suite, Op 22

Christian Tetzlaff (violin)
BBC Symphony Orchestra
Sakari Oramo (conductor)

“Lemminkaïnen, reckless hero, in his veins the blood of ages…” In the Finnish legends of the Kalevala, Lemminkaïnen was a warrior like no other: loving, hunting and vanquishing death itself. Sibelius knew all those ancient tales, and he retells them in music as vivid as any film score – the climax to a whole evening of fantastic tales from the BBC Symphony Orchestra and Chief Conductor Sakari Oramo.

Because the adventure doesn’t start there. First comes the dizzying imagination of Thomas Adès’s violin concerto: a true modern classic, played by a giant among living violinists. And to open, Oramo shares the glowing colours and heartfelt melodies of Edwardian composer Samuel Coleridge-Taylor.

To listen on most smart speakers just say "ask BBC Sounds to play Radio 3 in Concert".