Tapiola

Available for over a year

With his last major work Sibelius leaves the listener with a complex representation of the brooding northern Finnish forests inhabited by Tapio, their god. It is suggestive rather than concrete, leaving fleeting impressions instead of focussed pictures. The music evolves from a tiny opening string theme, creating a world with no fixed centre. Storms rage and subside over ever-shifting ground until a final serene chord emerges. This is Tapiola. Composer: Jean Sibelius Performers: BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra Conductor: Ilan Volkov Recording date: 31 July 2007 Date of broadcast: 31 July 2007