Sibelius Symphony No. 5

Sibelius never gets mentioned on “most” lists, the most
innovative, modernistic, romantic, beautiful, conservative, ugly,
violent, peaceful etc. In fact, no one is ever sure where to put
him on these lists, and that’s partly due to that lifespan that
began when Brahms was 32 and ended when Pierre Boulez was also 32
years old. And this uncomfortable place between Romantic and
Modernist is exactly why Sibelius is, to me, one of the most
interesting topics to cover on this show - and the perfect
vehicle to explore Sibelius further is the 5th symphony, one of
the most remarkable fusions of modernism and romanticism I’ve
ever heard.