Firstly Mahler, then Bruckner, now finally Sibelius puts the finishing touches to this season of great symphonists, celebrating the musical form which took its first steps flowing from the pen of Haydn in the early 20th century.

After the uncompromising austerity of his previous symphony, Jean Sibelius' Symphony No. 5 returns to a certain classicism and a more appealing language without losing any of its originality. Its brilliant orchestration and its heroic character, dominated by the brilliance of the brass, make it easy to understand for the general public as well as for devoted classical music fans. This is undoubtedly the reason for its immense and lasting success. It is one of the best gateways to the magical world of the Finnish composer.

Frank Peter Zimmermann, our artist-in-residence, will bring his year with the OSR to a brilliant close with a performance of Johannes Brahms' Violin Concerto in D major, both an archetype and a pillar of the Romantic repertoire. The première with Brahms at the podium and Joseph Joachim as soloist received a rapturous reception that was almost compromised by a large piece of shirt protruding from the composer's trousers because he had forgotten to put on his braces. A short story of the kind that restores great men to their basic humanity.