Symphony No. 3, Pohjola’s Daughter (Finnish premiere), Belshazzar’s Feast, orchestral suite

25.9.1907

In the wake of one success after another and two popular symphonies, the third symphony came as a surprise and its reception seemed lukewarm. It was felt to be difficult to understand; but the reason lay not, admittedly, in its outward features, its expression being “transparently clear”, but in its content, its unspoken message. Yet Karl Flodin – surprisingly – adopted a different line in his review: “It is a symphony in the full meaning of the word; it has nothing of a rambling fantasia”. He even said he could listen to the second movement “eternally”.

Text: Timo Virtanen
Picture: HPO´s archive