Not only the finest composer in Scandinavia, but also one of my favourite composers of all time is Sibelius. @steemswede has as I remember written about the violin-concerto with it's difficult, refined violin artistry, but I always loved the last three symphonies just as much. The last of these the symphony no. 7 was made as a one-movement symphony, linking the parts together without breaks.
Sibelius that seemed to be in permanent doubt (which was maybe the reason he did not write a single piece in the last 30 years of his life), still had it in him to put together this beautiful and original work before he went forever silent.
The recording is by the The Royal Danish Orchestra (which I just read was the oldest still functioning orchestra in the world. Dates back to 1448) conducted by Simon Rattle.
