Sunday Apr 27 (4pm)
Composer Jean Sibelius was totally metal. Case in point: he was Finnish, he loved nature, and he was profoundly influenced by Richard Wagner. The opening of Finlandia is as somber and epic as anything Amon Amarth can summon, and the Hämeenlinna-born composer's Violin Concerto is as dark and moody as a romp through the woods at midnight. Tonight, Leon Botstein leads a discussion of Sibelius' life and work before conducting the American Symphony Orchestra in a performance of the complete concerto. This work has become a standard in many great violinists' repertoires, despite having been panned at its 1903 premiere.
– Gerry Mak