In his only concerto for a solo instrument and orchestra, Jean Sibelius created a vast symphonic canvas. Violin Concerto Op. 47 is a fundamental component of all repertoires for violin, journeying to hitherto unplumbed limits into the depths of human expression. Thanks to the precision of the score, Sibelius' perfect understanding of the workings of a violin, and the instrument's interaction with the orchestra, this violin concerto is considered to represent Sibelius' highpoint as a composer. Carry on reading
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky fully revised his first symphony three times during the course of his life. Entitled Winter Dreams by the composer, with evocative programmatic sub-descriptions in the first and second movements (“Dreams of a winter journey” and “Land of desolation, land of mists" respectively), for many years the symphony was excluded from orchestra repertoires despite its undeniable merit. It is a masterly combination of Germanic symphonism (in terms of the four movements' thematic links) and unmistakeable Russian influences.
