Talk:Symphony No. 2 (Sibelius)

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More needs to be said about this fantastic symphony; I would have added more, but can't find good enough references to link to. Someone could write, for example, about how Sibelius crafted the second movement from an abandoned (I think) tone poem about the death of Don Juan, with the pizzicato strings depicting Don Juan sitting in his castle, and death's sultry song on the bassoon, and the battle that ensues. I know this information exists somewhere, so if you're interested, I heard it on BBC Radio 3's Discovering Music programme, Saturday 20th Jan 2007. See if you can listen to it at http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/discoveringmusic/pip/pg9y4/

Furthermore I feel it's important not to downplay the patriotic feeling in the work. Someone should write about (then cite references for) the influence of Finnish language on the symphony; about how the grandiose theme of the finale having an emphatic beat on the first note of each phrase reflects the importance of the strong first syllable in colloquial Finnish language (i.e. TAPP-i-o-la as opposed to Tap-i-OH-la). Josscrowcroft 14:29, 23 January 2007 (UTC)