London Philharmonic Orchestra: Towards the Horizon

Osmo Vänskä: Sibelius Symphony Cycle

'Other composers mix colourful cocktails,' said Jean Sibelius. 'I serve pure cold water.' Not that there's anything cool about the luminous Mediterranean seascape of The Oceanides – or for that matter, Walton's glittering Italian fantasy of a violin concerto, played on this occasion by Tasmin Little. But there's no mistaking the purity and freshness of the Finnish landscape as evoked in Sibelius's Sixth Symphony – it's some of the most serenly beautiful music he ever wrote. Finally, Osmo Vänskä reaches the climax of his LPO Sibelius Cycle with the monumental Seventh Symphony: a life's work, brought to completion in a single mighty gesture.

JTI Friday Series