Rare Permission Granted for Performance of Sibelius' Original 5th Symphony

It has been announced that the Sibelius Estate has granted rare permission for 2 performances of the original version of Finnish composer Jean Sibelius’ 5th Symphony, later this month by Australia’s Queensland Symphony Orchestra.

Originally composed in 1915, Sibelius made a wide array of additions and omissions to the epic work before re-premiering the version most commonly heard today in 1919.

It is understood the original scoring has been performed just 3 times in history – once at its ill-fated premiere in 1915, once in a live recording in Helsinki in the 1970s and once in Japan in the 1990s.

RUMON GAMBA | ORIGINAL SIBELIUS SYMPHONY NO. 5 | INTERVIEW

The work will be conducted by British conductor Rumon Gumba, on June 19th and 21st - at the QPAC Concert Hall, in Brisbane.

In 1991, the Sibelius Estate permitted 1 live performance and 1 recording of the original scoring to Sibelius’ Violin Concerto in D Minor – played by the then 24 year old Leonidas Kavakos and conducted by Maestro Osmo Vänskä.