Symphonien Nr.2 & 5

ATMA Classique proudly presents Symphonies No. 2 and 5 by Jean Sibelius with Yannick Nézet-Séguin leading the Orchestre Métropolitain de Montréal. This new release was recorded at the Maison symphonique de Montréal and is part of our complete cycle of Sibelius symphonies, which began in 2019 with Symphony No. 1. The two symphonies on this recording are among Jean Sibelius's most popular works. They were composed approximately fifteen years apart and each occupy in their own way a central place within the stylistic development of the composer: Symphony No. 2 marks the end of his first stylistic phase, characterized by national-romanticism. The patriotic spirit blew through Finland's artistic output at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century, while Symphony No. 5 laid the foundation for the composer's later mature language, in which extreme concentration and severity are driven to the utmost. Since their triumphant premieres more than a hundred years ago in Helsinki, the concert popularity of these two works has never diminished.