Finland 100: 9 – Sibelius

Seeing as the previous post introduced the theme of Finnish national identity, it would be impossible to have that conversation without acknowledging how important a role the Finnish composer Jean Sibelius has had in helping to form that identity. With his work ‘Finlandia’, he evoked the national struggle of the Finnish people. Finns may not be the most emotive of people but play them a few bars of Finlandia and their national pride bubbles over. Many here believe it should be the national anthem.

As a side note, the Sibelius monument is now a popular pilgrimage site for coach loads of tourists. If some buskers with a classical background could play a few of his numbers somewhere nearby, they’d rake it in!