Sibelius - Wood Nymph, Op. 15 & En Saga, Op. 9

Sibelius - Wood Nymph, Op. 15 & En Saga, Op. 9

Finnish conductor Santtu-Matias Rouvali conducts the Gothenburg Symphony in a performance of two magnificent pieces by Finnish composer Jean Sibelius. The concert opens with The Wood Nymph (Finnish: Skogsrået) Op. 15, a musical interpretation of a poem by Swedish writer Viktor Rydberg. Sibelius admired Rydberg's work and often set his poetry to music. The concert closes with a rendition of En Saga, Op. 9. The work is a single-movement tone poem written in 1891. According to the composer, En Saga expresses a mental state which does not allow any literary interpretation; hence it excludes a program or literary source. The adventurous, evocative character of the work encourages many listeners to venture their own interpretations. This concert was recorded at Gothenburg Concert Hall (Konserthuset) in Sweden in 2018.