[Tall Guy]

… and when I think about Sibelius, my mind usually turns to Carl Nielsen, who wrote just one symphony fewer than his better-known Scandinavian colleague. I mentioned attending the Proms concerts; there was a time when we had seen every Proms performance of the Nielsen third symphony they ever put on.

In other words, we saw its Proms debut (only took them 80-odd years!) and again when they played it a few years later. I don’t know often it’s been played since.

Each symphony has its own character, with probably more variation than Sibelius but still evoking in most cases the wide-open vistas and forests of his homeland. The sixth throws in many nods to 1920s modernity.

In addition, he wrote concertos for violin, flute and clarinet, all of which are worth your time, plus a very punchy wind quintet. Another great composer mostly overlooked by Classic FM and other mainstream media.