Our Sibelius concerts in Berlin 2025 & 2026

Jean Sibelius, one of Finland's most significant composers, once described his music as "clear, cold water." Throughout his life, he sought to expand the classical symphony without breaking its bounds. The result is a magnificent body of work, filled with a pathos that has nothing to do with kitsch. Experience the powerful soundscapes of Sibelius' compositions as one of our ensembles performs them at impressive venues across Berlin.

Sibelius concerts by the ROC in Berlin

Jean Sibelius is one of the few Finnish composers celebrated beyond his homeland. Influenced by Beethoven's symphonies and deeply engaged with the works of Wagner and Bruckner, Sibelius turned to Finnish music as a source of inspiration.

During the Nazi era, Sibelius received favorable attention, which he did not outright reject. As a result, his works were rarely performed in post-war Germany and only regained popularity when conductors like Bernstein and Karajan began to champion them once more.

Today, Sibelius's works are firmly established in the standard repertoire.

Sibelius concerts - the sound of the Nordic forest

Sibelius is the national composer of Finland - also and above all because Finland, its forests, its lakes and its silence, can be heard in Sibelius' works. His Symphony No. 5, his Violin Concerto in D minor and his tone poem “Tapiola” are like musical parables for Finnish nature.
Orchestras that deal with Sibelius' works are faced with the task of making Nordic expanses audible, becoming the sound of nature themselves and doing justice to the high technical demands of the pieces, which they usually have, without becoming gimmicky in the process.
Sibelius is best known for his great symphonic orchestral music, i.e. his symphonies. These works are symphonically unique and are among the most independent symphonies of the 20th century. With the 3rd Symphony at the latest, Sibelius began to distance himself from his role models and create his own tonal language - “no trumpets of the Last Judgement - but a crystal-clear stream water”, said Sibelius himself.

Experience the magnificent oeuvre of this exceptional composer up close at one of the Sibelius concerts by our ROC ensembles in Berlin!