Finlandia, Op. 26

Composed in 1899 as part of a series of patriotic tableaux performed to raise funds for the Finnish Press Pension Fund, Finlandia became a symbol of Finnish national identity and resistance to Russian censorship — the tsarist authorities eventually banned performances by name. The tone poem moves from a sombre brass opening through stormy struggle to the serene 'Finlandia Hymn', a melody of such beauty that it was long thought to be a folk tune but was entirely Sibelius's own invention.