July 2 1900 Robert Kajanus led the premiere of Finlandia Op. 26 by Jean Sibelius in a performance by the Helsinki Philharmonic Society. PIC Kajanus and Sibelius

DEC 8 1865 Jean Sibelius was born in Hämeenlinna in the Grand Duchy of Finland, an autonomous part of the Russian Empire. PIC Sibelius’ birthplace

Jean Sibelius recycled this music from The Building of the Boat, his first successful opera. There it appeared as a dark and moody prelude to the opera, and, although it seems an unconventional operatic opening, it is close to perfection as a small tone poem.

In 1896 Sibelius introduced The Swan and three other tone poems as Four Pieces from the Kalevala (sometimes known as the Lemminkäinen Suite).

The Four Legends from the Kalevala revolve around the figure of Lemminkäinen, a young and powerful hero—not unlike Wagner’s Siegfried—and something of a Don Juan as well. Each of the four tone poems captures a decisive moment in Lemminkäinen’s adventures—hunting, seducing, fighting, and, through his mother’s magical powers, even surviving his own death. (Her magic powers allow her to stitch together the shreds of his mutilated body and bring him back to life.)

Lemminkainens Mother by Akseli Gallen-Kallela

The Swan of Tuonela was originally performed as the third piece, and then later moved to second place, when the complete set was published. At the top of the score Sibelius wrote: “Tuonela, the land of death, the hell of Finnish mythology, is surrounded by a large river of black waters and a rapid current, in which The Swan of Tuonela glides majestically, singing.”

A plaintive English horn melody rides serenely over deep string sonorities. (The strings—con sordino, or muted, throughout—are divided into thirteen separate lines; these, in turn, are often further subdivided.) There is a glimpse of sunlight, signaled by the harp, as the music reaches C major. But the swan sails off again into the darkness.

Disney planned to animate the Swan and the plan reached the storyboard but never made it to film.