Continuing with today's The World This Weekend with Mark Mardell...
If there's one thing I do know something about it's Finland's finest Jean Sibelius (my favourite composer), so the closing feature on Finland's centenary as an independent nation aroused my interest.
"It's a hundred years since Finland became a nation," said Mark. The stirring opening chords of Sibelius's most famous work Finlandia then resounded, and Mark continued, "And it's a hundred years since the first performance of Sibelius's Finlandia."
I immediately thought, "Oh no it isn't!". It was in fact premiered in Helsinki in 1900 and then performed widely around the world in the years running up to World War I, spreading the composer's fame.
"It's a hundred years since Finland became a nation," said Mark. The stirring opening chords of Sibelius's most famous work Finlandia then resounded, and Mark continued, "And it's a hundred years since the first performance of Sibelius's Finlandia."
I immediately thought, "Oh no it isn't!". It was in fact premiered in Helsinki in 1900 and then performed widely around the world in the years running up to World War I, spreading the composer's fame.
Tut, tut! Alternative facts from Mark there!
Still, it was interesting to hear (from someone else) that there are 3 million saunas in Finland. The population is only 5 million. There are more saunas than cars in Finland. They certainly do like their saunas.
