The Fifth Symphony was conceived optimistically in 1914 just after Sibelius had enjoyed a most successful trip to America, but was finally wrapped up only in 1919 when the world had become a very much darker place. In its original version, in four separate movements, it was premiered for Sibelius's 50th birthday concert in 1915 and received enthusiastically, but the composer remained dissatisfied, and insisted on revising its structure so that the first two movements are fused together. This 1916 version was duly performed on his 51st birthday, but this time, curiously, drew mixed reviews. Still disturbed, he withdrew it for over a year, nearly cut out the second half altogether and (briefly) considered issuing just the first half as a Symphonische Fantasie, but such drastic turbulence lasted only a few days, and by May 1919 all was restored, very much as it was in 1916 but with some relatively minor reworking. This final version was first performed, again under Sibelius's direction, in November 1919, and has remained one of his most popular symphonies. The grand, swinging horns theme in the finale was inspired by a sudden vision, outside his house, of no fewer than “sixteen swans. One of my greatest experiences! Lord God, that beauty! They circled over me for a long time. Disappeared into the solar haze like a gleaming, silver ribbon.”

sources

A  Autograph score, in the National Library of Finland, Helsinki

E,P  First edition score and parts, published by Wilhelm Hansen in 1921. The full score has Plate No.17538, the miniature 17539, surprising since the miniature is an exact reproduction of the full. This version was reprinted by Dover and is found online at IMSLP

F,R  Revision of E,P by Paavo Berglund (1974); the parts were completely recopied. This is now the only version of the symphony currently available from the publisher

In its original (1915) version there were four distinct movements. For the 1916 revision Sibelius created a continuous bridge between the first two, so that most commentators maintain there are now three movements; but no one would claim, on (after all) identical grounds, that Beethoven's Pastoral Symphony – or, indeed, Sibelius's own Second – has only three movements (the problem recurs in Mendelssohn, see above).