Well, “8 Days of Sibelius” got away from me.

I intended to post Day 6 when I got back from a concert in Philadelphia on Friday (for which I had to be there extra early), but then I got stuck there until extra late. Yesterday, Day 7, I already had a baseline of three posts – two to promote my radio shows, “Sweetness and Light” and “The Lost Chord,” and another to acknowledge Pearl Harbor Day – and then I simply got too busy and was unable to contribute a fourth.

In order to keep up, what I really needed was a good snowstorm. But as it is, this year, you’re only getting 6 Days of Sibelius.

How important is Jean Sibelius to Finland? December 8, the composer’s birthday, is a national holiday. The Finnish flag is flown everywhere and the date is celebrated as a Day of Finnish Music. I can’t think of a single artist here in the United States we revere on anywhere near the same level. But of course, for the Finns Sibelius is a source of national pride for multiple reasons, not least because of his importance to the cause of Finnish independence.

Yle Klassinen, now my classical music station of choice, is playing all Finnish music today. Keep in mind, they’re seven hours ahead of New Jersey, so at the time I’m posting this, it’s already late afternoon there. You can stream the audio online or, if you have a digital radio (like me), enjoy it in that fashion. If the playlist doesn’t come up in English for you, there should be a translate function, when you visit the website.

Here’s the homepage:

https://areena.yle.fi/podcastit/ohjelmat/57-llL6Y4blL

The current playlist:

https://areena.yle.fi/podcastit/1-72178759

A very happy birthday to Jean Sibelius. My life is so much the richer for his music.

Sibelius honored in Helsinki with the crowd singing his “Finlandia Hymn” for the 150th anniversary of his birth in 2015

Inspiring video set to “Finlandia” celebrating Finland’s natural wonders – and of course Sibelius’ wondrous music!