On Sibelius’ birthday, Jussi Björling sings five of the composer’s songs, as part of a memorial concert at Carnegie Hall on December 8, 1957. The composer died only weeks earlier at the age of 91.
Also on the program was Sibelius’ bleakest symphony, the Symphony No. 4, “En Saga,” and “Finlandia.” Sadly, the guest conductor of the New York Philharmonic, Martti Similä – a close friend of Sibelius, who held posts as chief conductor with the both the Helsinki and Lahti Symphony Orchestras – died not long after, on January 9. This concert was his American debut – and presumably swan song.
Sibelius had been very fond of Björling’s renditions. After a concert in Helsinki in 1951, he invited the tenor to his home, where he presented him with an inscribed photo. Sibelius wrote, “To the genius, the great singer Jussi Björling.”