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Sir John Barbirolli heads the Hallé Orchestra in this rendition of Sibelius's Symphony No. 5, and "Pohjola's Daughter". Sibelius was commissioned to write the Fifth symphony by the Finnish government in honour of his 50th birthday. During its composition, Sibelius wrote of the symphony in his diary, "It is as if God Almighty had thrown down pieces of a mosaic for heaven's floor and asked me to find out what was the original pattern." The tone poem "Pohjola's Daughter" was composed in 1906. Originally, Sibelius intended to title the work "Väinämöinen", after the character in the Kalevala (the Finnish national epic). Warner Classics releases this stunning recording as part of a brand new series, The Complete Warner Recordings. Spanning over 40 years, these recordings trace the career of Sir John Barbirolli, a conductor of proverbial warmth and generosity, a transformative force in British music and a legendary figure who collaborated with the greatest artists of his time. Shortly before his death in 1970 he completed a Sibelius cycle with the Hallé Orchestra, whose fortunes he had steered for nearly three decades, and among other composers closely linked with his name are Elgar, Delius, Brahms, Mozart, Mahler and Puccini. The wide-ranging contents of this landmark set, which comprises all the recordings Barbirolli made for HMV and PYE. Everything has been remastered in high definition, LP-era recordings from the original tapes, and 78-era recordings from the best available sources.