BBC Philharmonic at the Proms Prom 38: Sibelius, Bridge & Sir Peter Maxwell Davies

The chain of influence between Sibelius and Sir Peter Maxwell Davies is a direct one. Sibelius’s seamlessly shifting structures and stirring musical language (both showcased in his Second Symphony) are echoed and evolved by Davies, who celebrates his 80th birthday this year.

His Fifth Symphony shares its single-movement form with Sibelius’s Seventh and its vigorous brass writing also owes a debt to the elder composer.

Finnish conductor John Storgårds, Principal Guest Conductor of the BBC Philharmonic, champions his nation’s musical hero and also pays tribute to the First World War anniversary in Bridge’s haunting Oration – part lament, part warning.