Jean Sibelius (1865-1957) is perhaps Finland's most important musical figure. His beautiful compositions, inspired primarily by Finnish landscapes and literature, helped to form a national identity for his homeland. Sibelius's innovative symphonies and descriptive tone poems encapsulate the composer's desire to create `pure' music, and have become staples of the orchestral repertoire all over the world. This intriguing biography, which includes previously unavailable material, examines the life and work of this radical yet understated composer.

Jean Sibelius is part of Phaidon's successful 20th Century Composers series, which presents authoritative and engaging biographies of the great creative musicians of our time, augmented by striking visual material and essential reference information. This edition of the book features a whimsical new cover by Jean-Jacques Sempé, the world-renowned illustrator and cartoonist.