Masterworks V: Gleaming Glow

Saturday, April 25, 2026 • 3:00pm The most famous motif of the Fifth Symphony of Sibelius comes in the final movement. Often drawing inspiration from nature, Sibelius’s connection with the Finnish landscape was integral to his identity. “Today at ten to eleven I saw sixteen swans,” he wrote in his diary in 1915. “One of my greatest experiences! Lord God, what beauty! They circled over me for a long time. Disappeared into the solar haze like a gleaming silver ribbon.” This moment was the inspiration for what he would call the “Swan Hymn,” the swinging horn motif that evokes the graceful beating of the swans’ wings as the woodwinds’ countermelody suggests their call. Hailed by Opus Magazine as, “…a stunning musician,” violinist Livia Sohn performs widely on the international stage as concerto soloist, recitalist, and festival guest artist in North America, Europe, and Asia. She will premiere a new piece co-commissioned by the Rogue Valley Symphony for violin and orchestra composed by Paul Wiancko. Wiancko’s music has been described as everything from “dazzling” and “compelling” (Star Tribune) to “joyous, riotous” and “delicate” (NY Times). Ravel Mother Goose Suite Wiancko Violin Concerto – PREMIERE Livia Sohn, violin Sibelius Symphony No. 5