Lemminkäinen Suite, Op. 22 "Legends"

Composed in 1895 on four episodes from the Finnish epic Kalevala concerning the hero Lemminkäinen. The third, The Swan of Tuonela, is the best known: a cor anglais solo over muted strings depicts the black swan gliding on the river of the underworld. Sibelius revised the running order of the four legends more than once; today they are usually played in the order of the published opus.