Englund, Einar: Symphonie Nr. 2

"Blackbird Symphony"

Written in 1948, the "Blackbird" Symphony was one of the weightiest contributions to Finnish symphonic literature by the country's foremost neo-classicist. It is a three-part work with a sonata-form first movement, a lyrical andante and a finale in which themes are drawn in from earlier movements. The subtitle "Blackbird" can be construed as a reference to the woodwind accompaniments in the first movement.