"On the 20th of September in
1957, Jean Sibelius died. His 5th symphony was performed in Helsinki
the same day. It had been his most beloved, and the one reminding him of 'a struggle with God'. The swans that had appeared to him while
watching the sky in Ainola's garden gave a name to the main theme of the
third movement, while he was still composing. There are two versions
of the 5th symphony, and there are years between the first and the
last. The famous Swan Theme is included in both of them, but while the
original one is longer, the final version imitates the flight of those
mythic birds in a more beautiful way." - From a note written and originally published in 2007
"I visited Ainola X.X.X.X years ago for the first time, and as some people have been joking at my
expense, in all honesty have to admit I was moved to tears while
standing in the garden and looking at the sky. The remembrance of the
swans had stayed there and it approached me. Was this because I had
somehow wanted it? I did not see them with my eyes, but I could feel
them - written into that place's memory. Sibelius is among the three
most important composers for me. I could listen to his symphonies
without an end. And I still see the nature-mythic spiritual Finnish landscape when I
hear that music."
Also, on the 20th of September, 1913, the laying of a certain foundation stone.