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Sir John Barbirolli heads the Hallé Orchestra in rendition of Sibelius' Symphonies Nos. 5 and 7. Sibelius was commissioned to write the fifth symphony by the Finnish government in honour of his 50th birthday, 8 December 1915, which had been declared a national holiday. The symphony was originally composed in 1915. During its composition, Sibelius wrote of the symphony in his diary, "It is as if God Almighty had thrown down pieces of a mosaic for heaven's floor and asked me to find out what was the original pattern." Symphony No. 7 was the final published symphony of Sibelius. Completed in 1924, Symphony No. 7 is notable for being a one-movement symphony, in contrast to the standard symphonic formula of four movements. It has been described as "completely original in form, subtle in its handling of tempi, individual in its treatment of key and wholly organic in growth". Warner Classics releases this stunning recording as part of a brand new series, The Complete Warner Recordings. Spanning over 40 years, these recordings trace the career of Sir John Barbirolli, a conductor of proverbial warmth and generosity, a transformative force in British music and a legendary figure who collaborated with the greatest artists of his time. Shortly before his death in 1970 he completed a Sibelius cycle with the Hallé Orchestra, whose fortunes he had steered for nearly three decades, and among other composers closely linked with his name are Elgar, Delius, Brahms, Mozart, Mahler and Puccini. The wide-ranging contents of this landmark set, which comprises all the recordings Barbirolli made for HMV and PYE. Everything has been remastered in high definition, LP-era recordings from the original tapes, and 78-era recordings from the best available sources.