Some fascinating stuff that I had never come across before, found it when browsing around on YouTube.

The link is

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, be sure to read the little article down the side. Here is an excerpt of what applies to us here:

YouTube wrote:

The concert mentioned above was held on Easter Sunday in 1939. Anderson was accompanied by the Finnish accompanist Kosti Vehanen, who introduced Marian to Jean Sibelius in 1933. Sibelius was overwhelmed with Anderson's performance and asked his wife to bring champagne in place of the traditional coffee. At this moment Sibelius started altering and composing songs for Anderson, who was delighted to have met a musician of Sibelius' magnitude, who felt that she had been able to penetrate the Nordic soul. In 1939 Sibelius made a new arrangement of the song Solitude and dedicated it to Anderson. Originally The Jewish Girl's Song from his 1906 incidental music to Belshazzar's Feast, this later became the "Solitude" section of the orchestral suite derived from the incidental music.

Great voice, Marian Anderson was indeed one of Sibelius's favourite singers. When Sibelius played a record of Anderson singing his 'On a balcony by the sea' he told his secretary Santeri Levas that he had long hoped that the great negro singer might sing this particular song, and he thought that her accompanist of many years, the Finnish pianist Kosti Vahanen had obviously had something to do with it. For her part Marian Anderson loved the music of Sibelius and she never ever forgot his birthday.--kullervopete.

Its interesting that Sibelius remarked that Marian Anderon's recording of 'Come away Death' was the most satisfying recording, by any singer, of any of his songs. All the more remarkable for a negro artist. When Anderson recorded Sibelius songs for HMV and Victor she even sang in Swedish.--kp

I wonder which of the current crop of singers would have appealed to him most?

It is maybe rare these days for one artist to be associated with a single genre/composer/role. But two of today's artists - AT LEAST - would surely have attracted Sibbe's attention: Jorma Hynninen as Kullervo* and Matti Hyökki for shaping a whole generation of performers of the choir music.

*Yes, I know… if Sibelius were still alive, then Kullervo would probably still be off-limits - you'll have to excuse the lapsed logic here.

I think that J.S might have admired a number of present day singers, and in particular Soile Isokoski who is superb in Sibelius. I think that if Barbara Bonney had ever been able to sing to the master at Ainola Sib. would have been in seventh heaven.-kp