Anyone familier with the 'Processional' opus 113, No 6 from Sibelius's Masonic Ritual Music. Much of this music has a complicated history. Known variously as 'Onward Ye Peoples', Sibelius orchestrated the item himself in 1939 but entrusted the mixed choir arrangement for it to Channing Lefebvre, a freemason and organist in New York.
What a great and singable piece it is, one can imagine this anthem being blasted out at a football final - if only!
The piece can be found on Osmo Vanska's Bis Cd 1365 'Song of the earth' again with a facinating sleeve note by Andrew Barnett.
Highly recommended.--kullervopete.

The orchestral part can also be played without voices and it makes a FANTASTIC encore!

I did not know that, have you actually heard it given without voices as an encore. It seems that the piece was very popular at one time and 10,000 copies were sold in the first ten years. It was sung in High schools all over America and also used to support the Finns during the 1940 Finnish-Soviet war.--kullervopete.

Yes, it was done as an encore, without the voices, at a festival concert in Lahti a few years ago (2004 maybe? I don't quite remember). I seem to remember that one of our group of British concert-goers had skived off early, expecting that the only encore would be Finlandia, in order to get to the bar before anyone else. All the rest of us enjoyed the performance enormously.

OWARD YE PEOPLES is a beautiful little miniature. And...a VERY rare example of Sibelius writing for singers in English.

Very catchy little piece, indeed. No one could write a more noble melody than Sibelius.

I have been listening again to this piece and I have to say what a splendid job Sibelius did of the orchestration. The strings in particular have an incandescent glow that is truely moving. And the Dominante choir sing their hearts out. This music has been buzzing around in my head for the last few days.--kp

I revisited it a few days ago myself and you are right about the strings. They very truly "glow;" great description.