Beethoven, Schubert, Vaughan Williams and Dvořák all wrote nine symphonies before dying. Superstitious, Mahler started on a tenth, shortly after completing his Ninth. He was never able to complete it. Bruckner, even though he had numbered his two first symphonies 00 and 0, hoping to break the “spell” so to speak, also passed away after completing his Ninth Symphony. Sibelius, on the other hand, stopped after eight… and lived an extra 33 years!

To listen to the first movement of Sibelius’ Violin Concerto, as performed by Angèle Dubeau, on her latest album, Virtuoso…