Sibelius

Is Sibelius out of fashion? Whenever I mention his symphonies to someone who is a music lover, a look comes over their face that says they don't much like him. How about his violin concerto? Well (a grudging) yes, of course.
I have just been listening to a recording by Ginette Neveu of the violin concerto and what a performance it was. I think Barbirolli conducted it. The recording is a bit scratchy now but still very exciting.
She got killed in an air crash; she was not very old; Barbirolli was devastated.
Sibelius arrived at a stage late in life when he found he could no longer compose. Beecham went to visit him at his home and was approached by Sibelius's wife. "Don't mention his 8th Symphony," she urged Beecham. It was a sensitive subject. He never did write it.
After listening to his 7th. Symphony I am not surprised; I think he had done all he could have done with the symphonic form. The 7th. is a bit of a mess; it is as if he took all the best bits of his six symphonies and joined them together in a sort of pot pourri of his music.
Another occasion when a composer's wife asked a visitor not to mention a certain work was when Larry Adler visited Georges Enesco. Adler had made a mouth organ recording of his Romanian Rhapsody. "Don't mention his Romanian Rhapsody," the wife said.
The reason for this was that it was virtually the only piece of music he was known for and he was fed up with hearing people mention that rather than any of his other works.
(I have written a play like that - "Dreamjobs". It's the only work of mine people know about.
Yet, I have to say, that I would be disappointed if people didn't mention it sometimes. Better that than silence.)
When Larry Adler was seated, the first thing the composer said to him was :"That recording you did of my Romanian Rhapsody is superb."