Intermezzo is the 1st movement from the Karelia Suite, which is a collection of pieces composed by the Finnish composer, Jean Sibelius. It is a jaunty Allegro march-like theme, which begins in lower range, depicting a procession. This piece was used in the UK as a title them for the long-running ITV current affairs programme This Week.

This suite is one of Sibeliuss earlier works and remains one of his most popular. Sibelius held the Karelia province in particular affection. The Suite was drawn from several independent works he wrote in 1893 for a patriotic historical pageant to be presented by students of the University of Helsinki in Viipuri, Karelia. The rough-hewn character of the music was deliberate: the aesthetic intention was not to dazzle with technique but to capture the quality of naïve, folk-based authenticity.

3:15 Min.