At the beginning of the 20th century, the Finnish government declared Jean Sibelius' fiftieth birthday a national holiday. For this rather unique occasion, he composed his 5th Symphony, which managed to achieve legendary fame. Benjamin Britten's "Les Illuminations" had a similar resonance. At the beginning of this evening, the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester, conducted by Dalia Stasevska, will perform Andrea Tarrodi's "Birds of Paradise", an impressionistic crescendo of a colourful bird world—with a pinch of humour.