Finnish composer's influence noted

Jean Sibelius, a renowned Finnish composer and violinist of the late Romantic and early modern period, was honored by President Xi Jinping and his wife, Peng Liyuan, during their visit to the Nordic country.

Sibelius, born in 1865, had a great love for his homeland, and that comes out in his music, which has an influence worldwide.

When Sibelius died in 1957, the United Nations General Assembly was in session and the then GA President Sir Leslie Munro of New Zealand ordered a moment of silence, saying, "The music of Sibelius belonged to the whole world".