`A noise all of his own' // London conductor explores the dark woods of Sibelius

London SymphonyOrchestra8 tonight, 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 3 p.m. SundaySymphony Center,220 S. MichiganTickets, $10-$86(312) 294-3000

At first blush, this week's all-Sibelius festival with theLondon Symphony Orchestra at Symphony Center appears to be one ofthose rare events that's occurring simply because somebody loves themusic.

Sibelius isn't a composer like Beethoven, Mozart or Brahms,whose mere name can set off a stampede to the box office. This isn'tan important anniversary year for the Finnish composer, who was bornin 1865 and died in 1957.Outside his native Finland, where he is revered, Sibelius' musicfrequently is dismissed as bleak, …