Michael Cooper replied to me:

>OTOH, I consider the Sibelius violin concerto to be one of the greatest
>pieces of music ever written (If had to list ten, it would be there).
>Am I alone?  If you disagree or even think that's absurd, I'd like to
>hear that too.:)

No, you're not alone.

There was a time when the VC was the only Sibelius work I liked.  Much
later I (re)discovered his symphonies, starting with the Second, and he
soon became one of my all-time favorite composers.

 - seb