Glazunov was attracted late in his career to the people and legends of Karelia, an eastern part of Finland. At the time Finland was a Grand Duchy within the Russian Empire but possessing considerable self-rule. It became independent after the Russian collapse in World War I, but the Soviet Union seized Karelia during World War II.

The Kalevala is a national epic poem of Finland. It was written in the 19th century, based on old oral traditions, and cast in the same rhythm used by the American poet Longfellow in "The Song of Hiawatha." A traditional eight-syllable melody was used to sing the Finnish poem. This is the basis of the first part of the composition. Glazunov used the simply melody throughout the first movement, varying its orchestration with great imagination.

The second movement is also based on a simple theme, although it is interrupted for a quotation of the Lutheran hymn "A Mighty Fortress." The recurring funeral march motive is again repeated, but the appearance of the hymn, promising God's protection, allows the work to conclude on a note of hope.

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