Sibelius's Karelia Suite - why 'Intermezzo'?

In the Karelia Suite, why is there an 'Intermezzo' at the beginning, as opposed to between other movements?

This has been mildly intriguing me for years and I've just taken it into my head to search online, but didn't come up with anything.

Then I thought, 'I wonder if LT has a classical music group I can ask?', and I ran a search and here you all are! Can anyone help?

Incidentally, I can't imagine how I've never come across this group before; but I've joined now so, if nobody can answer my question, at least I've got something out of the last half-hour or so's searching.

And now I want to read the other threads, when I really should get off this computer and get on with some work ...

I think it is because it is just a selection from a larger group of pieces. The full work has been 'completed' by others, one example can be seen here.

Edit: Here's something from that font of all knowledge, Wikipedia!

Thanks for the links, justjim. That's another CD to go in my wish list!

It's weird thing but, considering how much reading I do and how much music I listen to, I seem to have read very little about composers and their music. I vaguely remember reading a biography of Tchaikovsky at one time and that's about it - I'm really quite ignorant about some of my favourite composers. But when I listen to BBC Radio 3 the announcers seem so knowledgeable, not only about the composers, but about the histories of composition and performance of the individual pieces; so the information is out there - if only I get around to reading it. I think I've repeated over and over again on this site that, the more reading I do, the more reading I realise I haven't done.

In this case, it's still intriguing me why Sibelius would create a concert suite from this larger body of music and still keep the 'intermezzo' title. The answer is probably something quite trivial, but it's always going to niggle me, now, I'm afraid, until I find out.

By coincidence, as I write, someone on the radio is reviewing recordings of the Sibelius 5th Symphony - glorious.

Agree on both the reading to do on music & composers, and Sibelius's 5th. He's a fav of mine since my brother introduced me after spending a year in Finland. I hadn't thought of your question, but those are precisely the sorts of detail I wonder about, too. Thanks for posting.