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Post by jk on Mar 21, 2022 4:47:17 GMT -5
Often when I visit YouTube to check out the splendid new orchestral tribute to Brian and the Boys the first video in the list is another with the title The Seven Symphonies, only these are the seven works in that genre by the Finnish composer Jean Sibelius (1865–1957). Astonishingly, given his long life, he completed the last of these in 1924 and indeed wrote little after that, most notably the stunning tone poem Tapiola (considered by many to be his masterpiece), and stopped composing altogether in 1929. There was long talk of an eighth symphony and even two promises of performances. Still, "If I cannot write a better symphony than my Seventh, then it shall be my last," as he confided to friends. (I also recall a remark of his about not being able to skin the bear before you've caught it.) His Symphony No. 1 in E Minor reveals his admiration for Tschaikovsky (and why not?) but otherwise it's Sibelius through and through. (Interestingly, it is only one of two Sibelius symphonies that employs a harp, the other being #6.) Recently, we attended a gripping live performance of this work under fellow countryman Jukka-Pekka Saraste. Here he is conducting the Finnish Symphony Radio Orchestra in the opening movement, "Andante, ma non troppo – Allegro energico": en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symphony_No._1_(Sibelius)
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Post by jk on Mar 30, 2022 12:47:18 GMT -5
Sibelius's Second Symphony was my first taste of the man's music back in '62, when my music-teacher uncle lent it to me (permanently, you might say -- I still have his copy, with the same cover as the one in the video). Oddly, I bought exactly the same recording four years later (with a different cover) when compiling my Decca cheap range series of all seven Sibelius symphonies by the London Symphony Orchestra under Anthony Collins (I believe the Fifth has a different orchestra and conductor). This is the dramatic second movement, "Tempo Andante, ma rubato"; the recording was made in 1953: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symphony_No._2_(Sibelius)I've discovered a symmetrical system for choosing one movement from each symphony. (Nos. 3 and 5 have three movements only and no. 7 is in one continuous movement): No. 1 in E minor, Op. 39: First movement No. 2 in D major, Op. 43: Second (slow) movement No. 3 in C major, Op. 52: Third (final) movement No. 4 in A minor, Op. 63: Fourth movement No. 5 in E-flat major, Op. 82: Third (final) movement No. 6 in D minor, Op. 104: Second (slow) movement No. 7 in C major, Op. 105: First (and only) movement
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Post by jk on Mar 31, 2022 14:35:25 GMT -5
In 1963, the year after my uncle introduced me to the Second Symphony, I heard a performance of the austere Fourth on the radio and against all my expectations, I knew I had to have it on LP. (My wish came true that Christmas, in the company of Mahler's first two symphonies.) It was this and the work completing side two, the opulent tone poem Pohjola's Daughter, that spurred me on two years later to collect the entire series of Sibelius's symphonies and many of his other orchestral works, almost all by the LSO under Anthony Collins, including this one in a combination with the equally brief Seventh: Symphony No. 3 in C major (Op. 52) shows signs of the "iron logic" characterizing Sibelius's later symphonies as well as the rarified atmosphere of nos. 4, 6 and 7. It is a remarkable step forward in the series. This is the third and last movement, "Moderato – Allegro ma non tanto", which in effect is a scherzo and finale in one, "the crystallization of ideas from chaos", to quote its composer: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symphony_No._3_(Sibelius)
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Post by jk on Apr 1, 2022 12:33:10 GMT -5
Sibelius described his Fourth Symphony as "a protest against the compositions of today. Nothing, absolutely nothing, of the circus about it." Premiered when the composer was in his mid-forties, it was written in the aftermath of a serious throat operation when Sibelius was contemplating an early death (or a life without alcohol). As it happened, he lived to be 91 (he had soon resumed his not inconsiderable intake of alcohol). The grim mood of the Fourth calls to mind the nightmarish qualities of * this chilling work*, where even a bright major chord can sound sinister. To quote my LP liner notes from the same 1954 version but with the cover shown below, "The finale begins with the melodic phrase already announced at the end of the third movement, but its chief concern is with a phrase involving the tritone (produced by violas) and a four-note figure played by bells, which are heard in this movement (and this theme) only. In one striking passage, wind and strings exchange triads of E flat and A (a tritone apart) and, from here on, a second subject is gradually evolved, a characteristic, though longer-breathed, melody. These ideas are developed until just before the end of the symphony; for the coda, starting with a rising scale of A minor in the bass under a string tremolo, withdraws itself from the movement’s material, concentrates on the third and the semitone, and ends with grey A minor string chords, marked mezzo forte (a rare dynamic level for the close of a symphonic work, to be sure)." en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symphony_No._4_(Sibelius)
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Post by jk on Apr 2, 2022 12:42:57 GMT -5
This post strays somewhat from the formula followed so far: "Stunning, stunning, stunning. Have just heard the BBC proms concert and want to hear it again and again. The dissonances are uplifting. I find the whole thing inspiring. (I am a writer.) Thanks for uploading it." Thus YT commenter Nick Ashton-Jones on 4 August 2019. He was describing the early (1915) version of Sibelius's Symphony No. 5 as performed at the BBC Proms the evening before. I heard it too. I've never warmed to this work in its final (1919) version -- here in the Erik Tuxen LP version I've owned since 1966 (see cover below) -- and now I know why. It had been sanitized, admittedly by its composer, but such operations are not always for the good. (Think of Zappa's later meddlings with albums that were fine as they were.) This is indeed stunning. Long may it be performed! en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symphony_No._5_(Sibelius)
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Post by jk on Apr 5, 2022 5:54:29 GMT -5
In his Sixth Symphony, Op. 104 (premiered 1923) Sibelius keeps his instrumental forces reasonably lightweight (no tuba or additional percussion) but adds a bass clarinet (the only time in a Sibelius symphony) and a harp (as in the Symphony No. 1). At times it almost "floats off the planet" (to paraphrase Bruce J. on the string break in "Don't Talk"). It's said to be influenced by Sibelius's study of the music of Palestrina (c.1525–1594). This "Northern Pastoral Symphony" seems to be speaking to us from the sidelines. It has the unpeopled quality of the Fourth but is limpid ("cold spring water", as its composer described it) and has nothing of the earlier symphony's grimness. There are works that have an innate whiteness about them, as if to say, "I'm not really here" -- the Sixth is one of these (another, to my mind, is Satie's Socrate). This is the second movement from the version I own on LP (Collins and the LSO) but with a less evocative cover illustration: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symphony_No._6_(Sibelius)
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Post by jk on Apr 7, 2022 14:15:22 GMT -5
Before we move on to the one-movement Seventh Symphony, a word about the instrumentation of all seven. In these works, Sibelius kept largely to the standard pairs of woodwind and complement of brass plus timps and strings. The list below shows the exceptions and additions. (See the individual symphonies for the keys of clarinets, horns and trumpets.) The first version of IV I heard used tubular bells instead of a glockenspiel; some years back I heard a version that divided that part between the two instruments, presumably (I've since lost the information) the quick peals on the glock and the half-tempo one on the bells.
2 Flutes (both doubling on Piccolo in I and VII) 2 Oboes 2 Clarinets Bass clarinet (in VI only) 2 Bassoons 4 Horns 3 Trumpets (2 in III and IV) 3 Trombones Tuba (I only) Timpani Triangle, Bass Drum and Cymbals (I only) Glockenspiel (IV only) Harp (I and VI) Strings
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Post by jk on Apr 8, 2022 10:01:01 GMT -5
The cycle reaches its apotheosis in the towering Symphony No. 7. Completed in 1924, its single compact movement is clearly Sibelius's very last word on the subject -- there was quite simply nowhere else for him to go. All his efforts at adding an eighth to the series came to nought (see the OP). The passage beginning at 2:09 is surely one of the most magical in all symphonic music, culminating in the arrival of the trombones around the five-minute mark. That said, the entire work is a flawless gem. Once again, Anthony Collins and the LSO do themselves proud (in 1954; see Reply #2 for "my" LP cover): en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symphony_No._7_(Sibelius)Sibelius lived another 33 years, but soon stopped composing altogether. His last major work, Tapiola, will figure in one of the future posts devoted to his orchestral tone poems...
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Post by jk on Apr 22, 2022 6:07:26 GMT -5
Now for a few of the man's orchestral tone poems, starting with his absolute peak in that genre: "Wide-spread they stand, the Northland's dusky forests, Ancient, mysterious, brooding savage dreams; Within them dwells the Forest's mighty God, And wood-sprites in the gloom weave magic secrets." This words prefix the English score of Tapiola, Op. 112. Written in 1926, it was Sibelius's last major work and is regarded by many as his masterpiece. For such a closely argued composition, there's a lot going on. Listen out for the blizzard towards the end. Here it is in the version I bought back in early 1965 by Eduard van Beinum and the Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam. Who would have guessed that less than a decade later I would be living in that city... en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tapiola_(Sibelius)
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Post by jk on Apr 27, 2022 4:49:00 GMT -5
There could not be a greater contrast between the austere Fourth and its companion piece on my LP, Pohjola’s Daughter, Op 49, which was completed in 1906, five years earlier than the symphony. Arguably Sibelius's most opulent work, its large orchestra includes a piccolo, a cor anglais, a bass clarinet, a double bassoon, two cornets as well as two trumpets and a harp. The liner notes to my LP version by Collins and the LSO include the following, which adheres closely to the original episode in the Kalevala, the Finnish national epic: "Vainamoinen, leaving the gloomy Kingdom of Pohjola and the home of sombre songs, goes homeward on his sledge. Hark! What noise is that? He looks upward. There on the rainbow Pohjola's daughter sits and spins, high up in the brilliant blue air. Made drunk by her beauty, he begs her to come down and sit in the sledge beside him. She teasingly refuses. He begs her again. At last she says 'Make me a boat out of my spindle, what I have long desired -- and show me your magic skill -- then I'll gladly follow you.' The old and steadfast Vainamoinen toils in vain; his magic spell has forsaken him. Ugly-humoured, sorely wounded, the maiden lost to him, he springs on his sledge and goes on, with head upraised. Yet never can the hero despair; he will overcome all sorrow; the remembrance of sweet accents eases the pain and brings fond hope." You'll need to turn up the volume to catch the quiet opening cello figure representing the maiden's spinning wheel: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pohjola%27s_Daughter
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Post by jk on May 25, 2022 8:34:17 GMT -5
I have this shaky cassette tape made from a library CD of Sibelius's tone poem The Bard (composed 1913, revised 1914), in the 1938 performance by the London Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Sir Thomas Beecham. This may be a recording of the first public performance in the UK of this enigmatic work. This same version can now be found on YouTube in a much cleaner transfer (thank you, that person): "The tone poem itself provides a profound, yet cryptic glimpse of an elegiac, poetic world: an initial, harp-led stillness and reflection are succeeded by elemental, eruptive surges and, finally, a sense of renunciation or maybe death." [ Source] www.sibelius.fi/english/musiikki/ork_muita_bardi.htm
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Post by jk on Jun 12, 2022 6:34:35 GMT -5
One Saturday in 1966 (that year again), while searching in desperation for my weekly classical album purchase and not finding anything, I happened upon a 45 (!) of Sibelius's tone poem The Swan of Tuonela (1895). I've chosen to link a video with the orchestral score rather than look out a recommended version. It gives the listener/viewer a better idea of Sibelius's utterly original approach to orchestral colour. The rolls on the bass drum give a wonderfully evocative portrayal of the inky waters of the river of Tuonela, whose only inhabitant is a black swan: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Swan_of_Tuonela
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Post by jk on Sept 28, 2022 3:56:18 GMT -5
Yesterday I heard the version linked below of Sibelius's Rakastava. The following [slightly tweaked] description comes from the CD booklet: Jean Sibelius (1865–1957) composed the instrumental suite Rakastava (The Lover) in 1893, working in parallel on a short cycle of four songs for unaccompanied male choir, which he published, under the same title, as Op. 14, in 1894. He took the texts from the Kanteletar, a collection of folk poetry which first appeared in print in 1840, and which is regarded as the sister epos of the Kalevala. A version for mixed choir and two soloists was published in 1898. However, the composer was not satisfied and thoroughly reworked the version [in 1911–12] for string orchestra [with minimal input from timpani in the first and third movements and triangle in the second], publishing it in its definitive form, also as Op. 14, only in 1912. In his diary, he wrote: "There is something of dark soil in this work. Soil and Finland." The two versions, choral and instrumental, originate in the same musical material, although the four movements of the choral version are compressed into the three movements of the version for strings. The Kanteletar text of the first song/movement tells of the solitude of the Lover, longing for his darling. The D minor melancholy is occasionally complemented by passionate diminished chords. The text underlying the second movement tells how love transforms the Lover's view of the world and of the path that his beloved has trod. A softly shivering intermezzo in B flat major forms a marked contrast to the beginning: the world appears as though enfolded in a silvery halo. In the third movement, after exchanges of embraces and kisses, the Lover has to depart with a heavy heart from his beloved. This movement recalls the atmosphere and passionate dreams of the first movement, and carries clear indications of a dialogue: the solo violin mourns the departure and the solo cello responds with long semitonal sighs. I: "Rakastava" (The Lover). Andante con moto: II: "Rakastetun tie" (The Path of His Beloved). Allegretto: III: "Hyvää iltaa... Jää hyvästi" (Good Evening!… Farewell!). Andantino – Doppio più lento – Vivace – Allargando poco a poco – Lento assai: [ Source]
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Post by jk on Dec 3, 2022 13:30:51 GMT -5
Arguably the last heavyweight symphonic poem in this Sibelius series, one whose reputation I am familiar with but not the music, is The Oceanides (1913–14), which had its premiere in the US in that latter year. It's odd how some works pass one by -- this is a real beauty that I've been ignoring for no good reason for half a century! For clarity's sake (looking at the confusing wiki page), this is the final, ten-minute version, performed here by the Lahti Symphony Orchestra conducted by Osmo Vänskä. I dedicate this to my fifth grandchild, born just a week ago. Go well, little girl: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Oceanides
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Post by jk on Jan 8, 2024 17:16:32 GMT -5
I've heard Sibelius's "Valse Triste" many times but never played with as much passion as the rendition I heard today by the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra conducted by Santtu-Matias Rouvali: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valse_triste_(Sibelius)
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