Thread: Jean Sibelius

One of the greatest symphonists of the 20th century and one of the better ones of all time (I think about top 15-20), Sibelius was also a major, MAJOR exponent of the Tone Poem. His later works, particularly the seventh symphony and Tapiola, reflect his search for melodic and thematic development to the extreme; the seventh symphony is in only one movement and Tapiola derives practically all its thematic stuff from the very first few measures, developing and naturally evolving these themes to their utmost in such a logical and beautiful way as to leave one speechless. Here are the works I particularly like by Sibelius:

Symphonies 3, 4, 6, and 7;
Tapiola;
Pohjola's Daughter;
Kullervo;
The Bard;
In memoriam;
Violin Concerto;
The Oceanides;
The Swan of Tuonela;
String Quartet "Voces Intimae"

Any thoughts?

Originally Posted by World Violist

String Quartet "Voces Intimae"

Heard this for the first time last month and immediately fell in love with it. Fantastic string quartet.

It was very well-received at its premiere, even said to be the greatest quartet of the twentieth century by several. I don't know about that, but it's definitely still one of my favorites.

Esa Pekka Salonen does a great job with the Los Angeles Philharmonic. I attended 2 concerts by them in 10/07 and the performance was teriffic. I don't know if the LA Phil has recorded them however.

I think the violin concerto is amongst the finest and most original I've heard..lush romantic violin sound against dark bleak orchestral moods. And that finale is a gem..

Love the gradual transtion in style from say his first symphony with the big Tchaikovsky style theme in the finale to the bleak, compact seventh based around one bleak theme..

Also the Kullervo symphony is very interesting and not performed enough..Sibelius' mature style not yet evident....

I love the 3rd Symphony. Also like En Saga and Finlandia. Heard a brief snippet of the Violin Concerto the other day, sounded cool. Haven't heard much of his other stuff. Any recommendations?

The Oceanides, Pohjola's Daughter, the violin concerto, the seventh symphony, and Tapiola are my favorite Sibelius pieces out there. I don't know exactly where best to start, though the concerto may be a good place. It's quite intense.

Thanks, yeah that's what I was thinking. I have a CD of the 6th and 7th Symphony (with En Saga) played by the Scottish Symphony Orchestra conducted by Lief Siegerstam, which I got free with BBC Music Magazine, that's pretty cool. Although I tend to listen to En Saga more (I love the anthemic quality of the main theme running through it), but now you mention it I will go back and give the symphonies another listen. I'm listening to the concerto right now on youtube, you're right, it is pretty intense. Ooh, just looking on Amazon, found a version by Jascha Heifetz!

Heifetz's Sibelius is very good, and Ginette Neveu's is great. It depends on what you're listening for. Heifetz is extremely intense and... well... perfect (it's Heifetz), while Neveu's recording is more dramatic, intimate and passionate than Heifetz, while still maintaining the perfection of Heifetz's. Take your pick (or both).

The Sibelius 3rd was the first full symphonic piece that I played in an orchestra (at age 15 or so) and will always have a special place in my heart because of that. I also adore the Violin Concerto. I've only recently become aware of the Lisa Batiashvili recording and really enjoy it, wheras my older favorites had be Heifetz and Perlman.

I also like Sibelius. He writes nice music.

I love him.

I am not fan of program music and tone poems, so I prefer his symphonies...My favourite works are Symphonies No. 2, 5 a7 and Violin Concerto. But also some tone poems, e.g. Finlandia, Spring Song and others (Andante Festivo).

These works also belong to my the most beloved and most prefered musical pieces at all.

Maybe he hasn't melodies like Tchaikovsky, perfect musical form like Brahms, brilliant instrumentation like Ravel, but for some reason his music is very close to my soul and I feel connection between me and his works...and maybe for some listeners is boring and old-fashioned, but I like him and I can just say the same irrational and naive, but sincere thing as one Finnish singer on youtube:

"Everything he wrote is beautiful."

I don't know, for all the possible complaints about Sibelius' orchestration his music sounds to me like pure velvet. So rafined and so well-polished. He's got a special, unique sound that, after a few months of listening experience one cannot mistake for any other composer.

And visually, I can really see Finland behind his symphonies and tone poems. The birch and spruce forests, the clearings, the little lakes and the dazzlingly blue sky above everything.

Every single of his symphonies is a jewel. I love them. The one I love least is the most popular one - No.2.
Also the 'Voces intimae' quartet, En Saga, Tapiola, Oceanides and the Violin Concerto are real musts.

Originally Posted by Lisztfreak

I don't know, for all the possible complaints about Sibelius' orchestration his music sounds to me like pure velvet. So rafined and so well-polished. He's got a special, unique sound that, after a few months of listening experience one cannot mistake for any other composer.

Absolutely right, I also don't understand complaints about orchestration of few composers, not only Sibelius (Schumann). Maybe sometimes it can be problem for conductors (generally, not for Sibelius - don't know), but...I think music would be boring if all composers were orchestrating in the way of Richard Strauss or Ravel.

True. Orchestration is an important part of a composer's musical profile. Some were better at it, some worse, but it's their special quality, no matter how masterful or not.

A question: are there any recordings out there of Sibelius conducting some of his works?