The Eighteenth International Lahti Sibelius Festival coincided with the centenary year of Finland’s political independence. In a previous year forty percent of tickets were sold to non-Finnish patrons, so its claim of international status is well justified. As usual concert tickets and hotel accommodation had been arranged at a special price for Sibelius One members. Click here to read the full review by Geoff Hayes.
The ongoing Sibelius discography project has received another update. To download the latest version (free) click here: Sibelius Discography_20171030. For more information on the discography project and recent releases see our Discography & Recordings page.
Announced as a forthcoming release in Breitkopf & Härtel’s JSW critical edition is a volume of music for solo instrument and piano.
Series IV, Vol 6 is edited by Anna Pulkkis and will include:
Two Pieces, Op. 2 violin & piano
Malinconia, Op. 20 cello & piano
Two Serious Melodies, Op. 77 violin/cello & piano
Four Pieces, Op. 78 violin/cello & piano
Six Pieces, Op. 79 violin & piano
Sonatina in E major, Op. 80 violin & piano
Five Pieces, Op. 81 violin & piano
Novellette, Op. 102 violin & piano
Five Danses champêtres, Op. 106 violin & piano
Four Pieces, Op. 115 violin & piano
Three Pieces, Op. 116 violin & piano
These works represent Sibelius’s complete opus-numbered output for violin/cello and piano, from the early Op. 2 pieces (revised around the time of the Fourth Symphony) through to his last opus-numbered pieces from 1929. Many of the pieces, including the famous Romance in F major (Op. 78 No. 2) date from the period of the First World War.
‘The soprano Hedvig Paulig… is blessed with all that a singer desires: a voice full of beauty, precise intuition, a technique that seemingly easily takes her to clear high tones without as much as a blink as well as to the low tones, in which her voice turns full and warm. Paulig is also a real actress who expresses emotions in her songs from humor to mystic and grief. Her whole performance is full of charm…’ (Noam Ben Zeev for Haaretz Newspaper, May 2015)
‘The advocacy of Folke Gräsbeck [in Sibelius’s solo piano music] outstrips that of almost all earlier exponents.’ (Richard Whitehouse, International Record Review, May 2011)
A selection of 20 songs by Sibelius, including:
Den första kyssen [The First Kiss], Op. 37 No. 1
Var det en dröm? [Was it a Dream?], Op. 37 No. 4
Flickan kom ifrån sin älsklings möte [The Tryst], Op. 37 No. 5
Illalle [To Evening], Op. 17 No. 6
Demanten på marssnön [The Diamond on the March Snow], Op. 36 No. 6
Sleeve note by Ron Weidberg in English, Finnish and Swedish
Song texts in original language and English translation
First release – recorded 2016
Catalogue number: SCD 001
Available direct from Sibelius One
Prices (all including post & packing):
Sibelius One members: UK £10 / Europe £12 / Rest of world £13
Non-members: UK £12 / Europe £14 / Rest of world £15
To order:
Write to us enclosing a UK sterling cheque, payable to Sibelius One,
for the appropriate amount:
6 Chichester Drive West, Saltdean, Brighton, Sussex BN2 8SH, England
or
Order by e mail (click here to send e-mail) and send payment via internet transfer to:
Account name: Sibelius One
Reference: ‘[your name] CD order’
Sort code 54-10-27
Account number 13655558
For payments from outside the UK: Swift code NWBKGB2L
IBAN: GB88NWBK54102713655558
Don’t miss the concert by the acclaimed pianist Joseph Tong at St John’s Smith Square, London, at 7.30 pm on 20 September 2017, marking the launch of his second Sibelius piano music CD.
The programme is:
Grieg Stimmungen, Op. 73
Schumann Fantasie in C major, Op. 17
Sibelius Valse triste, Op. 44
Sibelius 5 Characteristic Impressions, Op. 103
Sibelius Sonata in F major, Op. 12
Further information and booking: click here.
The new CD includes the above-mentioned works by Sibelius plus the three Sonatinas, Op. 67, Eight Bagatelles, Op. 97, and Four Lyric Pieces, Op. 74.
The previous CD in the series contains the following repertoire: Kyllikki; Five Pieces (‘The Trees’); Five Pieces (‘The Flowers’); Five Romantic Pieces, Op. 101; Five Esquisses, Op. 114; Two Rondinos; Finlandia (Quartz QTZ 2111).
A new book, Jean Sibelius’s Legacy – Research on his 150th Anniversary (ed. Daniel Grimley, Tim Howell, Veijo Murtomäki & Timo Virtanen), has been published by Cambridge Scholars Publishing.
As part of the Sibelius 150th anniversary celebrations in 2015, a great number of Sibelius scholars gathered in Hämeenlinna, his birth town, for a conference leading up to his birthday on 8 December. This volume draws upon the most current achievements of Sibelius research. It brings together the diverse – and sometimes even divergent – viewpoints that emerged from this international meeting.
These studies cover all of the genres in Sibelius’ production: orchestral works, incidental music, piano and chamber music, and songs, including both well-known works and rarities, and even some fresh discoveries. The chapters in this book are also a welcome reminder of the manifold sources of inspiration: the music of his contemporaries, nature, literature, and visual art. The versatility of Sibelius’s output, and the richness of his creative imagination are presented here to any reader interested to learn more about the music of the Finnish master.
Contributors: Ilkka Oramo, Veijo Murtomäki, Jorma Daniel Lünenbürger, Martti Laitinen, Vesa Kurkela, Kaarina Kilpiö, Timothy L. Jackson, Juhani Alesaro, Sanna Iitti, Tim Howell, Benjamin T. Hilger, Pekka Helasvuo, Olli Heikkinen, Charris Efthimiou, Gustav Djupsjöbacka, Les Black, Barry Wiener, Tuija Wicklund, Ron Weidberg, Olli Väisälä, Timo Virtanen, Helena Tyrväinen, Aare Tool, Ferruccio Tammaro, Lauri Suurpää, Anna Pulkkis
Hardback, 360 pages / ISBN-13: 978-1-4438-9860-7 / ISBN-10: 1-4438-9860-0
More information and orders: click here.
The sixteenth Sibelius i Korpo festival opens today, 21 July 2017, and celebrates Finland’s centenary in programmes of chamber, vocal and choral music, predominantly by Finnish composers. Artistic director of the festival is Folke Gräsbeck.
The programmes are as follows:
Jean Sibelius
Piano Trio in D major, ‘Korpo’, JS 209
Andante cantabile for violin and piano, JS 33
Untitled piece in B minor for violin and piano, JS 90 (sonata allegro exposition)
Adagio in F sharp minor for cello and piano, JS 15 (1889)
Tempo di valse in F sharp minor for cello and piano, JS 194 (‘Lulu Waltz’)
Andantino in D major ‘Till Emma Kristina Marie-Louise Berndtson. Lulu’ for piano
Einojuhani Rautavaara
Notturno e Danza for violin and piano
Ernst Linko
Nocturne for cello and piano
Madoka Sato, violin
Taneli Turunen, cello
Folke Gräsbeck, piano
Welcome from Petri Kirkkomäki, director of Sibelius i Korpo
Jean Sibelius
Drömmarna, JS 64
Florakören and Brahe Djäknar conducted by Ulf Långbacka
Jean Sibelius
The Village Church, Op. 103 No. 1, for piano
Morceau romantique sur un motif de M. Jakob de Julin, JS 135b, for piano
Bernhard Henrik Crusell
Vikingabalk (1826) for tenor and piano
Fredrik Pacius
Soldatgossen for tenor and piano
Karl Collan
Gamle Hurtig (1857) for tenor and piano
På Roines strand (1862) for tenor and piano
Jean Sibelius
Kullervos Wehruf from Op. 7 for tenor and piano
Jägargossen, Op. 13 No. 7, for tenor and piano
Illalle, Op. 17 No. 6 (first version) for tenor and piano
Illalle, Op. 17 No. 6 (final version) for soprano and piano
Men min fågel märks dock icke, Op. 36 No. 2, for soprano and piano
Säf, säf, susa, Op. 36 No. 4, for soprano and piano
Ilkka Kuusisto
Kiurun portaat, suite for soprano and piano
Oskar Merikanto
Soipa kieli, Op. 62 No. 1, for soprano, tenor and piano
Oi, kiitos sa Luojani armollinen, Op. 62 No. 2, for soprano, tenor and piano
Bulgarian folk song, arr. Johanna Almark
Bulgarisk skärgårdsvals, for women’s choir
Martin Segerstråle
En stilla Undran, for women’s choir
arr. Hanna Kronqvist
Det brinner en eld, for women’s choir
Ilkka Aaltonen
Lasinkuultava laulu, for male voice choir
arr. John Rosas
Morgonvisa ‘Morgonen ljusnar’, for male voice choir
Fredrik Pacius
Suomis sång, for male voice choir
Evert Taube
Så skimrande var aldrig havet, for mixed choir
Jean Sibelius
Drömmarna, JS 64
Wilhelm Stenhammar
Vårnatt, Op. 30 No. 2, for mixed choir and piano
Ulf Långbacka
Ögonblickets tusen årstider,
cantata for soprano, baritone, mixed choir and piano
(world première, commissioned by the Sibelius i Korpo festival)
Turku University Students’ Choir
Florakören and Brahe Djäknar conducted by Ulf Långbacka
Mari Palo, soprano
Herman Wallén, tenor
Folke Gräsbeck, piano
Lecture by Prof. Fabian Dahlström
Jean Sibelius
Piano Trio in A minor, ‘Hafträsk, JS 207 (first movement: world premère of definitive version)
Erkki Melartin
Kuutamo, Op. 99 No. 1, for soprano and piano
Sydänmaan lammella, Op. 20 No. 3, for soprano and piano
Vallarelåt, Op. 42 No. 1, for soprano and piano
I natt skall jag dö, Op. 117 No. 1, for soprano and piano
Jean Sibelius
Cantique, Op. 77 No. 1, for cello and piano
Vårförnimmelser, Op. 86 No. 1, for soprano and piano
Dold förening, Op. 86 No. 3, for soprano and piano
Och finns det en tanke, Op. 86 No. 4, for soprano and piano
Three Humoresques (Op. 87 No. 2; Op. 89 No. 1; Op. 89 No. 3), for violin and piano
Aquileja, Op. 85 No. 4, for piano
March of the Finnish Jäger Battalion, Op. 91a, for piano
I systrar, I bröder, I älskande par, Op. 86 No. 6, for tenor and piano
Morgonen, Op. 90 No. 3, for tenor and piano
Norden, Op. 90 No. 1, for tenor and piano
Fågelfängaren, Op. 90 No. 4, for tenor and piano
Vem styrde hit din väg? Op. 90 No. 6, for tenor and piano
Finlandia, Op. 26, for piano with tenor
Mari Palo, soprano
Herman Wallén, tenor
Madoka Sato, violin
Taneli Turunen, cello
Folke Gräsbeck, piano
The airline Norwegian has added Jean Sibelius to its ‘tail fin heroes’ – major cultural figures who lend their identities to the airline’s planes – to quote Norwegian, ‘personalities who have pushed the boundaries, challenged the established and inspired others’.
The figures selected come from the worlds of art, architecture, literature, music, entertainment, philosopy, science and sport, or have been pioneers in other walks of life.
Sibelius joins figures such as the poet J.L. Runeberg and the writer and activist Minna Canth to represent Finland in the airline’s ‘hall of fame’.
Sibelius himself never flew in an aeroplane, but an interest in flight manifested itself in his lifelong love for migrating birds (The Swan of Tuonela, finale of the Fifth Symphony, etc.)
Norwegian flies to Helsinki from a wide range of destinations including London Gatwick, Amsterdam, Paris, Prague, Oslo, Copenhagen and Stockholm.
Click here to visit Norwegian’s website
or
Click here to visit the ‘Tail Fin Heroes’ page
Sibelius One’s July 2017 magazine is now being delivered to subscribers. Highlights of this issue include:
To subscribe to the magazine, make sure you select the ‘printed copies’ option when joining Sibelius One (just £5 for two issues).
If you would like to add the magazine to your existing subscription, or to purchase individual copies of this issue or back issues (£5 each plus postage – also available to non-members) please contact info@sibeliusone.com
Click here for a list of articles in all issues of the magazine to date.
Page 1 of the Scherzo from Op. 4, from the Sibelius collection of the National Library of Finland (HUL 0552)
The next release in the JSW Critical Edition is now imminent, and includes all the works by Sibelius for string orchestra. JSW is published by the National Library of Finland, the Sibelius Society of Finland and the publishing house Breitkopf & Härtel (Wiesbaden).
Jean Sibelius wrote eight works for string orchestra over a wide time span stretching from the early 1890s until 1939. Many of these are either arrangements of earlier compositions or were composed in conjunction with a piano version. In addition to strings, additional instruments are used in some pieces (timpani, triangle, flutes, harp).
This new volume contains three first publications: two versions of the Impromptus and the early version of Rakastava. During the editing process, some previously unknown source materials have come to light. These include the score and parts from Andante festivo’s first performance (1939) in the YLE archive as well as another contemporary score with parts in the archive of Ylioppilaskunnan Soittajat. These new sources have significantly expanded the understanding of this work.
Edited by Pekka Helasvuo and Tuija Wicklund
Contents:
1. Scherzo (Presto – from Op. 4)
2. Impromptu, Op. 5 No. 5
3. Impromptu, Op. 5 Nos 5–6 (early version)
4. Impromptu, Op. 5 Nos 5–6 (revised version)
5. Rakastava, Op. 14 (early version)
6. Rakastava, Op. 14 (revised version)
7. Romance in C, Op. 42
8. Suite mignonne, Op. 98a
9. Suite champêtre, Op. 98b
10. Suite caractéristique, Op. 100
11. Andante festivo, JS 34b