This week’s free download from Classical-Music.com , the official website of BBC Music Magazine, is the Allegro from Sibelius’s String Quartet in D minor, ‘Voces intimae’. Performed by the Ehnes Quartet, the recording received a four-star review in the February issue of BBC Music Magazine.
Click here to go to the download page.
In anticipation of the third Sibelius Festival – Golfo del Tigullio e Riviera, which will take place in October 2017, the AkREibA Association is presenting a series of four lectures, as a preview of the festival.
The first will be given by Prof. Ferruccio Tammaro, one of the greatest Italian musicologists (University of Turin).
‘THE SEA IN THE NORDIC SYMPHONIC MUSIC’
Saturday 1 April, 5 pm, ‘Spazio Aperto’ Hall, Via dell’Arco, Santa Margherita Ligure, Italy
followed by:
8 April, 5 pm, with Valentina Lo Surdo (musicologist and journalist with RAI)
29 April, 5 pm, with Roberto Iovino (director of the Genoa Conservatory)
6 May, 5 pm, with Federico Ermirio (artistic director of the festival, composer)
The correspondence between Sibelius and Adolf Paul has been published by SLS (the Society of Swedish Literature in Finland), in an edition by Fabian Dahlström (in Swedish).
The letters show the development of a deep friendship that started in the 1880s at the Helsinki Music Institute. Adolf Paul settled in Berlin and chose to become an author rather than a musician; he played an important role when Sibelius was establishing contact with German music publishers.
Adolf Paul (born in Bromö, Sweden 1863, died in Berlin 1943) is today best known for his friendship with artists and writers such as August Strindberg, Edvard Munch and Knut Hamsun. He wrote in German and Swedish. Sibelius wrote music for his plays King Christian II (1898) and The Language of the Birds (1912).
In their letters Sibelius and Paul discuss everything from financial problems and family matters to their current projects and publishing contacts.
Fabian Dahlström is professor emeritus of musicology at Åbo Akademi, where he worked from 1973 until 1993. He has published the pioneering catalogue of Sibelius’s music with commentaries Jean Sibelius: Thematisch-bibliographisches Verzeichnis seiner Werke (Breitkopf & Härtel 2003) and was editor-in-chief of the critical edition of Jean Sibelius’s music from 1994 until 2000. In 2005 his edition of Sibelius’s diaries (Jean Sibelius dagbok 1909–1944) was published by SLS, followed in 2010 by his edition of the correspondence between Sibelius and Axel Carpelan, Högtärade Maestro! Högtärade Herr Baron! In addition Fabian Dahlström, who has also appeared as a clarinettist and recorder player, is the author of numerous other historical works and musical editions (on subjects including the clarinettist and composer Bernhard Henrik Crusell), and he has contributed to the major reference work Suomen musiikin historia.
EB 8178 | €8.45
8 pages | 23 x 30,5 cm | 65 g | ISMN: 979-0-004-18371-7
Edited by Kari Kilpeläinen
An exhibition is being mounted at Järvenpää Art Museum focusing on Elisabeth Järnefelt (1839–1929), ‘the mother of Finnish art and culture’, and Jean Sibelius’s mother-in-law.
Born in St Petersburg, Elisabeth married August Alexander Järnefelt in 1857 and settled with him in Helsinki. Among their children were the writer Arvid, the painter Erik and the conductor and composer Armas. Their daughter Aino married Jean Sibelius. Elisabeth Järnefelt was also a good friend of the writer Juhani Aho. Elisabeth Järnefelt became a central figure in Finnish culture, hosting a salon in Helsinki, centred around Nordic, Finnish and Russian literature but also discussing politics, religion and equality. She promoted the Finnish language and was a follower of the Tolstoyan movement.
The exhibition runs for most of Finland’s centenary year, from 11 February until 1 October 2017. On display are works of art, photographs and other artefacts relating to the fascinating story of Elisabeth Järnefelt’s life; there will also be video presentations.
During the exhibition’s run there will be a number of additional lectures and presentations on various topics.
Address: Järvenpään taidemuseo / Järvenpää Art Museum,
Kirjastokatu 8,
FIN-04400 Järvenpää,
Finland
E-mail: taidemuseo@jarvenpaa.fi
Tel.: 00358-40 315 3881
Opening times: February–April: Weds–Sun 10am–5pm
May–September: Tues–Sun 11am–6pm
Entrance: €7/6/4 or with Museum Card
Sibelius One’s January 2017 magazine has been sent out to subscribers (despatched on Monday 23 January). Articles in this issue:
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.
Santtu-Matias Rouvali (photo: © Kaapo Kamu)
The Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Santtu-Matias Rouvali will be undertaking a concert tour in Japan in May 2017.
The programmes for the five concerts concentrate almost exclusively on Sibelius’s most popular orchestral works. The soloists will be Japanese: Kyoko Tabe, piano and Yuzuko Horigome, violin.
Founded in 1930, the Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra is one of the foremost symphony orchestras in the Nordic countries, and has previously made international concert tours to Great Britain, the Netherlands, Scandinavia, Estonia, Germany, Spain and the United States. Recent chief conductors include following Hannu Lintu, John Storgårds and Eri Klas, and since August 2013 Santtu-Matias Rouvali has been its artistic director.
As well as being chief conductor of the Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra, Santtu-Matias Rouvali (b. 1985) is principal guest conductor of the Copenhagen Philharmonic Orchestra. He takes up the position of chief conductor of the Gothenburg Symphony from the 2017/18 season. Other orchestars with which he collaborates include the Philharmonia Orchestra, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin and Bamberger Symphoniker.
The planned venues and programmes are as follows:
Friday 19 May at 7 pm: Tokyo Bunka Kaikan
Sibelius: Finlandia
Grieg: Piano Concerto (Kyoko Tabe, piano)
Sibelius: Symphony No 2
Saturday 20 May at 3 pm: Fukuyama Read & Rose Concert Hall
Sibelius: Finlandia
Grieg: Piano Concerto (Kyoko Tabe, piano)
Sibelius: Symphony No. 2
Tuesday 23 May at 7 pm: Tokyo Bunka Kaikan
Sibelius: En saga
Sibelius: Violin Concerto (Yuzuko Horigome, violin)
Sibelius: Symphony No. 5
Wednesday 24 May at 7 pm: Hamamatsu Act City Concert Hall
Sibelius: Finlandia
Grieg: Piano Concerto (Kyoko Tabe, piano)
Sibelius: Symphony No. 5
Thursday 25 May at 7 pm: Osaka Symphony Hall
Sibelius: Finlandia
Sibelius: Violin Concerto
Sibelius: Symphony No. 2
The Barbican Centre, London (Photo: © Romazur / Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported)
Sakari Oramo will conduct a complete cycle of Sibelius Symphonies and an assoertment of orchestral works with the BBC Symphony Orchestra at London’s Barbican Centre in the 2017–18 season.
The concert series includes a performance on 6 December to celebrate the centenary of Finland’s independence, featuring the first UK performance of the complete Press Celebrations Music (including Finland Awakes, the original version of Finlandia).
Sakari Oramo has been principal conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra since 2013, and has recorded a complete Sibelius cycle with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (Erato/Warner Classics).
27 September 2017 / 19:30
Richard Strauss Tod und Verklärung
Berg Violin Concerto (Alina Pogotskina violin)
Sibelius Symphony No. 5
Click here for prices & information
27 October 2017 / 19:30
Schmitt Symphony No 2
Franck Symphonic Variations
Ravel Piano Concerto for the Left Hand (Jean-Efflam Bavouzet piano)
Sibelius Symphony No. 3
Click here for prices & information
29 November 2017 / 19:30
Sibelius Symphony No. 6
Anders Hillborg Violin Concerto No. 2 (UK première) (Lisa Batiashvili violin)
Sibelius Symphony No. 4
Click here for prices & information
6 December 2017 / 19:30
Finland Awakes! – Celebrating Finnish Independence Day
Sibelius Press Celebrations Music (UK première)
Sibelius Cantique and Devotion (Guy Johnston cello)
Sibelius Symphony No. 1
Click here for prices & information
6 January 2018 / 19:30
Sibelius Symphony No. 7
Sibelius Luonnotar (Anu Komsi soprano)
Aarre Merikanto Ekho (UK première)
Sibelius Symphony No. 2
Click here for prices & information
Programmes have now been announced for the 2017 Sibelius Festival in Lahti.
The Lahti Symphony Orchestra’s 18th International Sibelius Festival will take place at the Sibelius Hall from 30 August until 3 September 2017, and its artistic director is Dima Slobodeniouk, principal conductor of the Lahti Symphony Orchestra. There will also be a guest appearance by the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra conducted by Santtu-Matias Rouvali as well as chamber concerts and other events. This year’s theme is the centenary of Finland’s independence. The festival is also part of the national ‘Finland 100’ programme of events.
Lahti Symphony Orchestra: www.sinfonialahti.fi
Click here to read our review of three recent Sibelius publications from Breitkopf & Härtel: the study score of Skogsrået (The Wood-Nymph), a selection of 18 piano pieces and the manuscript facsimiles of Luonnotar.