Category Archives: News

New Sibelius novel published

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Sibelius-novel

A new novel about Sibelius, My Music, My Drinking & Me –€“ The Memoirs of Jean Sibelius by
Caroline J Sinclair, has been published as the second title in the ‘Famous Composers
Series’ from MAK Books.

Based on true events and told from Sibelius’€™s own point of view, My Music, My Drinking & Me – The Memoirs of Jean Sibelius depicts a turbulent and violent period in European history, when Finland is struggling to gain and maintain its independence. Sibelius is expected by many to be a spokesman for his country. However, he is uncomfortable with
the position thrust upon him; he has no desire to make political statements through his music, wanting only to depict the elemental forces of Finnish nature. On a more personal level, he is battling with  alcoholism; he believes that he needs alcohol to be able to write music, but does his drinking foster or hinder his creativity? Furthermore, if he does not give up drinking, it will cost him his marriage. Which is the stronger – his need to drink or his desire to save his marriage before it is too late?

My Music, My Drinking & Me is as much about a marriage as about music. In it, Caroline J Sinclair has drawn a vivid picture of Sibelius’s family life, and of the country that inspired him to compose.

Caroline J Sinclair , a graduate in modern languages, is an Oxford-based author who has a keen interest in classical music. She has done extensive research into Sibelius’€™s life and music, including sourcing information from his letters and diaries, enabling her to keep the story historically authentic and factually correct. Furthermore, having once lived in Finland, she is familiar with the Finnish language, culture and customs. Her first novel
was on the life of Ludwig van Beethoven, and she is currently working on the third book in this series of famous composers’€™ memoirs.

Format: printed paperback (ISBN 978-0-9527804-4-1) and ebook (ISBN 978-0-9527804-3-4) (ebook at present Kindle only)
Publisher: MAK Books, Oxford
Publisher contact: Mary Green, enquiries@mak-books.com
Availability: all worldwide Amazon sites, plus independent retailers.
Amazon link: http://www.amazon.co.uk/My-Music-Drinking-MeSibelius/dp/0952780445/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1446829187&sr=1-1&keywords=caroline+j+sinclair

Source: MAK Books press release

Hannu Lintu’s Sibelius cycle on DVD and Blu-ray

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On the occasion of Jean Sibelius’s 150th birthday a new five-disc DVD edition from Arthaus Musik offers live recordings of the composer’s seven symphonies by the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Hannu Lintu. The recordings were made in the Helsinki Music Centre. Each symphony is preceded by a documentary and an introduction, giving a new and modern perspective to the composer and his symphonies.

As a special feature the set includes eight ‘fictional short documentaries’ with both acted drama and animation tricks, giving a different perspective on Jean Sibelius. The focus is not on the music, but on the person. The commentator is the composer Kaija Saariaho. Other interviewees are experts from various fields of life; a doctor, a couples therapist, a wine connoisseur and a wilderness guide to name a few.

There are also introductions to each symphony. These documentary sections, hosted and narrated by Hannu Lintu, can also been seen in an hour-long separate programme. Also included is a detailed book about Sibelius’s life and work.≈

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cHcI8iJhP7g

Catalogue number: Arthaus Musik 101796.
The set is also available on Blu-ray: 101797.
Orders can be placed at Arthaus Musik’s website: click here.

Source: Arthaus Musik

11th International Jean Sibelius Violin Competition

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The International Jean Sibelius Violin Competition is one of the most prestigious music competitions in the world, and will be held for the eleventh time in Helsinki from 22 November to 3 December 2015. The first and second rounds will take place at the Helsinki Conservatory of Music and the final round at the Helsinki Music Centre

The Sibelius Society of Finland launched the competition in 1965 in connection with the 100th anniversary of Sibelius’ birth. The first chair of the committee was Aino Sibelius. Since 1965 the competition has been held every five years, and is open to violinists from all over the world under the age of 30. The finalists play the Sibelius Violin Concerto and one other violin concerto with the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra or the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra.

The members of the Jury have always been internationally well-established violinists and violin teachers, whereas the Chairmen have been Finns – so far Tauno Hannikainen, Joonas Kokkonen, Tuomas Haapanen, Aulis Sallinen, Mikko Heiniö and Jukka-Pekka Saraste. The competition is nowadays organized jointly by the Sibelius Society of Finland and the Sibelius Academy. Since 1969 it has been a member of the World Federation of International Music Competitions.

The jury will consist of:
Veli-Matti Puumala (Chairman)
Pierre Amoyal
Serguei Azizian
Sigrún Edvaldsdóttir
Pekka Kauppinen
Sung-Ju Lee
Cho-Liang Lin
Gerhard Schulz
Krzysztof Wegrzyn

This year there will be 45 competitiors from 13 countries. The list of competitors in alphabetical order:
Naoka Aoki (f), United Kingdom
Wonhee Bae (f), Germany
Hannah Soojin Cho (f), United States of America
Sarah Christian (f), Germany
Sara Etelävuori (f), Finland
Marina Grauman (f), Germany
Anna Göckel (f), France
Yoo Na Ha (f), France
Esther Hwang (f), Canada
Mayumi Kanagawa (f), Germany
Bomsori Kim (f), United States of America
Jeein Kim (f), South Korea
Da Kyung Kwak (f), United States of America
Stepan Lavrov (m), Poland
Christel Lee (f), Germany
Kerson Leong (m), Canada
Zeyu Victor Li (m), United States of America
Richard Lin (m), Taiwan
Tikhon Lukiyanenko (m), Russia
Kyung Ji Min (f), United States of America
Rustem Monasypov (m), Switzerland
Yasuka Morizono (f), Germany
Katerina Nazarova (f), United Kingdom
Seiji Okamoto (m), Japan
Taejun Park (m), Japan
Pekko Pulakka (m), Finland
Fedor Rudin (m), Germany
Anna Savkina (f), Russia
Lev Solodovnikov (m), Russia
Friederike Starkloff (f), Germany
Elly Suh (f), United States of America
Ryosuke Suho (m), Japan
Mai Suzuki (f), Austria
Elena Tarosyan (f), Russia
Stephen Tavani (m), United States of America
Diana Tishchenko (f), Germany
Emmanuel Tjeknavorian (m), Austria
Kasmir Uusitupa (m), Finland
Juho Valtonen (m), Finland
Xiao Wang (m), United States of America
Jungyoon Yang (f), Austria
Minami Yoshida (f), Japan
Laura Zarina (f), Germany
Eva Zavaro (f), France
Nancy Zhou (f), United States of America

For further information, schedules, tickets and much more, visit the competition’s website (click here).

Source: website of the 11th International Jean Sibelius Violin Competition

Say Happy Birthday to Sibelius

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Would you like to join in a birthday greeting video to Sibelius? International Co-ordinator of Sibelius One, Leon Chia, has embarked on a project to create one. The idea is to collect video snippets of Sibelius fans saying ‘Happy Birthday, Sibelius!’, which will then be compiled into a collage.

To take part, send your video clip to happybirthdaysibelius@gmail.com with the subject title: Happy Birthday Sibelius Video Project.

The deadline is 15 November 2015.

For more details, go to Leon’s personal blog on Sibelius at http://dustofhue.com/2015/09/be-part-of-a-sibelius-150th-birthday-greeting-video

happybirthdaysibelius

 

Forthcoming Sibelius One Concerts

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Brighton · 2 November 2015sea2+JS-test-fl-for-web

A special double concert at Brighton Unitarian Church. First comes a lunch­time piano recital by the Finnish pianist Folke Gräsbeck. In the second concert we hear the Sibelius One Chamber Ensemble, and also Folke Gräsbeck both as a solo performer and in duo. This concert will include three UK premières.

Salisbury · 4 November 201520151104_image-www

A second concert by Folke Gräsbeck will take place at the Parish Church of Sarum St Martin, Salisbury, Wiltshire.

Further information: click here.

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One must live every note

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‘One must live every note’, a major Sibelius exhibition at the National Museum of Finland (Mannerheimintie 34, Helsinki) is running from 16th October 2016 until 13th March 2016.

The theme of the exhibition is the life of Jean Sibelius seen through his music and compositions. It features almost 130 artefacts and coincides with the 150th anniversary of Sibelius’s birth. Among the items on display are original music manuscripts, sheet music and concert programmes from the National Library as well as letters and bills of exchange from the National Archives. Also on display are suits and dresses that belonged to Jean and Aino Sibelius from the National Museum and artefacts from Ainola.

The exhibition is a joint effort between the National Museum, National Library, National Archives and Ainola. The Finnish Literature Society has issued a trilingual exhibition publication One must live every note, which is available in the museum shop. Public events are also linked to the exhibition.

The exhibition publication One must live every note is written by Fabian Dahlström, Veijo Murtomäki, Leif Segerstam, Marja Pohjola and Taina Tammenmaa from the National Archives, Jouni Kuurne from the National Museum, Hilkka Helminen from Ainola, and editors of the Jean Sibelius Works critical edition: Kari Kilpeläinen, Anna Pulkkis, Tuija Wicklund, Timo Virtanen and Sakari Ylivuori. The book is published by SKS and is also available direct from the publisher (click here).

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The exhibition is located in rooms 127–132 on the first floor of the National Museum.
Directions, opening hours, admission prices: click here.

Further information:
National Museum of Finland website: click here.
– Curator Aino-Maija Kaila tel. +358 295 33 6362, aino-maija.kaila@kansallismuseo.fi
– Keeper Jouni Kuurne tel. +358 295 33 6381, jouni.kuurne@kansallismuseo.fi
– Curator Outi Flander tel. +358 295 33 6383, outi.flander@kansallismuseo.fi

Source: National Museum of Finland

In My Beloved’s Garden

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In My Beloved’s Garden: Rautavaara and Sibelius in Song is the name of a doctoral concert of songs and piano pieces by the Australian pianist Aura Go at the Helsinki Music Centre on 5th November 2015.

Aura Go completed her early musical training in Melbourne, Australia, where she studied at the Victorian College of the Arts and the Australian National Academy of Music. In 2009 she attained her Master of Music degree from the Yale School of Music, and she is now undertaking doctoral studies at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki.

She performs regularly as a soloist, chamber musician and conductor in her home country, Europe and the USA. She has presented numerous premières, including the first Australian performances of the First and Second Piano Concertos of Einojuhani Rautavaara and solo piano works of Esa-Pekka Salonen, Pehr Henrik Nordgren and Galina Ustvolskaya. She has also given world première performances of works by Gordon Kerry, Garth Neustadter and James Rushford.

Where and when
Helsinki Music Centre, 7 pm, 5th November 2015
Tickets €5–€15

Programme:
Rautavaara: Die Liebenden
Sibelius: Kyllikki, Op. 41; Kyssens hopp, Op. 13 No. 2; Våren flyktar hastigt, Op. 13 No. 4; Under strandens granar, Op. 13 No. 1; Die stille Stadt, Op. 50 No. 3; Näcken, Op. 57 No. 8; Jag är ett träd, Op. 57 No. 5; Sehnsucht, Op. 50 No. 2
Rautavaara: Matka;  I min älsklings trädgård
Sibelius: Nocturne, Op. 24 No. 8; Norden, Op. 90 No. 1; Morgonen, Op. 90 No. 3; Sommarnatten, Op. 90 No. 5; Kaiutar, Op. 72 No. 4
Rautavaara: Arias from Aleksis Kivi: Ikävyys; Sydämeni laulu

Performers:
Jenni Lättilä, soprano / Juha Kotilainen, baritone / Aura Go, piano

Further information and tickets: click here.

sibelius150_cmyk_2015www

Simon Rattle’s Berlin Sibelius on disc

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Rattle-box

To celebrate the 150th anniversary of Sibelius’s birth, Simon Rattle and the Berliner Philharmoniker presented a live cycle of Sibelius symphonies, which was met with unanimous delight by audiences and critics alike. These performances are now released on disc.

Simon Rattle has been familiar with the music of Jean Sibelius from childhood. When, as a ten-year-old, he heard the Fifth Symphony live for the first time, it struck him – to use his own words – ‘like a thunderbolt’. The Berliner Philharmoniker can also look back on a long Sibelius tradition and the orchestra was conducted by the composer himself in 1902. Its first complete performance of the seven symphonies took place 2010 under the direction of Sir Simon Rattle, with the Third Symphony being performed by the Philharmoniker for the first time. It was only natural to repeat the performance of the cycle in Sibelius’s anniversary year. These recordings were made at the Berlin Philharmonie in
December 2014 and February 2015.

This complete recording presents the symphonies not only on 4 CDs, but also on two Blu-ray discs as HD video, in uncompressed audio resolution and DTS surround sound. The extensive product features include a comprehensive booklet and an hour-long video interview in which Sir Simon Rattle talks about his views on Sibelius and introduces the seven symphonies.

Further information and orders: click here

Source: Berliner Philharmoniker Recordings Shop

Sibelius on Sea

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Celebrate the 150th anni­ver­sary of the birth of the Jean Sibelius with a special double concert at Brighton Unitarian Church on Monday 2 November 2015.

First a lunch­time piano recital by the Finnish pianist Folke Gräsbeck, with some of the compos­er’s best-loved works (including Finlandia and Valse triste).

In the second concert we hear the Sibelius One Chamber Ensemble directed by Toby Hawks, and also Folke Gräsbeck both as a solo performer and in duo. This concert will include three UK premières.

Further information: click here.

New Sibelius Monument fabrics from Vallila

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vallila-sibelius-kuosit-credo-passio_1

The long-established Finnish fabrics manufacturer Vallila Interior has released two new designs, Passio and Credo, inspired by the Sibelius Monument in Helsinki.

The designs are already available in the form of ready-made curtains and will shortly be on sale by the metre as well.

Vallila Interior is an industry-leading Finnish family-run home textile company founded by Otto Berner in 1935. Vallila designs its own collections of textiles and interior accessories and is a well-known partner throughout the interior design and contract sectors. The company enthusiastically spreads the Finnish design message across the world.

Vallila’s designs are the first official products ever made featuring the Sibelius Monument. The monument, by the Finnish artist Eila Hiltunen (1922–2003), was unveiled almost 50 years ago, in 1967. The Sibelius Monument is one of the best-loved and most famous works of art in Finland. Every year thousands of tourists visit the sculpture, which is located in the Sibelius Park in Helsinki.

The images are based on drawings owned by the family of Eila Hiltunen, and names of the fabrics derive from the entries that Eila Hiltunen submitted to the competition to design the monument.

Further information and online sales: see the Vallila web shop.