4 thoughts on “Jean Sibelius

  1. This season at the Promenade Concerts from London’s Royal Albert Hall I note that the music of Jean Sibelius has been allotted just eight minutes with a performance of the Tempest Prelude. Ok so last year we had a complete cycle of the symphonies and other pieces. It was after all the Sibelius 150 celebrations. But compare this with Sibelius’s symphonic antipode Gustav Mahler. Last year GM had four mammoth symphonies performed with no special cause. But this season Mahler gets four symphonies, a song cycle and Das Lied von Erde programmed. So eight minutes of Sibelius but time found for David Bowie, CBEEBIES and a Strictly Come Dancing extravaganza. I understand that a new Director is in place this year, one David Pickard. I for one will be taking a keen interest in the Proms programmes next year. Undoubtedly Mahler and Sibelius are the leading symphonists into the 20th Century and both Masters should be given a fair share in this festival.

    1. I’ve been taking a look at the proms programmes for 2021. It appears that not one Sibelius symphony is being performed–almost back to the bad old days! On a positive note we have Malcolm Arnolds fifth symphony [27th august] and curiously no Mahler! A few concerts have still not released their programmes.

  2. I omitted to highlight the one great Sibelius work at this seasons proms. On 10th August Jennifer Pike will perform the violin concerto with the BBC PO under John Storgards. A concert to look forward to.

  3. Only just found out that Sibelius’s Second Symphony is being performed in the second half of the first night of the proms with BBC Symphony Orchestra under Dalia Stasevska. Will be broadcast on BBC 4 at 9.05pm. This is one to watch!

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