Fourth Sibelius Festival – Golfo del Tigullio e Riviera

14/04/2018NewsFederico Ermirio, Folke Gräsbeck, Golfo del Tigullio e Riviera, Sibelius Festivalsibelius

The fourth Sibelius Festival – Golfo del Tigullio e Riviera in Italy will run from 22 September until 14 October 2018. The programme of lectures and concerts is organized under the artistic direction of composer Federico Ermirio. Below is a list of dates and times for the events at the festival.

22 September, 5pm, Spazio Aperto, Santa Margherita
Speaker: Federico Ermirio

28 September, 9pm, Villa Durazzo, Santa Margherita
Opening concert – Myrsky Ensemble / Folke Gräsbeck, piano
Grieg / Sibelius / Mattson / Elgar

29 September, 9pm, Auditorium San Francesco, Chiavari
Folke Gräsbeck, piano
Sibelius / Merikanto / Nielsen / Alfvén / Leifs / Nystedt

30 September, 11.30am matinée, Grand Hotel Miramare, Santa Margherita
Folke Gräsbeck, piano
Sibelius / Busoni / Sinding

30 September, 9pm, San Martino Church, Zoagli
Myrsky Ensemble
Ravel / Milhaud / Sibelius / von Dohnányi

5 October, 5pm, Spazio Aperto, Santa Margherita
Speaker: Paola De Ferrari
‘I Molfino: collezioni e dispersioni fra Settecento e Ottocento’

5 October, 9pm, Villa Durazzo, Santa Margherita
E. Lasorla, tenor; M. Cesarale, piano
Sibelius / Merikanto / Kuula / Gothoni / Alfvén / Rangström

6 October, 9pm, San Siro Church, Santa Margherita
Jugend-Sinfonieorchester Aargau; Hugo Bollschweiler, conductor
Mendelssohn / Szpilman / Sibelius

7 October, 11.30am matinée, Grand Hotel Miramare, Santa Margherita
S. Braun, soprano; A. Hinrichsen, piano
Sibelius / Grieg

7 October, 9pm, San Siro Church, Santa Margherita
Genova Vocal Ensemble; R. Paraninfo, conductor
Sibelius / Grieg / Rautavaara / Nystedt / Pärt / Sisask / Tormis

12 October, 9pm, Villa Durazzo, Santa Margherita
P. Fisher, violin; M. Fingerhut, piano
Sibelius / Delius / Jenkins / Arnold / Elgar

13 October, 6pm, Teatrino Comunale, Portofino
G. Giovannoni & R. Pellegrino, accordions
Sibelius /Kolz / Solotariov / Olkzak / Piazzolla

14 October, 6pm, Auditorium San Francesco, Chiavari
P. Fisher, violin; M. Fingerhut, piano
Sibelius / Delius / Jenkins / Arnold / Elgar

E. & O.E.

Further information: www.sibeliusfestival.com

Sibeliusaurus – correction

02/04/2018NewsSibeliusaurussibelius

It has come to our attention that some of the information published on 1 April 2018 concerning Sibeliusaurus may not have been wholly accurate. In view of ~~this fake news~~ these alternative facts, readers are advised to treat the information contained therein with caution.

Dinosaur named after Sibelius

01/04/2018Newssibelius

Dinosaur fossils discovered near Jyväskylä in Finland have been identified as previously unknown species and have been named Sibeliusaurus.

Remains of a number of the creatures – an adult male, an adult female and five female offspring – were found near the small village of Hoho, in boggy ground that has permitted an unprecedented amount of information to be gathered about their appearance, diet and living habits.

It is believed that Sibeliusaurus lived primarily in what is now Finland, but roamed regularly to neighbouring countries and maybe even as far afield as what is now the east coast of North America.

The creature was an omnivore and the remains found at Hoho clearly show traces of a rich and varied diet – plainly it was an Epicurean among dinosaurs, consuming large quantities of Petersonbergeres (a prehistoric mollusc, distant ancestor of the modern oyster, evidently somewhat indigestible).

Comparable species include the Carolusnielsenisaur, mostly found in Denmark, and the mountain-dwelling Griegoraptor from Norway.

Evidence suggests that Sibeliusaurus preferred to live either in solitude or in large herds, and often remained in close proximity to a number of large migratory bird-like creatures.

The creature’s ultimate extinction was not linked to the infamous meteor strike that wiped out many dinosaur species but seems to have been cause by a genetic mutation. Analysis of the fossilized eggs and young of the species suggests that the creature could produce only female offspring.

Emulating recent research into Tyrannosaurus Rex that has revealed the sound it made (as featured on a recent BBC documentary), palaeontologist Dr Aprilli Pila of the Luonnontieteellinen Museo (Natural History Museum) in Helsinki has released a reconstruction of what Sibeliusaurus sounded like. The audio can be heard here:

Six Humoresques: new edition

23/03/2018NewsFennica Gehrman, Humoresques, Jani Kyllönensibelius

A new edition of the Six Humoresques, Opp. 87 & 89, has been released by Fennica Gehrman. The new edition is for violin and piano, and is based on the Urtext of the orchestral version. The solo part is corrected and amended according to the composer’s manuscripts. Misprints and misinterpretations found in earlier editions have been corrected.

Sibelius composed the Humoresques in 1917–18 and, as his biographer Erik Tawaststjerna observed, they capture ‘the lyrical, dancing soul of the violin’. Sibelius himself remarked that they show ‘the anguish of existence… fitfully lit up by the sun’. They were originally for violin and orchestra but have also been performed in an earlier piano reduction by Karl Ekman – about which, however, Sibelius wrote: ‘The piano arrangemenrs by Karl Ekman are not good. They give a wholly false impression of the Humoresques.’

Rather than using the Ekman version, Jani Kyllönen has made a completely new piano reduction for this edition, following the orchestral texture closely.

ISBN-13: 9790550112742
Price: €38.50

Publisher: Fennica Gehrman

Print year: 2018

Length: 53 pages

More information and orders: click here

Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra Sibelius Festival

20/03/2018Newsde Doelen, Eveliina Kytömäki, Heini Kärkkäinen, Helena Juntunen, Ilona Korhonen, Jukka-Pekka Saraste, Pauliina Syrjälä, Pekka Kuusisto, Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestrasibelius

Jukka-Pekka Saraste (photo: © Felix Broede)

A Sibelius Festival is being organized by the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra in May 2019, at de Doelen concert hall in Rotterdam.

The event comprises two symphony concerts, a chamber performance and a song recital, and will feature a number of top-rank Finnish musicians.

Jukka-Pekka Saraste will conduct the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra in the two orchestral concerts, with soloists Helena Juntunen (soprano) and Pekka Kuusisto (violin). Jukka-Pekka Saraste will also appear as a guest speaker.

Works performed at the orchestral concerts are Symphonies Nos 1, 3 and 4, Finlandia, the Humoresques for violin and orchestra, Luonnotar and Höstkväll.

The song recital is by Helena Juntunen with pianist Eveliina Kytömäki. The chamber performance features Pekka Kuusisto (violin), Heini Kärkkäinen (piano), Ilona Korhonen (vocals) and Pauliina Syrjälä (kantele), and combines music for violin and piano by Sibelius with Finnish folk music.

The chamber performance and first orchestral concert take place on Friday 17 May, at 17.00 and 20.15 respectively.

The song recital and second orchestral concert are on Sunday 19 May, at 13.00 and 14.15 respectively.

Ticket sales commence on 15 May 2018.

For more information click here.

Composer of the Week

08/02/2018NewsBBC, Composer of the Weeksibelius

Jean Sibelius, 1913 (Photo: Daniel Nyblin / Public Domain)

Sibelius is Composer of the Week on BBC Radio 3 in the week beginning Monday 12 February 2018. Donald Macleod will present a series of hour-long programmes exploring Sibelius’s life and work each weekday at 12.00.

Monday: ‘Janne’
Vattendroppar · Violin Concerto · Serenad · Piano Quintet (1st mov.)

Tuesday: ‘From Happiness to Despair’
Kullervo’s Death · Impromptu in B minor · The Swan of Tuonela · Symphony No. 1 (finale) · Malinconia

Wednesday: ‘Drowning Sorrows’
Finlandia Hymn · Symphony No. 2 (finale) · In memoriam · Pohjola’s Daughter · The Maiden with the Roses (Swanwhite)

Thursday: ‘A Mountain to be Climbed’
Valse triste · Symphony No. 4 · The Bells of Kallio Church · Symphony No. 5 (finale)

Friday: ‘A Mystery at the End’
Two Schybergson songs · Symphony No. 6 · Chorus of the Winds; Prospero; Dance Episode (The Tempest) · Andante festivo · Sydämeni laulu

Presenter Donald Macleod was educated in Glasgow and at St Andrew’s University where he studied psychology. He began his career as a presenter in 1982 on BBC Radio 3 and for BBC1’s 60 minutes as a TV reporter and newsreader.

The programmes will be available on BBC iPlayer shortly after broadcast.

Further information: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b09r40xp

Discography updated 8 February 2018

08/02/2018Newsdiscographysibelius

The ongoing Sibelius discography project has received another update. To download the latest version (free) click here: Sibelius_Discography_20180208 . For more information on the discography project and recent releases click here to visit our Discography & Recordings page.