Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra Sibelius Festival

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

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

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.

New Year Quiz 2018 (with link to solution)

Our New Year Quiz 2018 is a Sibelius-themed word square.
Hidden in the grid are 34 ‘answers’ – names, work titles, places etc.
Words can run in any direction, also backwards and diagonally.
How many can you find?
Click here to download the wordsquare as a pdf file

Solution now published: click here!

New! JSW Music for String Orchestra Review

 

       

Click here to read our review of the Jean Sibelius Complete Works (JSW) edition of works for string orchestra (Opp. 4, 5/5, 5/6, 14, 42, 98a, 98b, 100, JS 34b).

 

January 2018 Magazine in production

Our January 2018 magazine is being printed and will be sent out to subscribers within a few days.

Click here for more information about this and previous issues of our magazine.

Merry Christmas

Best wishes for a very happy Christmas and prosperous new year from Sibelius One!

We hope that you’ll be able to join us for the 2018 Sibelius Festival in Lahti. Dates and programmes have now been announced, and it’ll be an exciting event including a visit from Neeme Järvi and the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra – so if you’re interested, please get in touch and make a provisional reservation. Click here for more information about Lahti 2018.

And why not treat yourself and your friends to an extra Christmas present? We recommend our new CD with Hedvig Paulig (winner of the 2011 International Sibelius Singing Competition) and Folke Gräsbeck – hear this superb singer on top form in an all-Sibelius programme. As a member, you even get a discount! Click here for more information about the CD.

Magazine, January 2018

The January 2018 issue of Sibelius One’s full-colour magazine is currently in preparation, with a selection of articles and contributions from eminent authors and scholars plus a listing of major new CD releases. Subscribers will receive the magazine in January.

To receive your 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 (£5 each plus postage – also available to non-members) please contact info@sibeliusone.com

Highlights of the forthcoming issue:

  • Sibelius’s music for ‘Everyman’  Eija Kurki
  • Sibelius and Busoni  Ernest Pauwels
  • The Spell of Italy  John Grimshaw
  • Jean Sibelius. Un Finlandais en France  Peter Frankland 
  • And the Sounds are Godlike: The Symphonies of Sibelius (Part Two)  Leon Chia

Click here for a listing of articles in previous magazines.

Discography updated 11 December 2017

The ongoing Sibelius discography project has received another update. To download the latest version (free) click here: Sibelius_Discography_2017-12-11. For more information on the discography project and recent releases see our Discography & Recordings page.

Lahti Sibelius Festival 2018

Lahti Symphony Orchestra / Dima Slobodeniouk. Photo: © Lahti SO/Juha Tanhua

Programmes and artists – including a guest orchestra and conductor – have been announced for the 2018 Lahti Sibelius Festival.

For more information about the music and about Sibelius One’s group visit to the festival, click here.