A very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all members and friends of Sibelius One!
Here is a selection of memories from the Sibelius 150th anniversary year.
(Click to enlarge photos)
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
‘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).
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
On 11th September 2015 Posti released a new set of stamps featuring Jean Sibelius.
A miniature sheet of three stamps commemorates Finland’s best-known composer. The Jean Sibelius 150 years sheet is designed by graphic artist Pekka Loiri, a classical music lover and Sibelius enthusiast.
Loiri’s stamp designs are inspired by three different stages in Jean Sibelius’s life, each created using different artistic techniques. Loiri has created a black-and-white inked-in drawing depicting Sibelius in the late 1800s as a passionate young artist living the Bohemian life. A richly coloured watercolor profile shows Sibelius as a symphonist in the early 1900s during the most prolific period of his career. A lithographic chalk drawing depicts Sibelius in the 1930s as an aging composer, matching the mental image that most Finns have of Sibelius.
Posti started out as a national postal company in Finland. Through continued investments and systematic R&D, Posti advanced into new growth areas such as communications, logistics and e-invoicing. In the 2000s, Posti has joined forces with leading growth companies in Europe and Russia.
The stamps form part of a series of music-themed stamp releases, with others in the autumn of 2015 portaying hard rock themes.
The closest railway station to Jean Sibelius’s home, Ainola, has been renamed Ainola to mark the 150th anniversary of the composer’s birth.
The station was named Kyröla until 30th June 2015, and is situated between Kerava and Järvenpää on the line from Helsinki to Riihimäki. It takes approx. 20 minutes to walk from the station to Ainola.
This is not the first time that Sibelius and his world have featured on Finnish railways. From 1992 until 2010 a daily train from Helsinki to St Petersburg bore the name ‘Sibelius’.
The first concert organized by Sibelius One featured Fenella Humphreys (violin), Anton Kukkonen (cello) and Sam Armstrong (piano) in a selection of Sibelius’s chamber music for solo instrument, duo and trio. The event, eagerly anticipated, was enthusiastically received by a capacity audience. The programme focused on works with special personal significance for Sibelius and on music written for or inspired by members of his family: his wife Aino, his brother Christian and his daughter Kirsti. Three of the pieces were UK premières (Andante molto in B minor for cello and piano, Polka ‘Aino’ for piano and En glad musikant for solo violin).
The concert took place at the Finnish Ambassador’s Residence in London on 10th June 2015 (Sibelius’s 123rd wedding anniversary), in the presence of Ambassador and Mrs Pekka Huhtaniemi. Also present was Erkki Korhonen, director of the international ‘Sibelius 150’ project.
The Finnish Ambassador’s Residence in London, on one of the most prestigious residential streets in the world, was built in 1850–51, and has been home to the Finnish Ambassador since 1955.
Sibelius One is grateful to Ambassador and Mrs Huhtaniemi, the Finnish Embassy in London and the Sibelius Society of Finland for their generous practical and financial assistance.
——————— Programme ———————
Vattendroppar [Water Drops], JS 216, for violin & cello
Four Pieces, Op. 78, for violin & piano
Andante molto in B minor (1888–89) for cello & piano First UK performance
Sonatina in E major, Op. 80, for violin & piano
Malinconia, Op. 20, for cello & piano
[Polka] ‘Aino’ in C minor (1902–05) for piano First UK performance
Souvenir, Op. 99 No. 3) for piano
Four Pieces, Op. 115 (1929) for violin & piano
En glad musikant [A Happy Musician], JS 70, for violin solo First UK performance
La pompeuse marche d’Asis, JS 116, for piano trio
The all-Sibelius concert at the Finnish Ambassador’s Residence in London on Wednesday 10th June 2015 at 6.30 pm, given by Fenella Humphreys, violin, Anton Kukkonen, cello, and Sam Armstrong, piano, is now sold out. (In fact, there is a waiting list for tickets!)
The concert is arranged by Sibelius One with the generous support and assistance of the Finnish Embassy in London.
Drinks and canapés will be served.
Tickets cost £12 (concessions and Sibelius One members: £8). If you have ordered tickets but not yet sent payment, please note that payment can be made to Sibelius One either
– by internet banking (sort code 54-10-27, account number 13655558) or
– by cheque payable to Sibelius One (send to: 6 Chichester Drive West, Saltdean, Brighton BN2 8SH)
As payment reference please use your name and the word ‘tickets’.
Tickets cannot be issued until payment is received. Tickets will be personalized so please make sure to provide the names and postal address of all those who will attend.
The address of the Finnish Ambassador’s Residence is 14 Kensington Palace Gardens,
London W8 4QP
Don’t miss the concert by the Aeon Duo (Essi Kiiski, violin and Eduardo Andrade) at the Finnish Church in London on Thursday 26th March 2015 at 7 pm. The concert focuses on Sibelius’s music for violin for piano, plus the world première of a work inspired by Sibelius composed by Eduardo Andrade. It is part of the official Sibelius 150 schedule of events and will be an exciting and innovative combination of music, photography and taste sensations.
Sibelius One members receive concessionary prices for tickets to this concert. To obtain the promotional code, click here.
The pieces in the concert are going to be performed alongside the seven winning pictures in the Photography Competition ‘The Essence of Finland’. The winners of the competition, whose photographs will be projected during the concert, are:
Janica Candolin – UK (217 votes)
Jenna Mäkinen – UK (154 votes)
Heidi Jakkula – Finland (91 votes)
Leon Chia
Henna Kylmälä
Eeva Williamson
Terhi Manuel-Garner