![]() ![]() Finnish composer Sulho Ranta said, "There is something about this music - at least for us - that leads us to ecstasy almost like a shaman with his magic drum." Sibelius's reaction to this has been widely debated some claim that he had not intended any patriotic message and that the symphony was only identified by others as a nationalist composition, while others believe that he wrote the piece with an independent Finland in mind. While critics were divided following the symphony's premiere, the public generally admired the piece as its grandiose finale was connected by some with the struggle for Finland's independence, so that it was even popularly dubbed the "Symphony of Independence", as it was written at a time of Russian sanctions on Finnish language and culture. Oskar Merikanto exclaimed that the premiere "exceeded even the highest expectations". After three sold-out performances, Sibelius made some revisions the revised version was given its first performance by Armas Järnefelt on 10 November 1903 in Stockholm. More than a year after the first motifs were penned, the second symphony was premiered by the Helsinki Orchestral Society on 8 March 1902, with the composer conducting. Here, Sibelius jotted down the first notes to his second symphony. ![]() ![]() You remember what Italy meant for Tchaikovsky’s development and for Richard Strauss." Although Baron Carpelan was penniless, he raised sufficient funds for Sibelius to stay in a mountain villa near Rapallo, Italy. You will spend the late autumn and the winter in Italy, a country where one learns cantabile, balance and harmony, plasticity and symmetry of lines, a country where everything is beautiful – even the ugly. Sibelius, it is high time for you to travel. Baron Axel Carpelan, who gave Sibelius' well-known tone poem Finlandia its name, wrote to the composer shortly after its successful premiere: "You have been sitting at home for quite a while, Mr. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |