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Jean Sibelius (1865 - 1957) was a Finnish composer of the late Romantic and early-modern periods, and is widely regarded as Finland's best and one of the greatest composers all time. Although he composed in many different genres, he is mainly admired for his orchestral work - something he agreed with himself. Although he lived to a respectable age of 91, he did not compose anything that survived after 1929.
As with all posts dedicated to one composer, I will select my 12 favourite works, listed in chronological order. All depicted CD's are from my own collection. Text is sometimes copied from the Wikipedia entries.
The Swan of Tuonela (1900)
The Swan of Tuonela (Tuonelan joutsen) is an tone poem by the Finnish composer Jean Sibelius. It is part of the Lemminkäinen Suite (Four Legends from the Kalevala), Op. 22, but is often performed on its own - and indeed the quality of the work clearly exceeds the rest of the suite. The version shown above is by the Berliner Philharmoniker under Herbert von Karajan on a Deutsche Grammophon CD.
Symphony No. 1 (1900)
Symphony No. 1 in E minor, Op. 39, was started in 1898, and finished in early 1899, when Sibelius was 33. It is a confident work to start his symphonies cycle - one of the better first symphonies ever composed. The version shown above is by the Philharmonia Orchestra under Vladimir Ashkenazy on a London CD.
Symphony No. 2 (1902)
Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op. 43, was started in the winter of 1901 in Rapallo, Italy, shortly after the successful premiere of the popular Finlandia, and finished in 1902 in Finland. Sibelius said, "My second symphony is a confession of the soul." It is one of the last great romantic symphonies, with Sibelius destined to become one of the composers to start modernism. The version shown above is by the Berliner Philharmoniker under Herbert von Karajan on an EMI CD.
Valse Triste (1904)
Valse triste (Sad Waltz), Op. 44, No. 1, is a short orchestral work that was originally part of the incidental music he composed for his brother-in-law Arvid Järnefelt's 1903 play Kuolema (Death). It has become far better known as a separate concert piece. The version shown above is by the Berliner Philharmoniker under Herbert von Karajan on a Deutsche Grammophon CD.
Pelléas et Mélisande Suite (1905)
Pelléas et Mélisande was composed as incidental music Maurice Maeterlinck's 1892 play. Sibelius composed in 1905 ten parts, overtures to the five acts and five other movements. He later slightly rearranged the music into a nine movement suite, published as Op. 46, which became one of his most popular concert works, and one of my favourites in his work. The version shown above is by the Berliner Philharmoniker under Herbert von Karajan on a Deutsche Grammophon CD.
Violin Concerto (1905)
The Violin Concerto in D minor, Op. 47 was originally composed in 1904 and revised in 1905. It is the only concerto by Sibelius, and one of the best violin concertos of the twentieth century. The version shown above is by Shlomo Mintz and the Berliner Philharmoniker under James Levine on a Deutsche Grammophon CD.
Symphony No. 3 (1907)
Symphony No. 3 in C major, Op. 52, is a symphony in three movements. Coming between the romantic intensity of Sibelius's first two symphonies and the more austere complexity of his later symphonies, it is a good-natured, triumphal, and deceptively simple-sounding piece. Perhaps the first in which his individual voice starts to show. The version shown above is by the Philharmonia Orchestra under Vladimir Ashkenazy on a London CD.
Symphony No. 4 (1911)
Symphony No. 4 in A minor, Op. 63, is in four movements. It is the symphony where one heard Mahler influences more than in any other of the cycle. The symphony briefly had a nickname, Lucus a non lucendo, an expression that literally means "a grove from not shining", suggesting, in this case, a place where light does not penetrate.Very fitting for this masterpiece of bleakness. My favourite of the seven symphonies. The version shown above is by the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra under Neeme Järvi on a BIS CD.
Symphony No. 5 (1919)
Symphony No. 5 in E-flat major, Op. 82, is in three movements. Sibelius was commissioned to write the symphony by the Finnish government in honour of his 50th birthday, 8 December 1915, which had been declared a national holiday. The symphony was originally composed in 1915; it was revised in 1916 and 1919. It is widely seen as one of his best works. The version shown above is by the Philharmonia Orchestra under Vladimir Ashkenazy on a Decca CD.
Symphony No. 6 (1923)
Symphony No. 6 in D minor, Op. 104, was a work of long gestation, and finally completed in 1923. Although the score does not contain a key attribution, the symphony is usually described as being in D minor; much of it is in fact in the (modern) Dorian mode. Although many music lovers consider it one of the weakest of the cycle, I think it is one of the best. The version shown above is by the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra under Paavo Berglund on an EMI CD.
Symphony No. 7 (1924)
Symphony No. 7 in C major, Op. 105, is notable for being one of the first one-movement symphonies. It has been described as "completely original in form, subtle in its handling of tempi, individual in its treatment of key and wholly organic in growth" and "Sibelius's most remarkable compositional achievement". Although many consider it his best symphony, I prefer many of the others - it is still excellent though. The version shown above is by the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra under Neeme Järvi on a BIS CD.
Tapiola (1926)
Tapiola (literal English translation: "The Realm of Tapio"), Op. 112, is a tone poem written on a commission for the New York Philharmonic Society. Tapiola portrays Tapio, the animating forest spirit mentioned throughout the Kalevala. It is the last major composition by Sibelius, and in my opinion his very best. The version shown above is by the Berliner Philharmoniker under Herbert von Karajan on a Deutsche Grammophon CD.
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