9/17/2015

JeanSibeliusLongBiographyMusicSalesClassical

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Jean Sibelius
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Jean Sibelius
Born: 1865
Died: 1957
Nationality: Finnish

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JeanSibeliusmusicplaysaveryconsiderableroleintheformulationoftheFinnish
nationalidentity.Eventoday,almost60yearsafterhisdeath,Sibeliusisanational
icon.
Sibeliussevensymphoniesformthebackboneofhisoeuvre.AswithBeethoven,
throughthesymphoniesonecanobserveacontinuousdevelopmentofapersonal
style.
Alongsidethesevensymphonies,theViolinConcertoinDminor,anumberoftone
poemsbasedontheFinnishnationalepictheKalevala,andthetheatremusichave
aquitecentralposition.How
ever,Sibeliuswasextremelyindustriousandinhis
productionwealsofindanopera,chambermusic,pianoworks,occasional
compositions,21choralworksandoverahundredsolosongs.

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Sibeliuswasactiveasacomposeruntilthemiddleofthe1920s.Afterthatthe
intervalsbetweennewworksgreweverlonger.Mostofall,itseemsasifSibelius,
confrontedwiththenewmusicinboththeinterwarandthepostwaryears,lostthe
hearttocompose.After1926thereareonlyafewworksfromSibelius.He
presumablyfinishedaneighthsymphonywhichhehimselfhoweverlaterdestroyed.
TheKalevalaisacollectionofoldsagas,songsandmythsfromFinnishmythology
assembledandretoldbytheFinnishphilologistEliasLnnrot(18021884).Lnnrot
collectedandpublishedthematerialbecausehewasconcernedthattheRussian
supremacyinFinlandwouldstampoutthenativeoralnarrativetradition.SibeliusworksbasedontheKalevalaarean
extensionofLnnrotswork.Inthe1880sFinlandwasinthemiddleofastrugglefornationalindependence.Thecombi
nation
ofmythsandmusic,forexampleintheLemminkinenSuiteorthechoralsymphonyKullervo,wasmeanttobotharticulate
andunitetheFinnishnation.ThemusicalmodelsweretoacertainextentBeethovenandWagner.
SibeliusstudiedinbothViennaandBerlinandtravelledfrequentlyintheScandinaviancountries,England,Germany,France
andtheUSA.After1930Sibeliusdidnottravelabroadagain,butinsteadassumedtheroleastheofficialrepresentativeof
FinnishmusicinFinland.
SibeliusandMahlerstandasthetwomoststrikingandhighlyprofiledsymphonistsatthebeginningofthetwentiethcentury.
WhileMahlertoagreatextentexploitedsuddenideasandcontrastingthematicmaterial,Sibeliuslethisthematicandmotivic
materialchangeslowlyandgradually.AssessmentsofSibeliusmusichavevariedgreatlywithtime.Thepostwaravant
gardelookeddownatSibelius,whileanumberofNordiccomposers,forexampleperhapsmoststrikinglytheDanishPer
Nrgrdwereabletolookbeyondthefashionableaestheticcurrentsoftheday,andacknowledgedSibeliusasthe
profoundlyoriginalsymphonistheis.
HjarneFessel2014

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