Post by julesd68 on Mar 15, 2016 18:29:04 GMT
Inspired by Martin T’s comments on Sibelius in the Album Choice thread, I’ve decided to do a very modest introduction to Sibelius.
I’m a big Sibelius fan and have pretty much all of his available output on vinyl.
Before listening to Sibelius, the best thing to do is to read a little about him and to understand what inspired him to write his works and the themes therein. In basic terms you can discover three main themes - Finnish patriotism, Nordic nature and mythology. I highly recommend the magical tone poems as a starting point. These are steeped in Norse mythology and much more accessible than some of the symphonies, which on their own could send you in the wrong direction.
A great favourite of mine is the soaring Swan of Tuonela with its famous cor anglais solo. I find it a most powerful, melancholic and moving work; it always gives me goosebumps.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Swan_of_Tuonela
Pohjola’s Daughter is again a highly colourful and vivid work -
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pohjola's_Daughter
If you enjoy the tone poems and would like to try a symphony, I recommend both the 2nd and 5th. These are without doubt his most frequently performed symphonies.
Here is some reading for the 2nd - www.classicalnotes.net/classics2/sibelius.html
And the 5th - one of his most positive feeling works, written in a major key throughout.
www.sibelius.fi/english/musiikki/ork_sinf_05.htm
If you would like to do some further reading on Sibelius this website is a fantastic resource -
www.sibelius.fi/english/index.htm
I’m a big Sibelius fan and have pretty much all of his available output on vinyl.
Before listening to Sibelius, the best thing to do is to read a little about him and to understand what inspired him to write his works and the themes therein. In basic terms you can discover three main themes - Finnish patriotism, Nordic nature and mythology. I highly recommend the magical tone poems as a starting point. These are steeped in Norse mythology and much more accessible than some of the symphonies, which on their own could send you in the wrong direction.
A great favourite of mine is the soaring Swan of Tuonela with its famous cor anglais solo. I find it a most powerful, melancholic and moving work; it always gives me goosebumps.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Swan_of_Tuonela
Pohjola’s Daughter is again a highly colourful and vivid work -
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pohjola's_Daughter
If you enjoy the tone poems and would like to try a symphony, I recommend both the 2nd and 5th. These are without doubt his most frequently performed symphonies.
Here is some reading for the 2nd - www.classicalnotes.net/classics2/sibelius.html
And the 5th - one of his most positive feeling works, written in a major key throughout.
www.sibelius.fi/english/musiikki/ork_sinf_05.htm
If you would like to do some further reading on Sibelius this website is a fantastic resource -
www.sibelius.fi/english/index.htm
