1865-1957
Jean Sibelius was a composer from Finland who most notably brought that country's standing in music to light.
Like many, I first came into contact with Sibelius' music through his orchestral tone poems, and later on, the symphonies. Little did I know there was an astounding number of solo vocal and instrumental pieces to his name as well. This still remains an area from the composer I haven't truly plumbed.
Often when reading about Sibelius' music, or their performances, descriptors of icy, cold, frozen, snowy, or some such nonsense is used to equate the composer's homeland with his musical sound. I find such attributions all a bunch of hooey, although Sibelius wasn't one to shy away from Nationalistic musical elements.
As far as his orchestral music is concerned, there are a few conductors I associate with Sibelius specifically. Paavo Berglund, Leif Segerstam, Osmo Vänskä, Esa-Pekka Salonen, and Okko Kamu come immediately to mind. Yet, Sibelius's music comes with an international reputation as well, with the likes of Leonard Bernstein, Herbert von Karajan, and Sir John Barbirolli at his back.
Recordings and reviews currently on hand
(Click orange links to visit a musing):
Recordings
1985: Lemminkäinen Suite
1985: Scenes Historiques
1987: Choral Music
1995: Symphony 2 & 6
1999: Cantatas (Segerstam)
1999: Tone Poems (Davis)
2000: Patriotic Music
2003: Cantatas (Jarvi)
2004: Piano Quartets
2004: Tone Poems (Gibson)
2005: String Quartet in E-flat
2005: Violin Concerto
2006: Kullervo
2007: Origin of Fire
2007: Piano Quintet
2007: String Quartet in B-flat
2008: Choral Music
2015: Symphonies (Bernstein Set)
• Symphony 1
• Symphony 2
• Symphony 3 & 4
• Symphony 5
• Symphony 6 & 7
• Violin Concerto
• Tone Poems
2015: Incidental Music (Naxos Set)
• Kuolema & King Christian
• Belshazzar's Feast
• Pelléas and Mélisande
• Jedermann
• Swanwhite & The Lizard
• Scaramouche
2015: Choral Music
2016: String Quartets
2024: Violin Concerto
1985: Lemminkäinen Suite
1985: Scenes Historiques
1987: Choral Music
1995: Symphony 2 & 6
1999: Cantatas (Segerstam)
1999: Tone Poems (Davis)
2000: Patriotic Music
2003: Cantatas (Jarvi)
2004: Piano Quartets
2004: Tone Poems (Gibson)
2005: String Quartet in E-flat
2005: Violin Concerto
2006: Kullervo
2007: Origin of Fire
2007: Piano Quintet
2007: String Quartet in B-flat
2008: Choral Music
2015: Symphonies (Bernstein Set)
• Symphony 1
• Symphony 2
• Symphony 3 & 4
• Symphony 5
• Symphony 6 & 7
• Violin Concerto
• Tone Poems
2015: Incidental Music (Naxos Set)
• Kuolema & King Christian
• Belshazzar's Feast
• Pelléas and Mélisande
• Jedermann
• Swanwhite & The Lizard
• Scaramouche
2015: Choral Music
2016: String Quartets
2024: Violin Concerto