Sibelius’s famous piece. Popular classical music.

Symphony No. 2, First MovementSibelius

Sibelius Symphony No. 2, 1st movement

After taking an extended several-month trip to Italy with his family, Sibelius began composing his Symphony No.

2 in the summer of 1901.

The brilliant sonorities found throughout the symphony are thought to reflect sketches he made during that journey, capturing the atmosphere of Italy and the Mediterranean and incorporating it into the work.

Symphony No. 5Sibelius

Sibelius: 5. Sinfonie ∙ hr-Sinfonieorchester ∙ Hugh Wolff

It is a commemorative symphony that Sibelius composed for himself for the celebratory concert in the year he turned fifty.

When composing this work, Sibelius left the following words: “The day is dim and cold.

But spring is gradually approaching.

Today I saw sixteen swans.

God, what beauty! The swans circled above me for a long time and disappeared into the dull sunlight.

The mystery of nature and the melancholy of life—these are the themes of the Fifth Symphony.” These words encapsulate the entire essence of the piece.

Violin Concerto in D minor, Op. 47Esa-Pekka Saronen/Suuwēden Hōsō Kōkyō Gakudan

Valerio Ferron 2018 “Ysaye” Valerio Ferron violin performance video / Sibelius: Violin Concerto in D minor, Op. 47

The Violin Concerto in D minor, Op.

47, was composed in 1903 and revised two years later in 1905.

Sibelius originally aspired to be a violinist but gave up due to stage fright.

This is the only violin concerto he left behind.

Symphony No. 3Esa Pekka/Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra

Sibelius – Symphony No 3 in C major, Op 52 – Salonen

Symphony No.

3 in C major, Op.

52 was composed in 1907.

Although Sibelius had already achieved international success and fame by then, he is said to have been struggling with health and financial issues in his personal life.

In the midst of this, he moved to a nature-rich area in the northeastern suburbs of Helsinki, and it was there that he composed his Symphony No.

3.

Symphony No. 4Herbert Blomstedt/Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra

Sibelius 4 Symphony Herbert Blomstedt Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra

Symphony No.

4 in A minor, Op.

63 was composed in 1911.

Although Sibelius was in poor health, during this period he also underwent surgery to remove a tumor in his throat.

It feels as though the emotions born from that battle with illness—anxieties as well as hopes—are embedded in this symphony.

Suite ‘Princess Swan’Yondāni Batto/Roiyaru Firuhāmonī Kangen Gakudan

Sibelius “The Swanwhite,” Op. 54 – No. 7 “Song of Praise” (software synth version)

The suite The Swanwhite, Op.

54, was composed in 1908 as incidental music and as an orchestral suite.

It is incidental music for a play by Strindberg.

After the play’s performance, Sibelius arranged the incidental music into a suite of seven movements.

Today, the suite is the version most frequently performed.

Sorrowful WaltzSibelius

Jean Sibelius, Valse Triste (orch.Herbert von Karajan)

Sibelius composed incidental music called Valse Triste for the play Kuolema (Death), written by his brother-in-law, the playwright Arvid Järnefelt.

He revised one of the numbers and published it as an independent piece—this very work.

The waltz depicts a scene in the play in which a mother, lured by a vision of Death, rises from her sickbed and dances.

The sorrow and dreamlike quality of one facing death, along with a touch of madness, are portrayed through Sibelius’s distinctive techniques.

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