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Notes on the program Finlandia, Op. 26 JEAN SIBELIUS Born December 8,1865, in Hämeenlinna (Tavastehus) Died September 20,1957, in Järvenpää Early in his life Sibelius manifested an interest in music; he actually began composing before having received any instruction in music theory. After studying piano and violin, he made a definite decision in his twentieth year to become a composer. He studied in Helsinki and later in Berlin, returning to Finland in 1899. It was at this time that he received a monetary grant from the Finnish state that enabled him to devote his entire Creative endeavors to composition. Having styled himself “a dreamer and poet of nature,” Sibelius came to carve for himself a special place in the development of Scandinavian music, with his native Finland dominating the genre. His works reveal a close identity with Finnish nationalism and his Inspiration often came from Norse mythology and the Scandinavian naturalist poets. Indeed, one would be hard pressed to find one of his works that is not characterized by the typical “Sibelius sound,” where scenery and deed altemate in shifting blends of tone, often combining the qualities of picture and story. Shortly after his return to Finland in 1899, Sibelius began work on composing music for a series of tableaux that illustrated great episodes of Finland’s past. The series was presented as part of the Press Celebrations in November of that year in an effort to Support the resistance of Russian efforts to subjugate the country. The final movement, Finland awak.es proved to be a stirring patriotic finale. Thus inspired, Sibelius expanded on the movement and worked it into a tone poem originally titled Impromptu, but eventually called Finlandia. It was premiered by the Helsinki Philharmonie on July 2, 1900. The work became such a rallying cry to Finnish nationalists that it was banned by the Czarist govemment in 1917. The works opens with angry, growling chords in the brass, followed by a hymn- like section for the woodwinds. As the work progresses, it builds feelings of hope and jubilation culminating in a fiercely nationalistic hymn the brings tears to the eyes of the people of Finland. This final melody has often been compared to the rousing melody of Holst’s Jupiter from The Planets. © 2004 Columbia Artists Management LLC - Elizabeth Ely Torres
