Great Composers: Jean Sibelius

[@appleciderhorror12]

"I'm so good of a composer I've to get drunk just so the orchestra can keep up with me"

[@ClassicalNerd]

"Yeah this is big brain time" - Sibelius, probably

[@lcronovt]

Man, you are my History Music Teacher. Thank you for this videos.

[@nuppup]

Yeahh!! I hate history. But I love history from composers perspective🤷🏻‍♀️😄

[@annakimborahpa]

17:55 - 18:03: "Many enterprising composers sought to emulate Sibelius in their own works, specifically British composers for reasons I am not entirely sure of." Response: The 20th century British composers emulated Sibelius because he offered a way out of the Germanic impasse that had fixated their musical life up to Elgar: 1) His unique musical vocabulary reflected his Finnish tongue which was distinctly different from the Indo-European pool of languages, particularly by his employing native folk song as source material; 2) His firm commitment to tonality after the extremely dissonant and perplexing 4th Symphony reassured the Brits that they did not have to follow Teutonic atonality into the abyss; 3) Likewise his innovative use of elongated pedal points as a way of steering harmony and his immediate motive development of thematic material pointed out a different way to organize symphonic form that appealed to the British sense of slow harmonic rhythm combined with their 'get to the point' temperament. Two of the most notable examples of his influence on the British are William Walton's Symphony No. 1 in Bb Minor and Ralph Vaughan Williams' Symphony No. 5 in D Major, the latter being dedicated to Sibelius who greatly appreciated the gesture.

[@xapaga1]

@annakimborahpa >1) His unique musical vocabulary reflected his Finnish tongue I highly doubt it. In fact Swedish was his first tongue, and Sibelius somewhat struggled to speak Finnish, his acquired second language. I personally prefer the Swedish-language songs composed by Sibelius to the ones by the same composer sung in Finnish.

[@PaulVinonaama]

@@xapaga1 Sibelius went to a Finnish school and became fluent in Finnish. The Finnish epic Kalevala was an immense influence for him.

[@alexandresobreiramartins9461]

I love an anecdote about Sibelius (not saying it's true, just that I love it): Walking in the streets with his daughter, they hear Shostakovich being played in the radio. Daughter: Dad, do you like this Shostakovich guy? Sibelius: Well, he's very talented, my darling. Daughter: but he sounds like he's copying you... Sibelius: Well, he IS very talented, my darling... :P

[@ClassicalNerd]

That's adorable! I really hope that's true, actually.

[@alexandresobreiramartins9461]

@@ClassicalNerd Yeah, me too, in fact. I very much like both Shostakovich and Sibelius.

[@syourke3]

I like them both, but musically, there’s nothing in common between them.

[@MECowgo]

The content is excellent, the editing is exhausting.

[@djdm2603]

The Dm violin concerto is my favourite piece of the era.

[@mechantl0up]

The violin concerto works for even one who knows not the violin oneself. That is rare for virtuoso pieces.

[@tyranonaut]

His Symphonies just get better and better with each listen. 3-6 I love.

[@ClassicalNerd]

They're all so good. I think 2 _might_ be my favorite, but it's close. I heard 5 live some years ago and it was incredible.

[@fcamiola]

Not 7th? 4 and 7 are my favs

[@joaquinpercusses]

5, 2, 4, 3, 1, 6, 7

[@YMESYDT]

Just found this channel, absolutely love it!

[@silencedogood5766]

Karelia suite is my favorite listen to it often!! thanks for posting I learned a lot here.

[@WILFREDRUSSELL-h8n]

For me, Sibelius is the great god of music. As the piano is my favourite instrument, I was disappointed that there was not one single Sibelius piano concerto. Then one day I discovered that he’d written many piano pieces; small, maybe inconsequential, but so touching, simple and Sibelian that it no longer matters about a concerto. I go back to them over and over again

[@anthonyholroyd5359]

British composers falling in love with Sibelius is interesting. I dont know that I have to answer for you - but as a Scot there is something in his works that I just adore. As a Scot with a certain constitutional view I have a particular soft spot for his more . . . Political . . . Works. The idea of a small, sparsely populated and deeply, naturally beautiful nation throwing off the shackles of its imperial master . . . I find an intense natural beauty and an intense freedom (or longing for it) in his works. You can almost smell the pine trees and hear the raging torrent of a river emptying itself into a lake when you listen to his works. You can breathe the crisp, frozen air and brilliant sunlight and feel the impending storm build across the landscape.

[@audunstolpe7408]

You nailed it. That's just it. I feel it too. Then again, Im Norwegian. Could be a northern thing. The silence and the motion

[@anthonyholroyd5359]

@@audunstolpe7408 I encourage you to visit us in winter. To climb our mountains and journey through our forests in the snow. I encourage you to visit our sea lochs, our fishing villages, castles. I encourage you to try our fish and shellfish. Norway and Scotland can be very similar . . . Thats why we share Shetland ;P

[@Malandirix]

Love your work man

[@SeadogDriftwood]

I'm so happy you included "Kullervo"! Sibelius kind of forbade performances of it after a certain point, which is a pity because while it's clearly not as taut as his symphonies, it's still a bold, memorable, and well-crafted work. One thing, though: it's pronounced "COOL-lehr-vo" /kúllervo/. Finnish words are nearly always accented on the first syllable, and the two "l"s are pronounced like one long "l". Don't worry, I pronounced it almost the same as you did when I first found read the name.

[@appleciderhorror12]

COOL-lehr-vo sounds like Kuulleervo. Try Kul-Ler-Vo or Kuller-vo

[@alexandresobreiramartins9461]

Excellent video! Very informative and interesting, as usual! Thanks!

[@JafuetTheSame]

I don't think he was limiting himself in his piano music, you just hear his glorious cold spring water in its bare watery nakedness.

[@baldrbraa]

«Some form of depression and melancholy». It’s called being Finnish.

[@normanmeharry58]

Kullervo is a symphony. Back in the day, its form was daring and unusual. By today's symphonic structures, it is certainly a symphony. Also. Sib regarded his 4 legends a symphony. Some fans and indeed critics, agree.

[@agamaz5650]

quality videos thanks

[@threeworlds131]

Thanx for the concise candid story of J. Sibelius. I was saddened to hear what a troubled person and hard life he seemingly inflicted on himself. I consider his music to be ‘surrealist classical’ because he often does Not follow rigid rules and patterns of any kind, yet his music compels a majesty of feelings. I think he must have been a spiritual person, though there is No mention of this. Since he rewrote more than once his 7 symphonies, how are we expected to keep track of which he considered the most authentic? Regards.

[@noriemeha]

Not true of all 7. The 5th was the one that was "reissued" twice after the initial issue. What is true is, that he took longer to get himself content with a major work. The 6th & 7th were more or less composed in parallel.

[@ziegunerweiser]

it amazes me how he did not get serious about the violin until age 15 and went on to write a violin concerto like that

[@zoran.rosendahl]

Thank you!

[@gorindio]

Have to say I like your video a lot! I'm about to perform "theme and variations for solo cello " ( estimation of the composition year 1887/there is no much info about this work) and wanted to know more about him! thank you very much!

[@ClassicalNerd]

I do not know much about this work either and the research on it seems to be limited. According to Ha Young Kim [ deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/handle/2027.42/151571/cellokim_1.pdf?sequence=1 ], the Theme and Variations "is the first Finnish work composed for solo cello, as well as Sibelius’ largest work in variation form ... [with] neo-Baroque qualities that can most easily be heard in the first theme and coda. The rest of the piece is extremely virtuosic with extensive demands for fast runs, trills, double stops, and chords that show off the technical capability and range of the cello." William Braun [ digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1089&context=musicstudent ] mentions it in passing by stating that the piece was only premiered in 1995, citing the booklet to cellist Andrew Barnett's CD “The Early Cello Works.” Sorry ... your comment made me want to see if there was anything else I could find. After all, I have to live up to my status as a nerd somehow ...

[@gorindio]

@@ClassicalNerd you are awesome! Is there a mail where I can send you a picture from the edition I have?, think you are going to be interested in a few more details

[@ClassicalNerd]

@@gorindio My e-mail is in the description of every video and my inbox is always open!

[@gorindio]

@@ClassicalNerd sent and subscribed!

[@normanmeharry58]

The largest chunk of the 8th is quite likely Surusoitto, opus 113, a new piece of music he produced almost instantly after he said he couldn’t, for a friend's funeral. It is no lightweight, latent with symphonic possibility and Tapiola like in tone. There is good evidence that the 8th existed, at least 2 movements of it, and typically he rescored it with a choral ending. Anyway, it was consumed in the flames of that big room heater in Ainola and Aino fled the room distraught.

[@Scriabin_fan]

Sibelius’s wife Aino was very beautiful (6:09)

[@Quicksilverfan69]

Love your work. Jean Sibelius is one of my favourite composers (especially his second symphony which you played here). I don't do requests so much but I like to see something on Janáček and Khachaturian. Keep up the good work!

[@ClassicalNerd]

Duly noted at lentovivace.com/requestqueue.html

[@josephgoebbelssmile2700]

Quicksilverfan69 s

[@markwinstonsuits8680]

Being Dec 8 born myself, have always been a fan of J.S. (and the main Door "Jim")... meanwhile, even bigger nut job concerning that other yet larger than life Sagittarius (although in fact he was only about 5'2") am rather intrigued by that green book to our right of your head about his Scull. Cheers !

[@ClassicalNerd]

_Beethoven's Skull_ by Tim Rayborn catalogues a lot of the weird and wacky stories of the classical music world. It's not particularly academic, but that's partially what makes it such a fun and engaging read.

[@luckylicks3497]

13:38 "Other Scandinavian countries".. besides Finland? Finland isn't a Scandinavian country. / 16:07 He was both, speaking both languages.

[@enricocavallo4386]

"In English usage, Scandinavia also sometimes refers more narrowly to the Scandinavian Peninsula, or more broadly so as to include the Åland Islands, the Faroe Islands, *Finland* and Iceland." (Wikipedia, emphasis mine)

[@luckylicks3497]

@@enricocavallo4386 This is actually a pretty incredible piece of information, because I've never heard one Finn ever agreeing to this, yet it's always understood that people don't know and use it incorrectly. The point is, "in English usage" still doesn't make it correct. It proves the majority is often wrong.

[@andreibaradayenka2016]

Finland is a Scandinavian country.

[@luckylicks3497]

@@andreibaradayenka2016 Maybe you'd like to check it out for yourself, but if you're in a hurry, it's Fennoscandian, but not Scandinavian. Our "most trusted" source en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scandinavia - but if you're going to go through, pay attention to this interesting tid bit: "Finland is not Scandinavia, but in common English language usage.." It's probably akin to telling your friend "I'm soon going to visit America", walking off and then buying a plane ticket to Buenos Aires. :)

[@romeo7416]

@@andreibaradayenka2016it's actually not scandinavian. It's fennoscandian

[@mr.milehi9883]

CN, there is one statue to honor a critic. Sorry, I could not find one in music. There is a statue of Rodger Ebert that sits at a bench in Chicago. But, I doubt we will ever see one for any music critics.sal

[@finneganlindsay]

A statue for a critic is a completely absurd idea

[@lukegregg5944]

Did you ever get a request to do Alan Hovhaness?

[@ClassicalNerd]

... now I have! [ lentovivace.com/requestqueue.html ]

[@ClassicalNerd]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/fXy6mqihbM5nhdk

[@ButterflySeraph612]

I always love these videos! Have you gotten reqursts for Gustav Mahler? If not, allow me to be the first!

[@ClassicalNerd]

You're the ninth! www.lentovivace.com/requestqueue.html

[@endimos6603]

do one about hamelin he composed some pieces i think lol

[@ClassicalNerd]

Marc-André Hamelin's career is still ongoing and as such it is impossible to do a proper retrospective. That's why I avoid _Great Composers_ and _Great Performers_ videos on living people.

[@laurelf.1363]

His 1st symphony sounds a lot like Tchaikovsky to me.

[@cellopianopoetryhappinesst4326]

Yes, the lack of knowing the age of the composers as you talk about their lives is very much a negative to your excellent videos. I would love you to begin, every so often, ....at the age of....... for instance when you mentioned the fact that he was depressed, it would have been informative at what age. Yes age matters to me.

[@nuppup]

Yeah you're right!!

[@cellopianopoetryhappinesst4326]

At what age did he contract cancer?

[@gorindio]

that happened in the 20's, so maybe he was in his 50's

[@eiantsou6109]

16:16

[@brockenflabel1802]

Did you cover Richard Wetz yet?

[@ClassicalNerd]

Wetz is now in the request pool.

[@ClassicHolic]

Your videos generally contain some errors in facts and understanding

[@ClassicalNerd]

So do your comments

[@ClassicHolic]

@@ClassicalNerd Prove it then