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En saga - Wikipedia Jump to content

En saga

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
En saga
Tone poem by Jean Sibelius
The composer (c. 1891)
Opus9
Composed1891 (1891)–1892, rev. 1902
PublisherFazer & Westerlund [fi] (1903)[1][a]
Duration18 mins. (orig. 22 mins.)[3]
Premiere
Date16 February 1893 (1893-02-16)[4]
LocationHelsinki, Grand Duchy of Finland
ConductorJean Sibelius
PerformersHelsinki Orchestral Association

En saga (in Finnish: Satu; occasionally translated to English as, variously, A Fairy Tale, A Saga, or A Legend),[1] Op. 9, is a single-movement tone poem for orchestra written from 1891 to 1892 by the Finnish composer Jean Sibelius. The piece, which likely began as a septet or octet for flute, clarinet, and string ensemble before evolving into an orchestral tone poem, premiered on 16 February 1893 in Helsinki with Sibelius conducting the Helsinki Orchestral Association. A decade later in 1902, Sibelius substantially revised En saga in response to an invitation from Ferruccio Busoni to conduct the piece in Berlin. It thus stands alongside The Lemminkäinen Suite (Op. 22), the Violin Concerto (Op. 47), The Oceanides (Op. 73), and the Fifth Symphony (Op. 82) as one of the most overhauled works in his œuvre. The Berlin concert, which occurred a fortnight after Robert Kajanus had premiered the revised version in Helsinki on 2 November, finally brought Sibelius the German breakthrough he had long desired.

En saga is without program or literary source. Nevertheless, the adventurous, evocative character of the music has encouraged many listeners to offer their own interpretations, among them a fantasy landscape (such as that by the Finnish painter Akseli Gallen-Kallela), a hunting expedition,[5] a bard's storytelling,[citation needed] and the essence of Finnish people.[6] Sibelius routinely declined to state a program, although in the 1930s, he conceded that, if one must find an inspiration, the tone poem owed its nature not to The Kalevala, the national epic of Finland, but rather to Iceland's Eddas. By the 1940s, however, Sibelius had reverted to his previous position, describing the work instead as "the expression of a certain state of mind"—one with an unspecified, "painful" autobiographical component—for which "all literary interpretations [were therefore] totally alien".[7]

Critics have largely praised En saga as a masterpiece of "astonishing power and originality" that, stylistically, exhibits Sibelius's "personal brand of musical primitivism". Moreover, the revised version of the tone poem is often described as being of superior craftsmanship relative to the youthful rawness of its predecessor. The first (and to date only) recording of the original version was made in 1995 by Osmo Vänskä and the Lahti Symphony Orchestra. A typical performance of the final version of the piece lasts about 18 minutes, some 4 minutes fewer than its predecessor.

History

[edit]

Composition

[edit]
A 16 February 1893 ad (in Swedish) from Nya Pressen promoting the premiere of Sibelius's En saga.

Although the creative origins of En saga remain somewhat uncertain, it appears as though the material that would become En saga may have begun as, and thus evolved from, a septet or octet for flute, clarinet, and string ensemble that the composer had begun in 1890–91, during which time he was a student in Vienna under Robert Fuchs and Karl Goldmark. (This chamber piece, however, has never been found.) Following the success of the choral symphony Kullervo in 1891, Robert Kajanus, founder and chief conductor of the Helsinki Orchestral Association, requested from Sibelius a purely orchestral piece, albeit one "in a more popular style" that would not make "too great demands on [the general public's] powers of concentration and comprehension"; in the 1930s, Sibelius told his biographer, Karl Ekman, that the result of this invitation was the orchestral tone poem En saga.[8]

Sibelius composed En saga at Robert Kajanus's request.

Later in life, however, Sibelius dismissed Kajanus's influence, telling a second biographer, Eric Ringbom, in the 1950s that En saga actually had not been the result of Kajanus's offer: "... Nothing came of it. Instead I completed the orchestral work I had already started and to which I gave the name En saga ... I did not comply with his request ... to write 'a short Da capo piece'".[9] That Sibelius's statements to Ekman and to Ringbom are inconsistent is, perhaps, a sign either that Sibelius wished to downplay the influence of his on-again-off-again friend/rival decades after the latter's death (Kajanus had died in 1933) or that he was eager to dispel any notion that En saga was of less seriousness than his other compositions.[10]

The autograph manuscript of the original 1892 version of En saga does not survive, although a manuscript and complete set of orchestral parts are preserved in the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra collection.[citation needed] The copyist for these documents remains unknown; although surviving invoices indicate that two copyists Sibelius typically employed, August Österberg and Ernst Röllig, each copied the score, in July 1895 and December 1898, respectively, neither the surviving manuscript nor the orchestral parts are in the hand of either man. Most likely the documents were produced in 1901 by an unidentified copyist for the conductor Georg Schnéevoigt, who conducted the original version of the tone poem during his concert tour of Riga.[11]

Revision

[edit]

In 1902, the Italian composer, conductor, and pianist, Ferruccio Busoni, began a series of concerts (eventually 12 in all, from 1902 to 1909) with the Berlin Philharmonic at the Philharmonie's Beethovensaal (Beethoven Hall). According to Della Couling, Busoni's biographer, the concerts courted controversy from the beginning: Busoni's decision to feature new, modern (largely non-German/Austrian) music in a city famous for its devotion to celebrated homegrown talent only reinforced the perception in Berlin that Busoni was a bit of a "maverick".[12][b] In June, Busoni invited Sibelius, his longtime friend, to conduct En saga (he also suggested as substitutes both the Second Symphony and the tone poem The Wood Nymph)[13] at the beginning of November:

I am planning a number of concerts of new music in Berlin... whose purpose will be to introduce little-known music of real merit. You shall in this scheme play a leading part in one of them. Will you do me the honor of conducting En saga? At the beginning of November. The Philharmonic Orchestra. Two rehearsals. I beg you to give your word not to disappoint my hopes. I watch with the greatest delight your German successes which I foresaw as a certainty.

— Ferruccio Busoni, in a June 1902 letter to Sibelius[14]

Sibelius seems to have countered with a choral work (possibly the recently completed cantata The Origin of Fire), since Busoni later replied, "Unfortunately I cannot give myself up to the uncertainty and inconvenience caused by singers ... Therefore, I believe we had better stick to the 'pure' orchestra". Although Sibelius remained undecided between the Second Symphony and En saga until October, he eventually opted for the tone poem in revised form.[13] Sibelius took the decision to revise En saga while summering in Tvärminne (Hanko), as evidenced by a July 28 letter Axel Carpelan, Sibelius's friend and patron, wrote to his cousin after having visited the composer in Tvärminne.[13] Nevertheless, delay ensued: Sibelius did not receive the manuscript in Tvärminne until (at least) September 24.[c] Up against the November deadline, Sibelius raced to complete the revisions in a month, and to save time, he likely reused pages from the original manuscript that required little alteration.[11] According to Wicklund, it is this technique that probably accounts for the fact that the autograph manuscript of the original version does not survive.[11]

Performances

[edit]
Italian composer, Ferruccio Busoni (c. 1911), a friend of Sibelius's who provided him with the opportunity to conduct the revised version of En saga in Berlin in 1902

The original version of the tone poem premiered on 16 February 1893 at Solemnity Hall of the University of Helsinki with Sibelius conducting the Helsinki Orchestral Association; the concert program also included Edvard Grieg's Peer Gynt Suite II and Robert Schumann's Manfred, as well as songs by various composers, all of which Kajanus conducted.[15][16] As noted above, both Kajanus and Schnéevoigt included En saga on various subsequent concert tours.

German breakthrough

[edit]

Although Sibelius had overhauled En saga expressly for the Busoni concert, the premiere of the revised version of the tone poem fell not to Berlin but to Helsinki on 2 November 1902, with Kajanus conducting the Helsinki Philharmonic Society; the program also included Svendsen's Second Symphony and Bruch's Violin Concerto No. 1. While Finnish critics praised En saga, there was a palpable sense the Helsinki concert was merely a dress rehearsal for the big Berlin unveiling.[17] The Berlin concert was indeed an important event for Sibelius: not only would it mark just the second time he had conducted abroad,[d] but it would also give him the opportunity to present personally his art to a discerning Central European audience. Finnish critics sought to buoy Sibelius by writing that, in their opinion, En saga was worthy of performance abroad, while the Finnish newspapers promoted the forthcoming concert heavily.[17] A few days later, the stakes became even clearer: the Berlin critics savaged the first of Busoni's concerts on 8 November, the program of which included selections from Edward Elgar's The Dream of Gerontius, the Overture to Camille Saint-Saëns's opera Les Barbares, and Christian Sinding's Rondo Infinito.[12]

This was the environment into which Sibelius stepped as second on Busoni's 15 November program, which also included Frederick Delius's orchestral nocturne Paris, Théophile Ysaÿe's Piano Concerto, and Ödön Mihalovich's ballad The Death of Pan[12] ("my fellow competitors", as Sibelius referred to them in a 12–13 November letter to his wife, Aino).[19] Sibelius was under constant stress: during the journey to Germany, he labored over the orchestral parts, many of which contained copy errors; upon arrival, he fumed over being second on the program and was annoyed that the promised rehearsals had both been scheduled for 13 November.[19] Nevertheless, the rehearsals went well and the players reacted favorably to the tone poem: as Sibelius told Aino, "It is so beautiful... Busoni even embraced me".[19]

Beethoven Hall (c. 1902) of the old Philharmonie (the building was destroyed in 1944 during the war), where at the Busoni concerts occurred

The Berlin critics' reaction to the second concert, however, was hostile. Otto Lessmann of Allgemeine Musik-Zeitung described the performance as "painful", noting acerbically, "If steps forward in art should be illustrated in such works, the muse would veil her head";[20] while, Rudolph Buck opined in Berliner Neueste Nachrichten, "After the complete fiasco of the second concert, the announcement that these orchestral concerts would be continued in the autumn of 1903 sounded little short of blasphemous".[21] Nonetheless, it appears as though Sibelius emerged more or less unscathed; indeed, the consensus opinion was that En saga was "the only valuable work" on the program.[22][23] The positive reviews in the wake of the concert clearly lifted Sibelius's spirits. Following the concert, a confident Sibelius recounted for his wife the quality of both his art and his conducting:

It went very well. My En saga was the best novelty, I think. I was very calm and conducted well... The main thing is that I can conduct a world-class orchestra. And well! ... I am so calm and sure about my art now. I have been acknowledged as an accomplished 'artist'... We could break through anywhere. And brilliantly.

— Jean Sibelius, in a series of letters to his wife, Aino Sibelius, dated 16–17 November 1902[24]

As Tawaststjerna notes, thanks to En saga, at last the "ice had been broken for Sibelius in Germany", a success for which he had long hoped. Sibelius celebrated as Busoni's guest at a "lavish" dinner party.[23]

Instrumentation

[edit]
Sibelius as the Composer of En saga (1894), by the Finnish painter Akseli Gallen-Kallela

En saga is scored for the following instruments,[4] organized by family (woodwinds, brass, percussion, and strings):

Uncommonly for a Sibelius score, there is no part for timpani, the place of which the bass drum takes; according to the Sibelius writer Cecil Gray, the latter's "indeterminate pitch" contributes to the work's "dark, sinister tone-quality".[25]

Music

[edit]

En saga consists of three main subjects—A, B, and C—and follows an A B C B C B C A structure that is "simplicity itself":[26]

The piece begins with a mood-setting, dissonant introduction for "quacking",[27] "querulous"[28] woodwinds:

{\new PianoStaff {<< \new Staff \relative c'{\set Staff.midiInstrument=#"oboe" \time 2/2 \set Score.tempoHideNote = ##t \tempo "Moderato assai" 4=100 \autoBeamOff \clef treble \key a \minor ^\markup {Oboes} |\mp e4 e8 r8 <e dis>4 <e dis>8 r8|<e dis>4 <e dis>8 r8 <e dis>4 <e dis>8[ <fis dis>8]|<g e>4 <a e>8 r8 <g e>4 <fis e>8 r8|<g e>4 <g e>8 r8 <g e>4 <g e>8[ <g e>8]|<g e>4 <a e>8 r8 <g e>4 <fis e>8 r8|<g e>4 <g e>8 r8 <g e>4 <g e>8[ <g e>8]|<g e>4 <a e>8 r8 <g e>4 <fis e>8 r8|<g ees>4 r4 <g ees>2~ \fz|<g ees>2 <aes ees >4.-> r8|} \new Staff \relative c' {\set Staff.midiInstrument=#"clarinet" \time 2/2 \set Score.tempoHideNote = ##t \tempo "Moderato assai" 4=100 \autoBeamOff \transposition bes \clef treble \key b \minor ^\markup {Clarinets} |\mp r1|d4 d8 r8 d4 d8[ d8]|d4 d8 r8 d4 d8 r8|d4 d8 r8 d4 <a' d,>8[ <a d,>8]|<a d,>4 <b d,>8 r8 <a d,>4 <gis d>8 r8|<a d,>4 <a d,>8 r8 <a d,>4 <a d,>8[ <a d,>8]|<a d,>4 <b d,>8 r8 <a d,>4 <gis d>8 r8|<gis d>4 r4 <gis d>2~ \fz|<gis d>2 <gis d>4.-> r8|} \new Staff \relative c'{\set Staff.midiInstrument=#"bassoon" \time 2/2 \set Score.tempoHideNote = ##t \tempo "Moderato assai" 4=100 \autoBeamOff \clef alto \key a \minor ^\markup {Bassoons} |\mp g'4 g8 r8 g4 g8 r8|<g e>4 <g e>8 r8 <g e>4 <g e>8[ <ais e>8]|<b e,>4 <c e,>8 r8 <b e,>4 <ais e>8 r8|<b e,>4 <b e,>8 r8 <b e,>4 <b e,>8[ <b e,>8]|<b e,>4 <c e,>8 r8 <b e,>4 <ais e>8 r8|<b e,>4 <b e,>8 r8 <b e,>4 <b e,>8[ <b e,>8]|<b e,>4 <c e,>8 r8 <b e,>4 <ais e>8 r8|<b e,>4 r4 <b e,>2~ \fz|<b e,>2 <ces e,>4.-> r8|}>>}}
Introductory passage for woodwinds (Measures 9–17)

After this, Subject A arrives on the bassoons, doubled by pizzicati cellos and basses. It is a lyrical but mysterious melody played over muted, arpeggiated strings and a cymbal roll with drumsticks.[28]

{\new PianoStaff {<< \new Staff \relative c'{\set Staff.midiInstrument=#"bassoon" \time 2/2 \set Score.tempoHideNote = ##t \tempo "Moderato assai" 4=138 \autoBeamOff \clef bass \key a \minor ^\markup {Bassoon I} |\mp cis,2\(( gis'2)|gis2-- gis2--\)|fis2-- cis'4\(( a4)|cis1\)|cis,2\(( gis'2)|gis2\) fis4\(( gis4)|cis2\) \override Hairpin.to-barline = ##f cis2~\> |cis2 \! a4\(( fis4)|dis2--\) dis2--|dis2-- e4( fis4)|gis2--( a2--)|gis2--( e2--)|dis2( gis2)|fis2--\( e4( dis4)\)|cis2.. r8|cis2.. r8|}>>}}
Subject A (measures 34–49, just before Marker B)

Subject B, which the "quacking" woodwinds at the beginning of the piece had anticipated, arrives at rehearsal marker F; the violas give it its first expression.

{\new PianoStaff {<< \new Staff \relative c'{\set Staff.midiInstrument=#"string ensemble 1" \time 2/2 \set Score.tempoHideNote = ##t \tempo "Allegro" 4=160 \autoBeamOff \clef alto \key c \minor ^\markup {Viola} |\p |g4( r8 g8) g4--( g4--)|g4( r8 g8) g4 g8[ aes8]|bes4( c4) aes4--( g4--)|aes4( r8 aes8) aes4 f8[ g8]|aes4( c4) g4--( f4--)|g4( r8 g8) g4 c,8[ c8]|f4( g4) ees4--( d4--)|ees r4|}>>}}
Subject B (Marker F, measures 150–157)

Subject C, which the first violins introduce at rehearsal marker H, is a "vigorous dance" characterized by four repeated half-notes.

{\new PianoStaff {<< \new Staff \relative c'{\set Staff.midiInstrument=#"string ensemble 1" \time 2/2 \set Score.tempoHideNote = ##t \tempo "Allegro" 4=200 \autoBeamOff \clef treble \key c \minor ^"Violin I" ^\markup {sul G, \italic "arco"}|\f g'2-> g2->|g2-> g2->|f8[ g8 f8 ees8] d2~|d2 d2|f2-> f2->|f2-> f2->|ees8[ f8 ees8 g8] c,2~|c2 c8[ d8 ees8 f8]|\< g4( r8 g8) c2~ \fz|c2 g2|f8[ g8 f8 ees8] d2~|d2 ees2|f2 g2~ \fz|\< g2 ees2|d2 \ff c2~|c2. r4|}>>}}
Subject C (Marker H, measures 197–212)

Derivative works

[edit]

The creative origins of En saga remain somewhat uncertain, although Sibelius's statements to Ekman and Furuhjelm indicate the piece may have evolved from sketches for a septet or octet the composer had begun in 1890–91. To date, however, researchers have been unable to recover the pre-En saga chamber piece, either as a completed manuscript or unfinished sketches (again, if such a composition ever existed). Gregory Barrett, professor of clarinet at the Northern Illinois University School of Music, has nonetheless sought to reclaim this (purported) "lost chamber masterpiece", arranging in 2003 the original 1892 orchestral tone poem for flute, clarinet, two violins, viola, cello, and string bass.[e]

Contemporary accounts that describe the Barrett septet as a "reconstruction" are inaccurate; because Sibelius's 1890–91 sketches do not survive, there is no way to know how similar Sibelius's own chamber piece was to the first orchestral version of En saga and, by extension, to Barrett's chamber arrangement.[citation needed][f][g] It is for this reason that the Barrett septet is not included on the 13-volume BIS Complete Sibelius Edition,[citation needed] a 2007–11 project billed as having recorded every note Sibelius ever penned.

On 14 June 2003, six musicians from the Lahti Symphony Orchestra joined Barrett (on clarinet) to premiere the septet at the Brahmssaal (Brahms Hall) of the Musikverein in Vienna, the city where Sibelius claimed to have composed his own (lost) pre-En saga septet/octet; the Austrian-Finnish Friendship Society sponsored the performance, while the Finnish Embassy hosted a reception after the concert.[citation needed] The Barrett septet was first recorded in May 2008 at the Sigyn Hall in Turku, Finland, by the Turku Ensemble and released on 12 July 2011 by Pilfink Records. Many reviews note the conspicuous absence of the tone poem's brass and percussion, although one of the performers, flautist Ilari Lehtinen, has argued the septet compensates by making "the intimate aspects of the work sound more personal and more heart-rending".[citation needed] Writing for Fanfare, Steven Ritter has praised the septet as "remarkable", noting that although "acute listeners will miss the brass and all the pomp and beauty of orchestral majesty that we associate with Sibelius", Barrett's arrangement "has much to offer and loses little atmosphere".[citation needed] Carl Bauman, writing for the American Record Guide, on the other hand, has argued the musical material "doesn’t fare nearly as well here as it does in its orchestration".[citation needed]

Discography

[edit]
The English conductor Eugene Goossens was the first to record En saga, in 1930 for Victrola.

The English conductor Eugene Goossens and the New Symphony Orchestra of London made the world premiere studio recording of En saga in May 1930;[1] this first appeared on the Victrola label in 1935. Since then, the piece has become one of Sibelius's most commonly recorded tone poems, although it trails more famous compositions such as The Swan of Tuonela and Finlandia. In terms of superlatives, two conductors have made three recordings each: Eugene Ormandy (1955, 1963, and 1975; each with the Philadelphia Orchestra) and Sir Colin Davis (1980, 1994, 2003; each with a different orchestra).

In May 1995, Osmo Vänskä and the Lahti Symphony Orchestra—with special permission from Sibelius's estate—made the world premiere recording of the original 1892 version of the tone poem, which appeared on the same album as their recording of the original 1915 version of the Fifth Symphony. This album premiered to considerable acclaim. Gramophone's James McCarthy, for example, characterized it as perspective-changing, noting that the original versions of the pieces provided "fascinating material for comparison" and allowed "a glimpse of two familiar masterpieces in the making".[29] Kurt Moses, writing in the American Record Guide, similarly commended the album for providing "rare insight into a composer's creative process", but cautioned that "while Sibelius enthusiasts will love it ... this is not a 'must buy' for everyone ... [and] is not a substitute for ... the final versions of these works".[30]

The sortable table below contains these and other commercially available recordings of En saga:

No. Conductor Ensemble Rec.[h] Time Recording venue Label Ref.
1 Eugene Goossens New Symphony Orchestra of London 1930 ? Kingsway Hall Victrola
[i]
2 Sir Thomas Beecham London Philharmonic Orchestra (1) 1938 17:32 Abbey Road Studio No. 1 Naxos Historical
[j]
3 Wilhelm Furtwängler Berlin Philharmonic (1) 1943 20:29 Alte Philharmonie Berlin [de] Deutsche Grammophon
[k]
4 Victor De Sabata London Philharmonic Orchestra (2) 1946 18:57 Walthamstow Assembly Hall Decca
[l]
5 Arturo Toscanini NBC Symphony Orchestra 1952 17:30 Carnegie Hall RCA Victor Gold Seal
[m]
6 Eduard van Beinum Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra 1952 19:14 Concertgebouw, Amsterdam Decca
[n]
7 Eugene Ormandy (1) Philadelphia Orchestra (1) 1955 15:41 Academy of Music, Philadelphia Sony Classical
[o]
8 Sir Adrian Boult London Philharmonic Orchestra (3) 1956 17:36 Walthamstow Assembly Hall Omega Classics
[31]
9 Sir Anthony Collins Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (1) 1957 18:00 Walthamstow Assembly Hall Beulah
[p]
10 Sir Malcolm Sargent Vienna Philharmonic 1961 18:29 Musikverein EMI Classics
[q]
11 Eugene Ormandy (2) Philadelphia Orchestra (2) 1963 16:57 Philadelphia Athletic Club Sony Classical
[r]
12 George Szell Cleveland Orchestra 1965 18:35 Severance Hall Musical Arts Association
[s]
13 Antal Doráti London Symphony Orchestra (1) 1969 18:48 Abbey Road Studio No. 1 EMI Classics
[t]
14 Kurt Sanderling Berlin Symphony Orchestra 1970 19:54 Christuskirche, Berlin [de] Brilliant Classics
[u]
15 Horst Stein L'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande 1971 16:12 Victoria Hall Decca
[v]
16 Okko Kamu Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra (1) 1972 18:28 "Concert Hall", Helsinki[w] Deutsche Grammophon
[x]
17 Paavo Berglund Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra 1974 18:54 Southampton Guildhall EMI Classics
[y]
18 Eugene Ormandy (3) Philadelphia Orchestra (3) 1975 18:09 Scottish Rite Cathedral, Philadelphia Sony Classical
[z]
19 Herbert von Karajan Berlin Philharmonic (2) 1976 18:16 Berlin Philharmonie EMI Classics
[aa]
20 Sir Alexander Gibson (1) Royal Scottish National Orchestra 1977 18:08 Glasgow City Halls Chandos
[ab]
21 Sir Colin Davis (1) Boston Symphony Orchestra 1980 17:49 Symphony Hall, Boston Decca Records
[ac]
22 Vladimir Ashkenazy Philharmonia Orchestra 1981 19:27 Kingsway Hall Decca
[ad]
23 Neeme Järvi (1) Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra (1) 1985 18:35 Gothenburg Concert Hall BIS
[ae]
24 Jerzy Salwarowski [pl] Polish Radio National Symphony Orchestra c. 1987 19:33 [unknown venue] Musical Heritage Society
[af]
25 Jukka-Pekka Saraste Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra (2) 1988 18:05 Kulttuuritalo RCA Red Seal
[ag]
26 Sir Alexander Gibson (2) Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (2) 1989 16:59 St. John's, Smith Square Collins Classics
[ah]
27 Adrian Leaper Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra 1989 17:27 Reduta, Bratislava [sk] Naxos
[ai]
28 William Boughton Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (3) 1990 19:17 Watford Colosseum Nimbus
[aj]
29 Leif Segerstam Danish National Symphony Orchestra 1991 19:37 Danish Radio Concert Hall Chandos
[ak]
30 Esa-Pekka Salonen Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra 1991 17:26 Royce Hall Sony Classical
[al]
31 Sergiu Comissiona Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra 1991 20:27 Hyvinkääsali [fi] Ondine
[am]
32 Vassily Sinaisky Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra 1991 17:45 Mosfilm Studios Brilliant Classics
[an]
33 Yoel Levi Atlanta Symphony Orchestra 1992 17:47 Woodruff Arts Center Telarc
[ao]
34 Lorin Maazel Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra 1992 17:08 Heinz Hall Sony Classical
[ap]
35 Neeme Järvi (2) Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra (2) 1992 17:52 Gothenburg Concert Hall Deutsche Grammophon
[aq]
36 Sir Colin Davis (2) London Symphony Orchestra (2) 1994 18:48 Blackheath Concert Halls RCA Red Seal
[ar]
† Osmo Vänskä Lahti Symphony Orchestra 1995 21:51 Ristinkirkko BIS
[as]
37 Tuomas Hannikainen [fi] Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra 1995 18:09 Tampere Hall Ondine
[at]
38 Sir Andrew Davis Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra 1996 17:26 Stockholm Concert Hall Finlandia
[au]
39 Ole Schmidt Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (4) 1996 17:52 CTS Studios, Wembley Intersound
[av]
40 Mikko Franck Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra 1999 19:46 Berwald Hall Ondine
[aw]
41 Petri Sakari [fi] Iceland Symphony Orchestra 2000 18:54 [unknown venue], Reykjavik Naxos
[ax]
42 Osmo Vänskä Lahti Symphony Orchestra 2000 18:03 Sibelius Hall BIS
[ay]
43 Sir Colin Davis (3) Staatskapelle Dresden 2003 19:22 Semperoper Profil
[az]
44 Stefan Solyom BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra 2006 19:54 Glasgow City Halls BBC Music Magazine
[ba]
45 Sir Mark Elder The Hallé 2014 17:40 Bridgewater Hall Hallé
[bb]
46 Sakari Oramo BBC Symphony Orchestra 2015 19:23 Royal Albert Hall BBC Music Magazine
[bc]
47 Hannu Lintu Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra (3) 2016 18:40 Helsinki Music Centre Ondine
[bd]
48 Thomas Søndergård BBC National Orchestra of Wales 2018 18:06 BBC Hoddinott Hall Linn
[be]
49 Santtu-Matias Rouvali Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra (3) 2018 19:01 Gothenburg Concert Hall Alpha
[bf]

† = original version (1892)

Notes, references, and sources

[edit]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ On 20 July 1905, the Helsinki-based music publisher Fazer & Westerlund [fi] (Helsingfors Nya Musikhandel) sold its Sibelius holdings (the publishing rights and printing plates) to the German firm of Breitkopf & Härtel.[2]
  2. ^ Busoni's selections certainly challenged German norms; according to Couling, "The astounding achievements of German and Austrian composers … had brought German music to the front rank in Europe, but unfortunately had helped feed a growing chauvinism, and the belief that only German music was worth taking seriously".[12]
  3. ^ The manuscript likely was in Kajanus's possession, who conducted En saga during his summer concert tour of Kiev.
  4. ^ The first being Heidelberg in the summer of 1901, which had featured two of the Lemminkäinen Legends.[18]
  5. ^ For the project, Barrett obtained a copy of the original 1892 orchestral tone poem from the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra and received permission to make the arrangement from both the copyright holder, Breitkopf & Härtel, and the Sibelius family.[citation needed]
  6. ^ Breitkopf & Härtel, the septet's publisher, for example, describes the piece as an "approximate reconstruction".
  7. ^ Andrew Barnett in particular has warned against such imprecise language: "I am told that this is merely a chamber arrangement of the original 1892–93 version of En saga. If that's so it might be an effective piece, and no doubt is arranged with great skill, but it would have little similarity with any chamber piece that Sibelius wrote (or in this case didn't write, I firmly believe). I don't want to be a spoilsport but, if you're looking for a lost masterpiece, this has all the hallmarks of a red herring … please note also the distinction between an arrangement of an orchestral work and a reconstruction of a lost chamber work"! (underscore in original)[citation needed]
  8. ^ Refers to the year in which the performers recorded the work; this may not be the same as the year in which the recording was first released to the general public.
  9. ^ E. Goossens–Victrola (9925) 1935
  10. ^ T. Beecham–Naxos Historical (8.110867) 2003
  11. ^ W. Furtwängler–DG (427 783–2) 1989
  12. ^ V. De Sabata–Decca (KX 1504) 1948
  13. ^ A. Toscanini–RCA Victor Gold Seal (790 353) 1990
  14. ^ E. van Beinum–Decca (485 1387) 2023
  15. ^ E. Ormandy–Sony Classical 2021
  16. ^ A. Collins–Beulah (6PD8) 1994
  17. ^ M. Sargent–EMI Classics (CDE 7 67787 2) 1993
  18. ^ E. Ormandy–Sony Classical (88875108582) 2015
  19. ^ G. Szell–Musical Arts Association (TCO–GS97) 1997
  20. ^ A. Doráti–EMI Classics (7243 5 85785 2 2) 2007
  21. ^ K. Sanderling–Brilliant Classics (6328/5) 2002
  22. ^ H. Stein–Decca (482 3922) 2015
  23. ^ Given the recording date, "Concert Hall" probably refers to the then-newly completed Finlandia Hall, which opened in 1971 and became the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra's main venue.
  24. ^ O. Kamu–Deutsche Grammophon (453 610–2) 1996
  25. ^ P. Berglund–EMI Classics (7243 5 69773 2 7) 2000
  26. ^ E. Ormandy–Sony Classical (88875108582) 2015
  27. ^ H. Karajan–EMI Classics (CDM 7 64331 2) 1992
  28. ^ A. Gibson–Chandos (CHAN 8395/6) 1985
  29. ^ C. Davis–Decca (478 3696) 2012
  30. ^ V. Ashkenazy–Decca (473 590–2) 2003
  31. ^ N. Järvi–BIS (CD–295) 1986
  32. ^ J. Salwarowski–Musical Heritage Society (MHS 512070M) 1987
  33. ^ J. Saraste–RCA (19439704812) 2020
  34. ^ A. Gibson–Collins Classics (10932) 1991
  35. ^ A. Leaper–Naxos (8.550200) 1991
  36. ^ W. Boughton–Nimbus (NI7716/7) 2000
  37. ^ L. Segerstam–Chandos (CHAN 8965) 1991
  38. ^ E. Salonen–Sony Classical (SK 48 067) 1992
  39. ^ S. Comissiona–Ondine (ODE 767–2) 1991
  40. ^ V. Sinaisky–Brilliant Classics (BC9212) 2010
  41. ^ Y. Levi–Telarc (CD–80320) 1993
  42. ^ L. Maazel–Sony Classical (SK 53272) 1994
  43. ^ N. Järvi–DG (477 6654) 2007
  44. ^ C. Davis–RCA Red Seal (82876–55706–2) 2003
  45. ^ O. Vänskä–BIS (CD–800) 1996
  46. ^ T. Hannikainen–Ondine (ODE 871–2) 1996
  47. ^ A. Davis–Finlandia (0630–15242–2) 1997
  48. ^ O. Schmidt–Intersound (2891) 2000
  49. ^ M. Frank–Ondine (ODE 953–2) 2000
  50. ^ P. Sakari–Naxos (8.555299) 2002
  51. ^ O. Vänskä–BIS (CD–1225) 2002
  52. ^ C. Davis–Profil (PH05049) 2005
  53. ^ S. Solyom–BBC Music Magazine (BBC MM283) 2007
  54. ^ M. Elder–Hallé (CD HLL 7543) 2016
  55. ^ S. Oramo–BBC Music Mag (BBCMM441) 2019
  56. ^ H. Lintu–Ondine (ODE 1289-5) 2017
  57. ^ T. Søndergård–Linn (CKD 566) 2018
  58. ^ S. Rouvali–Alpha (ALPHA 440) 2018

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c Dahlström 2003, p. 29.
  2. ^ Dahlström 2003, p. xxiv.
  3. ^ Dahlström 2003, pp. 28–29.
  4. ^ a b Dahlström 2003, p. 28.
  5. ^ Goss 2009, p. 178.
  6. ^ Wicklund 2014, p. 35–37.
  7. ^ Wicklund 2014, p. 40.
  8. ^ Ekman 1938, p. 120–121.
  9. ^ Ringbom 1954, p. 38–39.
  10. ^ Johnson 1959, p. 49–50.
  11. ^ a b c Wicklund 2014, p. 18–19.
  12. ^ a b c d Couling 2005, p. 181–182.
  13. ^ a b c Wicklund 2014, p. 17–18.
  14. ^ Tawaststjerna 1976, p. 257.
  15. ^ Wicklund 2014, p. 23.
  16. ^ Johnson 1959, p. 50.
  17. ^ a b Wicklund 2014, p. 26.
  18. ^ Wicklund 2014, p. 27.
  19. ^ a b c Wicklund 2014, p. 27–28.
  20. ^ Wicklund 2014, p. 29.
  21. ^ Couling 2005, p. 182.
  22. ^ Wicklund 2014, p. 28–29.
  23. ^ a b Tawaststjerna 1976, p. 259.
  24. ^ Wicklund 2014, p. 30.
  25. ^ Gray 1940, p. 5.
  26. ^ Hurwitz 2007, p. 135.
  27. ^ Hurwitz, p. 135.
  28. ^ a b Gray 1940, p. 2.
  29. ^ "Review".
  30. ^ "Gale – Product Login".
  31. ^ A. Boult–Omega Classics (OCD 1027) 1998

Sources

[edit]
  • Barnett, Andrew (2007). Sibelius. New Haven: Yale University Press.
  • Couling, Della (2005). Ferruccio Busoni: A Musical Ishmael. Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press.
  • Dahlström, Fabian [in Swedish] (2003). Jean Sibelius: Thematisch-bibliographisches Verzeichnis seiner Werke [Jean Sibelius: A Thematic Bibliographic Index of His Works] (in German). Wiesbaden: Breitkopf & Härtel. ISBN 3-7651-0333-0.
  • Ekman, Karl [in Finnish] (1938) [1935]. Jean Sibelius: His Life and Personality. Translated by Birse, Edward. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. OCLC 896231.
  • Goss, Glenda Dawn (2009). Sibelius: A Composer's Life and the Awakening of Finland. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. ISBN 978-0-226-00547-8.
  • Gray, Cecil (1931). Sibelius. London: Oxford University Press.
  • Grimley, Daniel (2004). "The Tone Poems: Genre, Landscape and Structural Perspective". In Grimley, Daniel (ed.). The Cambridge Companion to Sibelius. Cambridge Companions to Music. London: Cambridge University Press.
  • Hurwitz, David (2007). Sibelius: The Orchestral Works, an Owner's Manual. Pompton Plains, New Jersey: Amadeus Press.
  • Johnson, Harold (1959). Jean Sibelius. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.
  • Layton, Robert (1965). Sibelius: The Masters Musicians Series. New York: Schirmer Books.
  • Rickards, Guy (1997). Jean Sibelius. London: Phaidon.
  • Ringbom, Nils-Eric (1954). Jean Sibelius: A Master and His Work. Norman, Oklahoma: University of Oklahoma Press.
  • Tawaststjerna, Erik (1976). Sibelius: Volume 1, 1865–1905. Translated by Robert Layton. London: Faber and Faber.
  • —— (1986). Sibelius: Volume 2, 1904–1914. Translated by Robert Layton. London: Faber and Faber.
  • —— (1997). Sibelius: Volume 3, 1914–1957. Translated by Robert Layton. London: Faber and Faber.
  • Vernon, David (2024). Sun Forest Lake: The Symphonies & Tone Poems of Jean Sibelius. Edinburgh: Candle Row Press. ISBN 978-1739659943.
  • Wicklund, Tuija (2014). Jean Sibelius's En saga and Its Two Versions: Genesis, Reception, Edition, and Form (PDF). Studia Musica (Thesis). Vol. 57. University of the Arts Helsinki, Sibelius Academy.
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