BY DANIEL M. GRIMLEY
A musical legacy of unparalleled richness, depth, range and diversity
4 stars out of 5 stars
Not long after I got interested in classical music some sixty years ago, I came across several of Sibelius’ symphonic works. I was amazed at the grandeur of the Second Symphony, especially the final movement, where several motifs, like waves on the seashore, advancing, one after another, to a climatic conclusion. I was awestruck by the patriotic feeling invoked in the tone poem Finlandia, the unusual sounds of the violin concerto, the soothing melodies in the Karelia suite, as well as the quiet and reflective ending of the seventh symphony. I held his orchestral work in such high regard that I paid him my respect by visiting his home (now a museum) and the Sibelius Park when I visited Helsinki in 1982.
Besides orchestral work, I knew very little about Sibelius’ other compositions. .I was aware that he stopped composing in the last 27 years of his life. The silence gave rise to various speculations. Recently, I thought it would be interesting to find out what he had composed before his silence commenced. I was totally surprised by the long list of his compositions, consisting, besides symphonies and the violin concerto, tune poems, piano pieces, music for the stage, choruses, string quartet, and many songs. It seems natural that anyone who reached the age of 60 and had created this much would simply call it quits.
To gain a deeper understanding of Sibelius, I decided to read a book about him. After some search, I came across one by Daniel M. Grimley, Professor of Music at Oxford University. True to the title, the book covers the Life, Music, Silence of Jean Sibelius.
To this reader, it is interesting to learn that the young Sibelius first aspiration was to be a concert violinist. He, his brother Christian, and his sister Linda formed a trio, in which he played the violin, Linda the piano, and Christian the cello. Unfortunately for him and fortunately for music, he failed in his audition for the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra in 1891.
There are many analyses of Sibelius’ music in the book. Some analyses are rather technical and involve considerable music theory. Others are described in plain English and should be accessible to the lay person. It is clear that the Kalevala, the Finnish folklore and mythology, was central to a number of tone poems of Sibelius. Many of the musical themes were inspired by the Finnish landscape, with its mountains, lakes, forests, and northern lights.
On Sibelius silence, the author refrained from speculation. He simply stated that: “Perhaps Sibelius felt, rightly or wrongly, that his creative work was done.”
The book ends with urging the reader to “applaud a musical legacy of unparalleled richness, depth, range and diversity, , not only the symphonies and tone poems, but the piano miniatures, songs, chamber works and (especially) the theatre music.”
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Sibelius Park, Helsinki, Finland. A statute of Sibelius face can be seen on the right.
Sibelius House, Helsinki, Finland
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