Category Archives: in English

The title of Dallapiccola’s “Little Night Music” is Mozartian, but the music itself is of another kind than that of Mozart’s renowned serenade. It is closer to Bartók’s night music topos. Its origin lies in Antonio Machado’s poem Noche de … Continue reading →

Composed: 1905–1906 Length: c. 15 minutes Orchestration: piccolo, 2 flutes, 2 oboes, English horn, 2 clarinets, bass clarinet, 2 bassoons, contrabassoon, 4 horns, 2 cornets, 2 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, timpani, harp, and strings Since Sibelius’s sketches became available for … Continue reading →

Composed: 1911 Length: c. 35 minutes Orchestration: 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 4 horns, 2 trumpets, 3 trombobes, timpani, orchestra bells, and strings In the years 1909–11 the Fourth Symphony was Sibelius’s first priority. But he was … Continue reading →

In the summer of 1914, after having returned from America, where he had conducted the world premiere of his tone poem The Oceanides, Op. 73 (1914) at the Norfolk Festival, Sibelius began to work on his Fifth Symphony. The first … Continue reading →

Composed: 2003–2004 Length: c. 25 minutes Orchestration: 2 piccolos (1st = flute; 2nd = flute, alto flute), 2 flutes, 3 oboes, English horn, E-flat clarinet, 2 clarinets, bass clarinet, 3 bassoons, contrabassoon, 4 horns, 4 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, timpani, … Continue reading →

Composed: 1924 Length: c. 22 minutes Orchestration: 2 flutes (both = piccolo), 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 4 horns, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, timpani, and strings “Have ’in my head’ Symphonies VI and VII. As well as the revision … Continue reading →

Sibelius composed in his lifetime 101 songs for solo voice and piano, practically all of them between 1888 and 1918. Only a few songs without opus number are of a later date. There are 14 opera with 2– 8 songs … Continue reading →

Composed: 1932 Length: c. 23 minutes Orchestration: 2 flutes (2nd = piccolo), 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 2 horns, 2 trumpets, 2 trombones, tuba, timpani, percussion (bass drum, snare drum), strings, and solo piano In his brilliant book Defining … Continue reading →

Composed: 1893–1895/1900/1939 Length: c. 50 minutes Orchestration: 2 flutes (2nd = piccolo), 2 oboes (2nd = English norn), 2 clarinets (2nd = bass clarinet), 2 bassoons, 4 horns, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, timpani, percussion (bass drum, cymbals, glockenspiel, snare … Continue reading →

Composed: 2002 Length: c. 6 minutes Orchestration: 2 flutes, 3 oboes, English horbn, 3 clarinets, 2 bassoons, contrabassoon, 4 horns, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, and strings In a television documentary from 2001, Esa-Pekka Salonen looked back upon his study … Continue reading →