Jean Sibelius · (Active: 1900's —1950's)

Born:
December 08, 1865
Hämeenlinna, Finland
Died:
September 20, 1957
Active:
1900's—1950's
Biography by "Blue" Gene Tyranny, All Music Guide
A Finnish composer identified with the Finnish nationalism movement before 1918 who is popularly known for the romantic, nationalist works he produced at that time, including Finlandia (written for the Press Celebrations of 1899) and the Valse Triste. His last work in this style, written a few years later, was Symphony no. 2, with its Scandinavian flavor of open spaces. Sibelius continually sought new techniques and sounds, from the neo-classicism of the third symphony to the almost nontonal-based Symphony no. 4 (1911). The symphonic poem Tapiola, op. 112 of 1925 is a good example of his later style. Sibelius also wrote piano music, mostly bagatelle-style pieces but also some that are more serious, like the three Sonatine, op. 67 and Kyllikki, Three Lyric Pieces for Piano, op. 41, based on the Finnish epic Kalevala.
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･ 1 Insert the CD into the stereo, press “Play” and close your eyes. ･ 2 Listen to the bold, dramatic opening section (the first minute or so) and imagine the proud, patriotic... ･ 3 Be aware that the music quickly becomes heavy and sorro...
The finale of his 2nd Symphony in D Major absolutely blew my mind when I heard it for the first time. I was in complete disbelief at how someone could compose something that grand. My favourite Jean Sibelius composition is the Finale to his...
From 1885 to 1889, Sibelius studied music in the Helsinki music school (now the Sibelius Academy). One of his teachers there was Martin Wegelius. Sibelius continued studying in Berlin (from 1889 to 1890) and in Vienna (from 1890 to 1891).
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