SÓN - THE NEW PROFESSIONAL ORCHESTRA for SOUTHAMPTON presents
SIBELIUS UNWRAPPED 29 NOV 2015
A S I B E L I U S 1 5 0 C E L E B R AT I O N #SibeliusUnwrapped
T H E N E W P R O F E S S I O N A L O R C H E ST R A for SOUTHAMPTON David Owen Norris - Piano & Presenter Robin Browning - Conductor Victoria Sayles - Leader
David Owen Norris unwraps the music of Sibelius in this celebratory 150th year, presenting an introduction to his life, musical style, and the pieces being performed in the second half
SIBEL IUS UNWRAPPED Interval - 30 minutes - including complimentary tea & slice of cake
Jean Sibelius (1865 - 1957) Impromptu for Strings, op 5 Pelleas et Melisande, op 46 Valse Triste, op 44 Andante Festivo
TURNER SIMS Southampton As a courtesy to performers and audience alike, please refrain from any flash photography and audio/video recording during any part of the concert. Thank you.
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I am pleased to congratulate són on their launch and delighted that the orchestra has chosen to dedicate its first concert to the 150th anniversary of the birth of the great Finnish composer Jean Sibelius. The Sibeliusmuseum in Turku, Finland, joins me in congratulating the orchestra. I hope són’s connection with Finnish music will continue long into the future.
C H R I S T I N A T O LV A S -V I N C E N T
Honorary Consul of Finland for Dorset, Hampshire and West Sussex
The establishment of a new professional orchestra in Southampton is in itself a major achievement. But in the twenty-first century, arts projects cannot thrive in isolation. It is therefore especially commendable that education and training have been designed to be integral parts of són’s activity right from the outset. The fact that the new orchestra has chosen to perform an all-Sibelius programme at its inaugural concert is a tremendous vote of confidence in the composer whose music our organization champions. On behalf of Sibelius One we send our very best wishes to the entire són project and look forward to exciting events and collaboration in the future.
ANDREW BARNETT
Manager, Sibelius One - the International Sibelius Society
I’m delighted to welcome són as Southampton’s first professional orchestra. As the cultural life of the city continues to grow and deepen, the new orchestra fills an important need.
JOHN DENHAM
Chairman, Southampton Cultural Development Trust
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introducing introducing són
Welcome to Turner Sims, and to a rather special birthday celebration. A double celebration, if you will. I’m glad you could join us. I’m especially pleased to be able to pay this tribute to my favourite composer, Jean Sibelius, in his 150th birthday year. Of course this afternoon’s concert doesn’t only celebrate the life and music of Finland’s greatest composer - it also launches a brand new orchestra. són - the UK’s newest, and Southampton’s very first professional chamber orchestra is the brainchild of Hampshire-based musicians. In only a few short months, són have become established on the cultural scene, both locally and further afield. Following today’s launch event, we continue our inspiring education projects into 2016, steadily building our portfolio of musical success-stories involving the region’s youngsters, and enticing them to explore connections between music and art, dance and drama. Alongside this work, we are planning a second concert in our Unwrapped series - Eroica Unwrapped, with special guest John Suchet - part of the Turner Sims spring season in April 2016.
Until today, Southampton was the largest city in the country without its own professional orchestra. Even though many established orchestras perform in the city, including plenty in this very hall, the city has never had a professional orchestra to call its own. It might seem an unwise moment to launch a new ensemble, when orchestras are allegedly in decline, and the UK moves beyond economic difficulties. However, Southampton is thriving: the economy is buoyant, a new city-centre arts complex opens next year, and Turner Sims continues to welcome the world’s foremost musicians. At són, we’re convinced that this is an ideal time to launch. We’re clear about our artistic vision and aspirations for musical excellence. And, to cement our projects throughout our debut season, we’re already working with the region’s artistic & educational organisations, striving for a musicallyassured future for all. The són musicians come from across the south. Over two thirds of those you see on stage are from Hampshire and adjacent counties, such as Dorset and Wiltshire. The remainder come from further afield - for example Cambridge, Kent, and London. There are many first-class professionals in all corners of the South, and plenty in Hampshire alone. This is something we can all be proud of. And, in just the same way, we warmly hope that you will be proud of són - your orchestra, for your city. Robin Browning Artistic Director, són 8
g són
són musicians & management
Violin 1 Victoria Sayles – leader chair sponsored by Barrie Browning Charlotte Edwards chair sponsored by Kathy Lambert John Dickinson Kirstie Robertson Cathy Mathews Tom Horn Kanon Myashita * Avril Freemantle
Double Bass Mark Frampton Adrian Osman Flute Pasha Mansurov Oboe & Cor Anglais Andrew Knights Clarinet Daniel Broncano Rob Blanken
Violin 2 Helen Purchase Anca Campanie Vicky Berry Elizabeth Peller Brian Howells Christa Porter
Bassoon Emma Selby Rebecca Carey * Horn Richard Berry Simon de Sousa
Viola Sophie Renshaw Francis Gallagher Diana Mathews Malcolm Porter Cello Lionel Handy Austen Scully Rachel Sanders-Hewett Nicola Heinrich
Timpani & Percussion Stephen Burke
* member of the són masterclass scheme for young musicians – helping to shape the young professionals of tomorrow
Management & Administration Team Robin Browning - Artistic Director Anca Campanie - Associate Director Tess Kullander - Orchestral & Administration Manager Paul Ingram and Paul Fitzpatrick - Business Advisors James Mayhew - Artistic Advisor Harry Matthews - Digital Media Intern Fiona Butterworth - Marketing & són circle Intern Emily Sefton-Smith and Daisy Stephens - General Interns Joe Roberts - Design Intern
són look forward to an ambitious series of concerts & events throughout 2016 - see page 20 for further details.
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s贸n would like to acknowledge the following businesses and organisations as Founding Partners. We are grateful for their support and commitment throughout our launch season.
Why not become a Founding Partner and support us from the very beginning? Contact us to discuss our flexible & tailored sponsorship packages. Send an email to our support team: support@thesonproject.com 10
Music is for me like a beautiful
mosaic which God has put together.He takes all the pieces in his hand, throws them into the world, and we have to recreate the picture from the pieces. Jean Sibelius, 1905
artists artists
David Owen Norris, the first winner of the Gilmore Artist Award, has played concertos all over North America and Australia, and in the BBC Proms (four times). A programme entirely devoted to his work on the Elgar Piano Concerto, ending with a spectacular live performance of the whole work, has been shown several times on BBC2. His other twentieth-century concerto recordings include works by Lambert, Phillips, Horowitz & Arnell. Norris began his career by accompanying such artists as Dame Janet Baker, Sir Peter Pears & Jean-Pierre Rampal. Next year he embarks on an ambitious Sullivan song project for Chandos, working with Mary Bevan, Ben Johnson & Ashley Riches. Besides this work on the modern piano, David Owen Norris is an acknowledged expert on early pianos. His discovery that the World’s First Piano Concertos were written around 1770 in London for the tiny square piano led to a complete reconsideration of that instrument, with an epoch-making recording, and concerto tours of Britain, Europe and America. His current earlypiano recording projects range from Mozart to Mendelssohn, Sterndale Bennett and Brahms. Norris is a familiar face on music television. His analysis of Jerusalem in the Prince of Wales’s programme on Sir Hubert Parry sent critics into raptures, and his Chord of the Week and Inside the Score features have helped make BBC2’s PromsExtra one of the most watched classical music programmes in the world. His popular Radio 4 Playlist series is often repeated, and on Radio 3 his contributions to Building a Library are keenly relished. David Owen Norris’s rise as a composer is more recent. Audiences have been discovering his music through a series of major works: the oratorio Prayerbook, the Piano Concerto in C, and the Symphony; as well as smaller works, already much loved, like the song-cycles Think only this and Tomorrow nor Yesterday, the cantata STERNE, was THE MAN and the much-toured and frequently broadcast radio-opera The Jolly Roger, or Pugwash Walks the Plank, the last-named a BBC commission. Two large-scale works have appeared in 2015: Turning Points, a celebration of democracy supported financially by the Agincourt600 Committee, and HengeMusic a multimedia piece for organ and saxophone quartet with film and poetry, supported by Arts Council England.
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Robin Browning is an established conductor, performer and musiceducator. Praised as an “expert musician & conductor” by Sir Charles Mackerras, he is a passionate advocate for music and for the arts in general. Since making his debut with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at London’s Barbican, Robin has conducted the Hallé, English Northern Philharmonia, Northern Sinfonia, Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Ensemble Intercontemporain, St Petersburg Festival Orchestra, and Estonian National Youth Orchestra. He made his US debut in 2011 with the Boise Philharmonic, and recently assisted Sakari Oramo for the UK Premiere of Esa-Pekka Salonen’s Violin Concerto with the BBC Symphony Orchestra. Robin studied at the Accademia Chigiana, Siena, with Myung-Whun Chung and the legendary Ilya Musin. He also studied extensively with Sian Edwards, Sir Charles Mackerras, and in masterclasses with Neeme and Paavo Järvi. Robin is dedicated to the training of younger musicians, working often with youth orchestras and in conservatoires. Also an inspirational teacher, he has nurtured the careers of many successful conductors.
Robin makes his choice of recommended recordings from this afternoon’s repertoire on Page 34
Victoria Sayles was a Music Scholar at Bryanston School (19992003) and a Foundation Scholar at the Royal College of Music, London (2003-2007) graduating with First Class Honors. Her orchestral jobs have included Associate Leader of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra (2011-14), London Mozart Players, Scottish Chamber Orchestra (20072009) and Concertmaster at Santiago Opera House, Chile (2007). Victoria has been guest Concertmaster with Bergen Philharmonic, BBC Scottish Symphony, Bournemouth Symphony, City of Birmingham Symphony, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Royal Philharmonic, Swedish Radio Symphony, Trondheim Symphony Orchestras and guest co-leader of the Philharmonia Orchestra. She also guests as Section Principal at Royal Opera House and London Philharmonic Orchestra. As a chamber musician Victoria’s performances include Southern Cross Soloists (Sydney Opera House and Brisbane’s QPAC), Chamber Music New Zealand, North York Moors Festival (UK), Oxford May Music Festival (UK), Australian Festival of Chamber Music, Grindelwald Chamber Series (Switzerland) and many others. In January 2009 Victoria played to refugees in the refugee camps on the Thai-Burmese Border with the Iuventus String Quartet. As a solo artist Victoria has won the Countess of Munster Musical Trust Recital Scheme (2009-11) and Selected Artist for Making Music Recommended Artists (2012-13). Victoria continues to enjoy a varied career of solo, chamber and orchestral concerts all over the world. Victoria plays a 2013 Joachim Schade Violin, Leipzig.
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SUPPORT OUR FUTURE Join the són circle
Launching són is tremendously exciting! It will bring inspiring, professional performances to Southampton and across the south. It also promises to touch the lives of youngsters through rich and varied education projects. Your contributions are vital to our work, because we depend enormously on your generous support for everything that we do. There are many ways you can support són. Choose one of our individual sponsorship schemes by joining the són circle - our Friends membership programme. Or build and sustain our future by becoming a corporate sponsor – including our newly-launched Founding Partner scheme.
Discover how you can become involved in our journey from the very beginning...
Visit the són circle desk today - find us in the foyer Join the són circle as a Friend, or choose an even deeper level of involvement with Silver, Gold or Platinum membership levels. Depending on the chosen support tier, benefits include: • Free programme at all són concerts & events • Invitation to són circle events, including pre-concert talks • Regular delivery of són circle news – a carefully-tailored newsletter full of articles and interviews about the orchestra, news about our education and outreach projects, and details of future events • Sponsor a són player - endow an orchestral chair in your name, or in memory of someone special. Depending on the support level chosen, this includes principal players, and even the leader’s chair • The wording of your choice against the player’s name listed in concert programmes and on our website • Invitation to pre- and post- concert events, offering the chance to meet your sponsored player and mingle with those you’ve just seen on stage – including conductor and soloists • Access to closed són events including rehearsals, workshops & education projects Come and talk to us at the són circle desk, or email us at support@thesonproject.com
Thank you for supporting són – the UK’s newest professional orchestra
programm programme notes Jean Sibelius (1865-1947)
Identification of Sibelius as Finland’s national music icon started early in his compositional career. This became especially prominent after the premiere and fervent reception of the symphonic poem, Kullervo on 28 April 1892, which propelled Sibelius in the direction of the romantic-national idiom for which he is recognised. The basing of Kullervo on the national epic Kalevala proved significant to the stirrings of a nationalistic movement promoting Finnish culture and language as opposed to Swedish, which culminated in Finland’s independence in 1917. When Sibelius’s works garnered international recognition during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, he was acknowledged as an authentic voice of the twentieth century. His popularity could not be underestimated in Britain as it struck a chord with British composers such as Vaughan-Williams, who were dedicated to forging Britain’s distinctive national voice. Sibelius’s originality was due to a restless search for a true voice; resulting in the combination and manifestations of various stylistic strands such as Viennese symphonic unity, lush Romanticism, Neoclassic structures, atonality and Impressionism. The works performed here encapsulate the richness and multifaceted approaches of Sibelius’s compositional styles: from the quiet brilliance of his miniatures to the lyrical outpourings of his string quartets and the vivid descriptions of the symphonic poem.
I m p r o m p t u f o r St r i n g s ( 1 8 9 4 ) a r r a n g e d f r o m the original piano version, Op 5 (1890-1893) The Impromptu for Strings was an arrangement of two piano pieces from a collection of six Impromptus, Op 5. The Impromptus, Op 5 reflect Sibelius’s earlier folk-collecting phase inspired by the traditional runes of Karelia in Southeast Finland. Impromptu no 5 features sparkling arpeggios reminiscent of harp-like figurations amidst a soaring melody line, while the sixth proceeds in E major with a gentle lilt. The thematic material for both impromptus is reused from the melodrama Svartsjukans nätte. The Impromptu for Strings can be easily divided into three sections. The first section starts in a somewhat slow-paced hymn-like manner with melodic lines taken from impromptu no 5 contrasting with the second section’s buoyant waltz from impromptu no 6, while the third section is a recapitulation of the first. 16
me notes Va l s e Tr i s t e O p 4 4 ( 1 9 0 4 )
Sibelius’s signature symphonic poem, Valse Triste was originally written as incidental music for his brother-in-law Arvid Järnefelt’s play Kuolema (Death). Although original music for the play was hardly performed, Valse Triste took on a life of its own and became an instant success, being published separately as Op 44. The piece evokes a haunting scene: a woman delusional from fever dances to imaginary partners, until Death - in the form of her deceased husband - claims her.
Andante Festivo (1922) Originally for string quartet, this was the result of a commission by Walter Parviainen as a ‘festive cantata’ in 1922 for the 25th anniversary celebration of a factory in Säynätsalo. The unison of the strings captures both in texture and voices the intimate, hymn-like qualities of the piece. The quartet was also performed during the wedding of Sibelius’s niece Riitta in 1929, with the combination of two string quartets. In 1939, Sibelius conducted a rearrangement of the Andante Festivo for string orchestra and timpani at the live broadcast of the 1939 New York World’s Fair, after being persuaded by New York Times critic Olin Downes. A record of Sibelius conducting this piece with the Finnish Radio Orchestra in the broadcast remains the only surviving document of Sibelius as a conductor. 17
Pe l l é a s e t M é l i s a n d e O p 4 6 ( 1 9 0 6 ) 1. Vid slottsporten (At the Castle Gate) 2. Mélisande 3. På stranden vid havet (By the Sea) - omitted in the second half of the concert 4. En källa i parken (By a Spring in the Park) 5. De trenne blinda systrar (Three Blind Sisters) 6. Pastorale 7. Mélisande vid sländan (Mélisande at the Spinning Wheel) 8. Mellanaktsmusik (Entr’acte) 9. Mélisandes död (The Death of Mélisande) Maurice Mæterlinck’s symbolist play, Pélleas et Mélisande, inspired music by Sibelius in addition to Debussy, Fauré and Schoenberg. The play was commissioned and performed by the Swedish Theatre in Helsinki. Sibelius conducted the play’s incidental music at its 1905 premiere. Although the play received considerable success, the music did not receive recognition separately from the play until Sibelius started conducting its revised orchestral suite later. Associated with the Symbolist idea of capturing truth through indirectness and suggestions, Sibelius’s music adopted similar dreamlike tropes rather than dramatic contrasts in each movement. The play features a story of love and betrayal through Mélisande’s encounter with older prince Golaud, her tryst with his brother Pelléas and their eventual deaths. The opening movement might be familiar to British television viewers being the theme music to the BBC’s television programme ‘The Sky at Night’. In the second movement, a mournful cor anglais solo represents Mélisande’s character, while ‘By the Sea’ portrays Pélleas and Mélisande watching a ship depart in the distance. ‘By a Spring in the Park’ starts with a waltz and depicts a scene where Mélisande loses the ring that Golaud has given her. The fifth movement features another cor anglais solo answered by muted woodwinds, while ‘Pastorale’ reuses thematic material conceived earlier between 18991901. In ‘Melisande at the Spinning Wheel’, the viola’s repeating pattern resembles physically and harmonically the spinning wheel’s whir. The following movement ‘Entr’acte’ is the most intense and animated movement in the suite, where flutes and oboes signify the sick King Arkel’s recovering health. The brooding strings in the final movement characterise the tragic ending with Mélisande sick and dying in bed. Programme notes by Xin Ying Ch’ng - currently a third-year PhD student in Musicology at the University of Southampton. Her thesis ‘The English Voice of the Mid-Twentieth Century: Ferrier, Deller and Pears’, analyses construction of English national identity and nationhood during the mid-twentieth century in the context of singers and their voices.
Right: one of Carlos Schwabe’s illustrations for Maeterlinck’s Pélleas et Mélisande, from his original artwork for the 1892 first edition 18
forthcoming forthcoming són EROICA UNWRAPPED with JOHN SUCHET Friday 22 April 2016 – 8pm John Suchet - presenter Robin Browning - conductor Continuing the Unwrapped series – exploring the masterworks of classical music. Alongside Classic FM presenter and author John Suchet, són unwrap one of the greatest symphonies ever written, including a complete performance in the second half. Find out more about Beethoven, and discover why his Eroica symphony changed the course of music history. To learn more, visit: www.thesonproject.com/eroica-unwrapped Tickets on sale now £12 - £24, available from Turner Sims box office, or call 023 8059 5151
FLEDGLING FIDDLERS Children’s Summer Orchestral Workshop - in conjunction with
Southampton Music Hub
21 - 23 July 2016 Right at the start of the summer holidays, són - in partnership with Southampton Music Hub - offer local youngsters of grade 1 - 3 standard a chance to play ensemble & orchestral music together for the first time in their lives. Over three intensive but fun days, we’ll work on musical experiences of all kinds, guiding youngsters through a richly collaborative experience of their first orchestra and towards a thrilling final performance. For further details and to apply: Full details will be announced on the són website in early 2016 – visit our education page for more info, or email education@thesonproject.com
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són projects projects CONDUCTORS’ MASTERCLASS & WORKSHOP April 2016 With són Founding Patron Sian Edwards & Artistic Director Robin Browning For students of any age wishing to learn more about conducting and gain early experience, or to develop established skills with renowned teachers. This conductors’ workshop launches the són masterclass programme, offering students the chance to work with Sian Edwards, one of Europe’s leading pedagogues. A former Music Director at English National Opera and now professor of conducting at the Royal Academy of Music, Sian has recently added to her musical connections by becoming a són Founding Patron. Future masterclasses are planned for violin, piano and voice - please check our website, or sign-up for our newsletter to be informed as soon as events are announced. For further details and to apply: Full information will be available in early January 2016, with an entry deadline in February. If you’d like further information, please email: education@thesonproject.com
Interested in sponsoring these events? Visit the són circle desk in the foyer, or email our support team: support@thesonproject.com 21
Sibelius’ Theatre Sibelius’ T Music by Andrew Barnett
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ncidental music for the theatre is the genre in which Sibelius’s outstanding abilities as a composer of large canvases for orchestra were combined with his equally well-honed talent for writing concise, sharply characterized portraits of characters or scenes. He wrote for the theatre throughout much of his creative career: indeed, even while he was a student, Sibelius contributed a song to a performance of Wennerberg’s Näcken, although the rest of the music was written by his teacher Martin Wegelius.
the Karelia Overture and Suite.
In 1893, before his first major foray into incidental music in the conventional sense, Sibelius composed a large-scale set of pieces to accompany historical tableaux - a thinly disguised patriotic event at a time when Finland’s Russian rulers were increasingly interfering in the Grand Duchy’s internal affairs. Some of this score entered the concert repertoire as
The plot is a simple tale of chivalry about a virtuous Maiden imprisoned by a villainous Bailiff. It seems improbable that Sibelius did not recognize the story’s allegorical potential, but on this occasion he did not try to communicate any political message. His aim may have been to preserve something of the simplicity of Hertzberg’s text, based on a folk ballad, or he
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Three years later came Sibelius’s only complete opera. Jungfrun i tornet (The Maiden in the Tower) is not a Wagnerian music drama, but rather a one-act piece with words by the poet and novelist Rafael Hertzberg. There are only four solo singers, and the orchestra is modest in size. After conducting it three times in 1896, Sibelius refused a request for the opera to be performed again, claiming that he wished to revise it - but he never did so.
Theatre
may simply have regarded the libretto as too naïve to support a second level of meaning. Sibelius’s first significant contribution to the genre of incidental music for the theatre was a score composed in 1898 for the drama King Christian II by his friend Adolf Paul. The play is set in the sixteenth century, and centres around the love of King Christian II of Denmark, Norway and Sweden (14811559) for a Dutch girl of bourgeois birth. The première was well received, and the play was given no less than 24 times during the spring of 1898. One movement immediately attracted the public’s attention: the Musette, in which bassoons and clarinets imitate the sound of street musicians’ bagpipes and chalumeau. Before long the words ‘Minä menen Kämppiin takaisin’ (‘Now I’m off to the Kämp again’) - a reference to Sibelius’s notorious drinking sessions at Helsinki’s Hotel Kämp - came to be associated with its melody. During the summer of the same year the composer added three longer movements (scored for larger orchestra) in preparation for a further production that December. The concert suite, which is symphonic both in proportions and in layout, comprises five of the seven movements. The following year there was music for another set of historical tableaux, the ‘Press Celebrations’, virtually a patriotic rally in disguise. Again, Sibelius provided a sizeable score, and again several of the movements entered the concert repertoire. In fact the finale (slightly revised) was to become the composer’s most famous piece: Finlandia. In turn-of-the-century Finland, Symbolism was very much in fashion. Sibelius’s interest in it can be seem as a manifestation of the dreamy, imaginative and spiritual side of his
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personality that had been evident since his childhood in Hämeenlinna. Symbolism was a favoured discussion topic at meetings of the Euterpist circle, of which Sibelius was a member, and Finnish painters such as Magnus Enckell and Axel Gallén were prominent exponents of Symbolism - not least in Gallén’s painting The Problem. In the first decade of the twentieth century Symbolist playwrights such as Maeterlinck were held in high regard, and it was only natural that Finnish authors should also follow the current. It was against this backdrop that Arvid Järnefelt wrote the play Kuolema (Death) in 1903.
The play chronicles the life of the virtuous Paavali, from the bedside of his dying mother through his marriage, his life as a charitable and idealistic family man and his ultimate death. Sibelius worked on the Kuolema score during the autumn of 1903. The first performance, planned for November, had to be delayed until early December because the music was not ready in time. In all he wrote six musical numbers for string orchestra of which the first, Tempo di valse lente, was to
capture the public’s imagination to an astonishing degree under its eventual title: Valse triste. The Kuolema music was never reworked into a concert suite in the conventional sense, but shortly after the première Sibelius revised the opening number as Valse triste, and combined and shortened the third and fourth pieces to create Scene with Cranes. As a result of revisions made to the play for a new production in 1911 much of the original music became redundant, but Sibelius
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...a love triangle between Mélisande, her husband Golaud and her lover, Golaud’s brother Pelléas
17th March. The score provides a succession of preludes, entr’actes, background music and sharply drawn character portraits in an attractive style that combines late nineteenthcentury Romanticism with hints of the more classical musical language that would assume an increasingly important role in Sibelius’s production during the next few years. Maeterlinck’s Symbolist fairy-tale, on the theme of creation and ruination, revolves around a love triangle between Mélisande, her husband Golaud and her lover, Golaud’s brother Pelléas, and is set at the court of the ageing King Arkël. The new production was the highlight of the Helsinki theatre season, and Sibelius’s music was well received. ‘The theatre’s production of Pelléas et Mélisande received the most valuable support from the exquisitely atmospheric, melodious music with which Jean Sibelius illustrated Maeterlinck’s dream poem’, wrote Hjalmar Lenning in Hufvudstadsbladet. So effective was the theatre score that Sibelius omitted only one number, made the occasional small adjustment to scoring and changed the order slightly to make a concert suite that is frequently performed to this day.
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provided two supplementary movements that were played alongside the revised version of Valse triste. The delightful Canzonetta is based on material sketched in 1906, which may explain its similarity of mood with the slow movement of the Third Symphony. Valse romantique is less distinctive; Sibelius himself admitted in his diary that it is ‘alright but hardly a repertoire piece’.
Pelléas et Mélisande has proved an attractive topic for composers: Fauré, Debussy and Schoenberg are among the composers who have written music inspired by this play. Sibelius started work on his score shortly after moving to his new home, Ainola, in September 1904 and continued during a trip to Berlin the following January, returning to Helsinki in time for the première at the Swedish Theatre on
Sibelius’s music for Hjalmar Procopé’s play Belshazzar’s Feast was also written for Helsinki’s Swedish Theatre. The play tells of intrigues and murder at Belshazzar’s court in Babylon, and is freely adapted from Chapter 5 of the Book of Daniel. During the latter months of 1906 Sibelius wrote a highly atmospheric score for small orchestra, full of colourful, ‘Oriental’ sonorities. The play had been eagerly awaited: the première was sold out and the Oopperakellari restaurant even offered a special menu including ‘Tournedos à la Belsazar’!
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support a són Education Project Join the són circle - our Friends’ scheme - and help inspire the young musicians of tomorrow You can find out more and sign-up at our són circle desk in the foyer. It will be open before, during and after the concert. There are a range of support levels available and you can join today. Alternatively, if you’re interested in talking to us about individual or corporate sponsorship packages then please get in touch. Full details are available on our website - just click on the “support” tab. You can email us at: support@thesonproject.com - Thank you!
The drama proved to be something of a disappointment, however, although the music was warmly welcomed. A four-movement concert suite was reworked from the original music a fewmonths later. Some adjustments were made to the scoring but the essenceof the music remained unchanged. In 1890, when the young Sibelius visited the distinguished author and historian Zachris Topelius, he heard the older man describe Strindberg’s books as ‘mere dung’. But Sibelius had already developed a genuine admiration for Strindberg and he was keen to collaborate with such a prominent playwright. His chance came eighteen years later, in the spring of 1908, with the music for Swanwhite; Sibelius had been recommended as a composer by Strindberg’s former wife, the actress Harriet Bosse. To the composer’s disappointment, however, his relationship with Strindberg never progressed beyond the level of businesslike formality. They never met in person, and this was to be their only collaboration. Swanwhite is not one of Strindberg’s major works; it is a Symbolist fairy-tale set in the Middle Ages on the theme of love, with a fifteen-year old princess as its central character. Sibelius’s music is delicate and sensitive throughout, with a number of unifying elements: horn calls, pizzicati imitating a harp, scale-based themes and the frequent use of 3/2 or 6/4 rhythms. In July of the same year, while convalescing after a painful series of operations for throat cancer, Sibelius reworked the Swanwhite music into a seven-movement concert suite. He followed his usual practice of refining and merging the original movements, and on this occasion also expanded the orchestra required. In 1909 Sibelius wrote music for the Symbolist play Ödlan (The Lizard) by his friend Mikael Lybeck. The play is a struggle between good
and evil for love and power, and exhibits all of the trappings of fairy-tale and exoticism characteristic of Symbolist dramas, as well as their preoccupation with death. Following the death of Count Ottokar, the 23-year-old Alban inherits the family estate. Alban is engaged to an innocent young girl named Elisiv but is courted by his alluring, powerhungry older cousin Adla (=Ödlan, the lizard). Elisiv ultimately dies, and Alban kills Adla.
Sibelius supplied music for two scenes, scored for a small group of strings. As it is heard behind the dialogue, it is confined almost exclusively to a supporting function: predominantly quiet, with much syncopation and extensive chromatic writing. After the première on 6th April 1910, the critic Julius Hirn in Nya Pressen wrote: ‘With beauty and nobility this melodramatic tone poem rises up reflecting the longing for the infinite and the inconceivable that is hidden in Alban’s nervous, agitated fantasies’. The play itself disappeared after a few performances, and the music fared little better. Sibelius told his friend and patron Axel Carpelan that it was ‘one of the
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most exquisite works that I have written’ but he seems to have recognized that it was not suited to concert performance.
Unlike Sibelius’s other theatre songs, the two for Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night werenot originally orchestral: they were written for voice and guitar - his only original works involving that instrument. In Kom nu hit, död! (Come Away, Death!) Sibelius manages to conjure up the spirit of Elizabethan music - melancholy, profound and understated - without degenerating into pastiche. By contrast Hållilå, uti storm och i regn (Hey, ho, the Wind and the Rain) is a strophic bagatelle. Sibelius later made arrangements of both songs with piano accompaniment. A few months before his death in 1957, he also made an orchestral version of Kom nu hit, död - the last score he ever completed. For Adolf Paul’s play The Language of the Birds play Sibelius composed only one musical number, a Wedding March for orchestra, which
was completed on 4th August 1911. Despite its title the piece is not really march-like in character and, as far as is known, it has not been used in any stage production of Paul’s play.
Look, Mr Sibelius - The Tempest is a subject made for you. Prospero, Miranda, the spirits of Earth and Air
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In 1912 Sibelius agreed to write music for the pantomime Scaramouche to a libretto with commedia dell’arte associations by Poul Knudsen and Mikael Trepka Bloch for a production in Copenhagen. But he soon found that the text was a shameless imitation of The Veil of Pierrette by the Viennese writer Arthur Schnitzler. Moreover he was expected to provide far more music than he had originally envisaged. On 21st June 1913 he noted in his diary: ‘I ruined myself by signing the contract for Scaramouche. - Today things became so heated that I smashed the telephone. - My nerves are in tatters’. Nonetheless, he applied himself diligently to the pantomime over the next few months; the score - well over an hour of music - was ready just before Christmas. The hypnotic power of music is a central thematic strand in Scaramouche, but the plot itself is not especially subtle. Set at a ball, it involves the seduction of the dance-loving Blondelaine by Scaramouche, a sinister, black-robed, hunchbacked dwarf viola player. Sibelius employs only modest orchestral forces, and the orchestration is extremely sensitive, often with a transparency akin to
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chamber music. The music is stylistically wide-ranging: there was never any question of these elements being united into a score of symphonic cohesion, although Sibelius’s unmistakable style is in itself a significant unifying factor. Scaramouche remained unplayed for almost a decade, until May 1922. In 1916 Sibelius wrote music for Hugo von Hofmannsthal’s Jedermann - for a production at the National Theatre in Helsinki, completing it on 6th October, a month before the première. Jedermann is scored for an unusual combination of musicians: two flutes, oboe, two clarinets and bassoon, two horns, two trumpets, timpani, piano, organ, strings and mixed chorus with vocal soloists. Hofmannsthal’s play not only includes various allegorical figures – Death, Good Works, Faith, the Devil and Mammon – but is also permeated by overtly sacred motifs and religious allusions. Indeed, in no other major work by Sibelius does conventional religion play such a central role. In general, Sibelius preferred to express any religious feelings he may have had through pantheistic allusions and nature imagery. Jedermann is the most uneven of all of Sibelius’s theatre scores. Its sixteen movements cover a vast expressive range: light dance numbers, searingly dissonant writing and extended passages of delicate ‘mood music’ that accompany the spoken text. The complete score was never intended to be performed independently from the action on stage, and does not really work as a concert item unless at least some dialogue is included. After completing his Seventh Symphony in 1924, Sibelius found himself in something of a creative vacuum. He was toying with the idea of a Jedermann suite when, in May
1925, the Royal Theatre in Copenhagen and the publisher Wilhelm Hansen asked him for incidental music for a new production of Shakespeare’s Tempest. Sibelius admired Shakespeare greatly, and as early as February 1901 the composer’s friend and patron Axel Carpelan had suggested that The Tempest was well suited to Sibelius’s creative temperament (‘Look, Mr Sibelius - The Tempest is a subject made for you. Prospero, Miranda, the spirits of Earth and Air’).
So far, though, the composer’s only significant attempt to set Shakespeare’s words to music had been the two songs for Twelfth Night (1909). The Copenhagen commission fired the composer’s enthusiasm - but there was no time to waste: Hansen wanted the score by 1st September, just four months away, to allow sufficient rehearsal time before a projected première at the end of the year. The Danish producer, Johannes Poulsen, had some unconventional ideas: for instance, he omitted the shipwreck scene from the beginning of the play; this is portrayed instead musically in Sibelius’s overture. Sibelius somehow managed to deliver the music on time, although the first
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night was in fact put back until March 1926. The Tempest is a huge score - as long as Scaramouche, but scored for more lavish forces including vocal soloists, choir, large orchestra and harmonium: it comprises no fewer than 34 musical numbers (including some brief pieces that are repeated). In 1927 Sibelius attempted to revise the music for concert use, but what had proved an inspirational subject less than two years earlier now failed to arouse his enthusiasm. Moreover, he was no longer a young man and a shaking hand made it physically uncomfortable to compose. ‘It’s like having to do my homework again’, he noted in his diary. In the end he selected the prelude (unchanged) and two suites of nine movements each; the first suite ends with a foreshortened variant of the prelude that ends abruptly at the height of the storm.
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Violin Concerto, the extent and quality of his output for the theatre often come as a surprise. In his own time and country, his stage music was rightly regarded as an important part of his output: indeed, a Helsinki music-lover who wanted to hear Sibelius conduct would have had far more frequent opportunities to do so in the theatre than in the concert halls. And even in concert, Sibelius often performed the suites derived from his theatre scores. These suites allow this vivid and colourful music to move effortlessly from the theatre to the concert hall, and thereby bring an important part of his work to a wider audience - in modern Britain just as in Finland a century ago.
At the end of The Tempest, Prospero says:
© Andrew Barnett 2015
Andrew Barnett is General Manager of Sibelius One The International Sibelius Society www.sibeliusone.com
Now my charms are all o’erthrown, And what strength I have’s mine own, Which is most faint.
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And for Sibelius, who arguably identified rather strongly with Shakespeare’s magician, it was the same: with this work he bade farewell to the theatre genre. With its great variety of moods, seemingly endless thematic invention and sparkling orchestration, The Tempest represents the zenith of Sibelius’s theatre music. For modern listeners who know Sibelius only through his symphonies, tone poems and
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If we understood the world, we would realise that there is a
logic of harmony underlying its manifold apparent dissonances.
Jean Sibelius, 1907 In conversation with Gustav Mahler
Recommended Recor Recommended Interested in finding out more, or listening again? Artistic Director Robin Browning suggests selected performances of today’s repertoire PELLÉAS et MÉLLISANDE Iceland Symphony Orchestra, Petri Sakari (Chandos) I love this recording, having first come across it many years ago whilst preparing for my very first performance of it. Sakari captures a real sense of the drama, with darkness and light fabulously contrasted. His pacing is wonderful - never lingering, leaving enough space for the music to breathe yet keeping its gloriously simple momentum. Coupled with two other Sibelian mini-masterpieces: Swan White and King Christian II.
IMPROMPTU for STRINGS Helsinki Junior Strings Orchestra with Csaba & Geza Szilvay – Finlandia Records (Warner Classics) From a compilation album called “Kaamos - Polar Night”, this is a gorgeous interpretation from these young players. With real finesse and refreshing depth, they capture the essence of both sides of this music: the melancholy of the slow opening, and uplifting spirit of the central section.
ANDANTE FESTIVO
Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, Mariss Jansons (EMI) Such a beautifully simple piece, of course, and here given a straightforward but full-bodied performance. Jansons can sometimes push his Sibelius Symphonies a little too quickly for my taste, but in this elegant coupling to Symphony No 2 he finds both a warm sound and a good feel for the subtle rapture of this music.
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rdings d Recordings VALSE TRISTE Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, Paavo Järvi (You Tube) Yes, I’m cheating a bit with this one, but couldn’t resist. I’m a little biased (Paavo was one of my teachers) but this is a great display of masterful conducting. Such flexibility and control from conductor and players - as if anything is possible. A sad waltz, yes, but also a dark and tortured one, too - exactly what this piece should be.
COMPLETE SYMPHONIES
London Symphony Orchestra, Anthony Collins (Decca Eloquence) Finally, I can’t write about Sibelius recordings in this 150th year and not mention the symphonies. I’m never sure how many people know about this remarkable set. They’re quick, yes, and mono too – perhaps you’ll feel the need to supplement with a more recent, stereo version - but Collins’ clean & sinewy readings make this set indispensable for me.
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Piparkakut Finnish Gingerbread Biscuits
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by Peggy Saas, Finnish Cookery writer & photographer
My favourite Finnish Christmas sweet treats are Piparkakut, or as we knew them as kids, Joulupiparit. Delicious little gingerbread biscuits with a spicy taste made into the shape of Christmas trees, gingerbread men, hearts and stars. There’s something so comforting about gingerbread: the aromatic spices combined with the molasses-y smell of golden syrup. Mum’s recipe for this was pretty basic. Add this, and that, and a bit of this, boil, mix, then add this, roll, cut, bake. Usually I will call her and ask how long on this, or what should this texture look like, but this time I just went with my gut. And my nose. And memory. 36
ingredients Makes 80-90 pieces (a few were eaten amid baking so I lost count) ¾ cup golden syrup 200g caster sugar 250g butter 2 teaspoons cinnamon 2 teaspoons ground cloves 2 teaspoons ground ginger 1 tablespoon citrus peel (dried orange and lemon) 2 eggs 500g plain flour 1 teaspoon salt 3 teaspoon bi-carb soda
method
Bring golden syrup, sugar, butter, spices and citrus peel to boil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cool slightly and then beat with electric beater until lighter and paler in colour. Beat in eggs one at the time. Sift flour, salt and soda together, add to the mixture and bring together to form dough. Wrap dough with glad wrap and leave in the fridge overnight. Next day: Preheat oven to 200°C. Roll out dough as thin as possible on a floured surface. Using cookie cutters, cut dough into desired shapes. Place onto oven trays, brush with iced water and bake in oven until brown and slightly puffy (about 7-8 minutes). I gather you can store these in an airtight container for a week or two but I doubt they’d last past a few days in our house. So good luck with that.
Reproduced with permission from Peggy Saas “wishing són & their audience every good wish for Christmas” www.cakecrumbsbeachsand.com 37
Thanks & Credits Thanks & són are grateful to all the individuals and companies who have offered support, advice and guidance. Thank you, also, to our small - but growing - number of Friends and corporate sponsors. We are indebted to you for your generosity, passion and commitment to our work.
Specific thanks go to: Kevin Appleby & the staff at Turner Sims Christina Tolvas-Vincent for many gestures of support Andrew Barnett for the article & Xin Ying Ch’ng for the programme notes Paul Ingram, James Mayhew & Paul Fitzpatrick - our advisory team Identity Signage & Printing, Eastbourne for the programme & banners Tashmina Artists & Sally Richardson Our team of interns – Daisy, Emily, Fiona & Harry Joe Roberts for his work towards the design of this programme
Photo credits: p12 David Owen Norris p13 (top) Kaupo Kikkas p13 (bottom) Alexa Kidd-May p6, 17, 20, 26 Robin Browning p19 Carlos Schwabe p35 (top) Christophe Uhl p36 Peggy Saas p38 Leon Chia All other photographs of Sibelius by Santeri Levas/Finnish Museum of Photography
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