I am a huge lover of Jean Sibelius' works. I have had the absolute delight of performing the Swan of Tuonela twice as the soloist (Cor Anglais of course).
I think if I was an animal, a swan or a duck is most like my personality and temperament. Above the surface of the water, there is serenity, the only thing you see is the wake on the water... Below the surface though, the swan or the duck are moving strenuously through the water - rapidly moving to get to where they want to go...
And it helps that they are beautiful animals...
I suggested to someone on Facebook they use the Tuonela work as the soundtrack to his video of a swan emerging from a deep fog... as I watched it I could imagine the beginning of the work. I think the timing of the emergence of the swan was fits with the beginning of the Cor solo...
Thankyou for posting this information. I had already researched the backstory, but the extra knowledge is great.
There is a beautiful quote from the Kalevala about the Swan. It goes as follows...
At the top of the score for The Swan of Tuonela Sibelius writes:
“Tuonela, the land of death, the hell of Finnish mythology, is surrounded by a large river of black waters and a rapid current, in which the swan of Tuonela glides majestically singing.”
I'm so jealous that you've performed as the swan twice, Felicity! I can only imagine the sensations you've felt bringing this character to life. And I love the way you describe the action of swans and ducks in the water — so many parallels to the creative process. Thanks for your lovely comment. 💙
I also play Orchestral Percussion with the same orchestra and am called in to play in a second - amateur orchestras. In March of this year, I had the absolute honour of playing Timpani for a performance of Beethoven's Symphony no. 7.... What an absolute THRILL!!! I know the Symphony very well, having studied it back in VCE (Victorian Certificate of Education). In the final 2 years of school (VCE - year 11 and 12) I chose to take the subject Music History and Styles. In Year 12 we studied Beethoven's 7th and Carl Vine's Percussion Symphony. If you have never heard that then here:
The year I studied it, the MSO (Melbourne Symphony) performed it as part of their concert series and Carl Vine happened to be there. He spoke about his work - I regret, I don't think I listened very carefully because all I remember is feeling honoured that the Composer was in attendance.
I began my musical journey when I was 5 years old; starting with the violin - mum is a string player - but not liking it, so I learned Descant Recorder for a year and got through the wherever the rating system starts (Grade 1?) to the end of the book, which had Grade 4 pieces... I still remember the beginning of a piece that I think was called "Clowns"? When I was 10 years old (Grade 5 at school) I began my journey with the splendour of double reeded instruments. Later, the Percussion section needed an extra player, and I was kind of a third wheel in the oboe section, unless there was something requiring Cor, so I started to play when it was needed. Now I almost exclusively play Percussion and a little bit of Cor when required. I do also fill in when I can, when either of the current oboists are absent...
PLAYING MUSIC IS SUCH A RUSH!!! Going for it on the Tambourine and Triangle in Capriccio Italienne. So many WONDERFUL works with so many wonderful soloists... You will hear about one young man I think around the world... His Name is Ben Fu. He is 19 and he played the Rach 2... The beautiful silences in the last movement... MAGIC! He will be a STAR. He already is.
I am in awe of all the backstory and knowledge you have of the composer and this piece! You're becoming a staple in my musical education I'm glad you exist :) Thanks for sharing this beautiful music!
Connie! I can't tell you how much your comment means to me — I'm all verklempt. 😭 I'm glad you exist, too! And I'm so grateful that my newsletter is providing you with so much discovery and awe. 💙
Michael!! I’m virtually breathless over here. I have to admit I’ve never encountered Lemminkäinen Suite. And what do you know, I’ve found my new melancholia heaven!! Absolutely magnificent in every way possible. And the visuals you paint with your exquisite description makes the piece ever the more lush and heart wrenching. My creative soul aches for Sibelius in those final years. “Innovating geniuses” are completely overrated! You’re right; artists everywhere can commiserate. I’m relieved his work is revered to this day. I watched the live performance and, again, totally breathless by the end. What labor!! Thrilling to say the least!! (Although, I will say that I think I am partial to the hushed, understated conclusion in the recording of the second movement.) Thank you so much for introducing me to this work!! Through your lyrical perspective, I’m once again in my {melancholy} happy place 💙
Thank you, Katie — this is breathtaking music indeed! (Thankfully we aren't left as breathless as the English horn player at the end of this piece.)
I'm so glad Sibelius's solitary swan transported you to a melancholy happy place. It's funny — I remember exactly where I was when I first heard Sibelius's music (the Second Symphony my second year of high school), but I can't remember the first time hearing Swan. After decades of being moved by its shadowy beauty, the music is so hardwired in my brain that I can't find the source.
But my feelings for the piece — all of his pieces — was certainly amplified when I read of his final decades of silence. You're so right: Innovation is completely overrated! And it breaks my heart that he saw himself as an "apparition in the woods." I like to think that wherever Sibelius's energy is currently floating through the cosmos, he can feel the reverberations of his music emanating from concert halls, speakers, and headphones all around the world. 💙
The English Horn player! Yes, sir, please take a breather!!
If I had to pick hardwired music to my brain, this is certainly a top pick! (And maybe a little better than when Willem Dafoe picked Hall & Oates "Private Eyes" for his hardwired song selection ;) haha!)
Your imagery of Sibelius being comforted by our universal celebration of his talent puts my soul at ease, thank you for that!!
I can tell you... It was very difficult to find places where you could breathe. It took a few home practice sessions and the advice of the Musical Director and Concertmaster, and an obsessive listening to the work to sort out where to breathe...
The section where it gets much more intense (in the middle of the piece) It was especially hard to find places to breathe.
It also sounds much easier to play than it is... The timing is really obscure. Cor entries where it felt intuitively wrong... The first time I performed it I missed the either the first or second entry... I was nervous standing right out the front of the orchestra, rather than the usual solos played amongst the orchestra...
Still... It was an honour to be able to bring Sibelius' work to life...
From my clarinet-playing days, I always had a sense this work would be a doozy when it comes to breath support, Felicity. And Sibelius doesn't make things any easier when that climax is in the uppermost register of the instrument as well! 😱
Thanks for reading and commenting, Jacob! The Second Symphony is the first piece I ever heard by Sibelius — I feel like it rewired my brain in the best possible way. So glad you’ve had the chance to experience that work live!
Oct 1, 2023·edited Oct 1, 2023Liked by Michael Cirigliano II
Such a pleasant experience reading an informative article, looking at the beautiful illustrations and listening. What better way to spend a Sunday afternoon? Thank you!
I am a huge lover of Jean Sibelius' works. I have had the absolute delight of performing the Swan of Tuonela twice as the soloist (Cor Anglais of course).
I think if I was an animal, a swan or a duck is most like my personality and temperament. Above the surface of the water, there is serenity, the only thing you see is the wake on the water... Below the surface though, the swan or the duck are moving strenuously through the water - rapidly moving to get to where they want to go...
And it helps that they are beautiful animals...
I suggested to someone on Facebook they use the Tuonela work as the soundtrack to his video of a swan emerging from a deep fog... as I watched it I could imagine the beginning of the work. I think the timing of the emergence of the swan was fits with the beginning of the Cor solo...
Thankyou for posting this information. I had already researched the backstory, but the extra knowledge is great.
There is a beautiful quote from the Kalevala about the Swan. It goes as follows...
At the top of the score for The Swan of Tuonela Sibelius writes:
“Tuonela, the land of death, the hell of Finnish mythology, is surrounded by a large river of black waters and a rapid current, in which the swan of Tuonela glides majestically singing.”
The whole page, published by Alex Burns on 24th March 2020, is here: https://classicalexburns.com/2020/03/24/jean-sibelius-the-swan-of-tuonela-gliding-into-darkness/
I'm so jealous that you've performed as the swan twice, Felicity! I can only imagine the sensations you've felt bringing this character to life. And I love the way you describe the action of swans and ducks in the water — so many parallels to the creative process. Thanks for your lovely comment. 💙
I also play Orchestral Percussion with the same orchestra and am called in to play in a second - amateur orchestras. In March of this year, I had the absolute honour of playing Timpani for a performance of Beethoven's Symphony no. 7.... What an absolute THRILL!!! I know the Symphony very well, having studied it back in VCE (Victorian Certificate of Education). In the final 2 years of school (VCE - year 11 and 12) I chose to take the subject Music History and Styles. In Year 12 we studied Beethoven's 7th and Carl Vine's Percussion Symphony. If you have never heard that then here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BVcPl3_nj0&ab_channel=musicanth
The year I studied it, the MSO (Melbourne Symphony) performed it as part of their concert series and Carl Vine happened to be there. He spoke about his work - I regret, I don't think I listened very carefully because all I remember is feeling honoured that the Composer was in attendance.
I began my musical journey when I was 5 years old; starting with the violin - mum is a string player - but not liking it, so I learned Descant Recorder for a year and got through the wherever the rating system starts (Grade 1?) to the end of the book, which had Grade 4 pieces... I still remember the beginning of a piece that I think was called "Clowns"? When I was 10 years old (Grade 5 at school) I began my journey with the splendour of double reeded instruments. Later, the Percussion section needed an extra player, and I was kind of a third wheel in the oboe section, unless there was something requiring Cor, so I started to play when it was needed. Now I almost exclusively play Percussion and a little bit of Cor when required. I do also fill in when I can, when either of the current oboists are absent...
PLAYING MUSIC IS SUCH A RUSH!!! Going for it on the Tambourine and Triangle in Capriccio Italienne. So many WONDERFUL works with so many wonderful soloists... You will hear about one young man I think around the world... His Name is Ben Fu. He is 19 and he played the Rach 2... The beautiful silences in the last movement... MAGIC! He will be a STAR. He already is.
I could go on and on....
Regards,
Felicity
I am in awe of all the backstory and knowledge you have of the composer and this piece! You're becoming a staple in my musical education I'm glad you exist :) Thanks for sharing this beautiful music!
Connie! I can't tell you how much your comment means to me — I'm all verklempt. 😭 I'm glad you exist, too! And I'm so grateful that my newsletter is providing you with so much discovery and awe. 💙
Yay!! I can’t wait for the next one :) keep going!! and I learned a new word! Verklempt!
Michael!! I’m virtually breathless over here. I have to admit I’ve never encountered Lemminkäinen Suite. And what do you know, I’ve found my new melancholia heaven!! Absolutely magnificent in every way possible. And the visuals you paint with your exquisite description makes the piece ever the more lush and heart wrenching. My creative soul aches for Sibelius in those final years. “Innovating geniuses” are completely overrated! You’re right; artists everywhere can commiserate. I’m relieved his work is revered to this day. I watched the live performance and, again, totally breathless by the end. What labor!! Thrilling to say the least!! (Although, I will say that I think I am partial to the hushed, understated conclusion in the recording of the second movement.) Thank you so much for introducing me to this work!! Through your lyrical perspective, I’m once again in my {melancholy} happy place 💙
Thank you, Katie — this is breathtaking music indeed! (Thankfully we aren't left as breathless as the English horn player at the end of this piece.)
I'm so glad Sibelius's solitary swan transported you to a melancholy happy place. It's funny — I remember exactly where I was when I first heard Sibelius's music (the Second Symphony my second year of high school), but I can't remember the first time hearing Swan. After decades of being moved by its shadowy beauty, the music is so hardwired in my brain that I can't find the source.
But my feelings for the piece — all of his pieces — was certainly amplified when I read of his final decades of silence. You're so right: Innovation is completely overrated! And it breaks my heart that he saw himself as an "apparition in the woods." I like to think that wherever Sibelius's energy is currently floating through the cosmos, he can feel the reverberations of his music emanating from concert halls, speakers, and headphones all around the world. 💙
The English Horn player! Yes, sir, please take a breather!!
If I had to pick hardwired music to my brain, this is certainly a top pick! (And maybe a little better than when Willem Dafoe picked Hall & Oates "Private Eyes" for his hardwired song selection ;) haha!)
Your imagery of Sibelius being comforted by our universal celebration of his talent puts my soul at ease, thank you for that!!
I can tell you... It was very difficult to find places where you could breathe. It took a few home practice sessions and the advice of the Musical Director and Concertmaster, and an obsessive listening to the work to sort out where to breathe...
The section where it gets much more intense (in the middle of the piece) It was especially hard to find places to breathe.
It also sounds much easier to play than it is... The timing is really obscure. Cor entries where it felt intuitively wrong... The first time I performed it I missed the either the first or second entry... I was nervous standing right out the front of the orchestra, rather than the usual solos played amongst the orchestra...
Still... It was an honour to be able to bring Sibelius' work to life...
From my clarinet-playing days, I always had a sense this work would be a doozy when it comes to breath support, Felicity. And Sibelius doesn't make things any easier when that climax is in the uppermost register of the instrument as well! 😱
I saw Sibelius second symphony played by the St. Louis Philharmonic and loved it! Loved the reading, thanks for sharing I learned a lot
Thanks for reading and commenting, Jacob! The Second Symphony is the first piece I ever heard by Sibelius — I feel like it rewired my brain in the best possible way. So glad you’ve had the chance to experience that work live!
Such a pleasant experience reading an informative article, looking at the beautiful illustrations and listening. What better way to spend a Sunday afternoon? Thank you!
Thanks, Jules! Glad you enjoyed your journey to Tuonela. 💙