Keep Oppo Jean Sibelius

"ttyymmnn" (ttyymmnn) 05/10/2016 at 18:36 • Filed to: None

3

12

This week, the Austin Symphony is performing Vårsång , a tone poem by Jean Sibelius which translates as “Spring Song.” My trumpet teacher once said, “Sibelius is some of the warmest cold music I know.” It’s a brilliant observation. Those who may be more familiar with Sibelius’ well known Finlandia , or his often-performed second symphony, will find this a wonderful breath of fresh air. And those of you who have never listened to Sibelius should give it a try. It’s a beautiful work.

d15b > ttyymmnn 05/10/2016 at 18:38

0

I believe, this is what they call “high-brow” culture.

ttyymmnn > d15b 05/10/2016 at 18:39

1

I can assure you, I’m not high brow. This is just beautiful music, no matter where your brow falls.

d15b > ttyymmnn 05/10/2016 at 18:52

0

Here is a favorite of mine:

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > ttyymmnn 05/10/2016 at 18:52

0

Is it better than Nickelback?

ttyymmnn > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 05/10/2016 at 18:55

1

Just a bit.

Biggus Dickus (RevsBro) > ttyymmnn 05/10/2016 at 18:57

0

I’ve never dabbled in sibelius. May need to change that. My jam for the day for your time:

ttyymmnn > d15b 05/10/2016 at 18:58

1

Love me some Tchaik!

ttyymmnn > Biggus Dickus (RevsBro) 05/10/2016 at 19:02

1

Hard to go wrong with Mozart. Here’s my favorite piano concerto, performed by Murray Perahia. The second movement is particularly beautiful.

Biggus Dickus (RevsBro) > ttyymmnn 05/10/2016 at 19:23

0

No 23 is obviously his most popular but rightly so. I haven’t to Perahia’s interpretation but I have always liked Helene Grimaud’s quite a bit (I’m a pianist if you can’t tell).

ttyymmnn > Biggus Dickus (RevsBro) 05/10/2016 at 20:28

1

I’ll have to listen to that performance. I find Perahia’s phrasing in the second movement simply amazing. Sometimes a note is held for only a millisecond longer than it appears on the page. But there is so much music in that sticky finger.

Cé hé sin > ttyymmnn 05/11/2016 at 05:32

0

Vårsång

Which rather begs the question of why a Finnish composer used a Swedish title. More internationally accessible I suppose. Swedish remains a compulsory subject in Finnish schools and many don’t like it. The å in this propaganda poster is supposed to represent Swedish.

ttyymmnn > Cé hé sin 05/11/2016 at 09:58

2

It is my understanding that, though Sibelius lived and wrote in Finland, he was of Swedish heritage. And the whole Finnish/Swedish language conflict was rather a big deal back then, too. I found this while doing a little digging. This piece was originally titled simply, “Improvisation.”

Goss, Glenda Dawn. Sibelius: A Composer’s Life and the Awakening of Finland