SIBELIUS – Symphonic Poem ‘Finlandia’ (1899) – 12 CELLOS

Other Identification:
Jean Sibelius, born Johan Julius Christian Sibelius 8th December 1865 (died in 1957) was a Finnish composer of the late Romantic and early-modern periods. He is widely regarded as his country’s greatest composer, and his music is often credited with having helped Finland develop a stronger national identity when his country was struggling from several attempts of Russification in the late 19th century.

Sibelius composed prolifically until the mid-1920s, but after completing his Seventh Symphony (1924), the incidental music for The Tempest (1926), and the tone poem Tapiola (1926), he stopped producing major works in his last 30 years—a retirement commonly referred to as the “silence of Järvenpää” (the location of his home).

After the seven symphonies and the violin concerto, Sibelius’s thirteen symphonic poems are his most important works for orchestra and, along with the tone poems of Richard Strauss, represent some of the most important contributions to the genre.

Finlandia, probably the best known of all Sibelius’s works, was first privately performed in November 1899, but had its public premiere in revised form in July 1900. Although he initially composed it for orchestra, in 1900 Sibelius arranged the work for solo piano. In order to avoid Russian censorship, Finlandia had to be performed under alternative names at various musical concerts; examples include ‘Happy Feelings at the awakening of Finnish Spring’, and ‘A Scandinavian Choral March’.

Although Sibelius insisted it was primarily an orchestral piece, it became a world favourite for choirs too, especially for the hymn episode. Finally, the composer consented and in 1937 and 1940 agreed to words for the hymn, first for the Freemasons and later for more general use.