It seems that, in terms of his music, Jean Sibelius wanted to show a different face to Finland than the one seen by the rest of the world. Music that he produced for specific local occasions such as theatrical productions and cantatas for university graduations betray a mildly experimental bent that is analogous in painting to the work of an early Fauvist or, perhaps, Norwegian proto-modernist Edvard Munch. However, he did not allow these pieces written for Finnish audiences out of his cabinet, usually withholding ...
Read More
It seems that, in terms of his music, Jean Sibelius wanted to show a different face to Finland than the one seen by the rest of the world. Music that he produced for specific local occasions such as theatrical productions and cantatas for university graduations betray a mildly experimental bent that is analogous in painting to the work of an early Fauvist or, perhaps, Norwegian proto-modernist Edvard Munch. However, he did not allow these pieces written for Finnish audiences out of his cabinet, usually withholding publication of the originals in favor of heavily revised "suites" from same, or worse, destroying the scores. To the outside world, he wanted to be reckoned as a Romantic, and some writers have proclaimed Sibelius "The Last Romantic," notwithstanding the presence of Richard Strauss and the fact that the latter remained active in music long after "The Silence in Jarvenpäa" had commenced. The traditional view of Sibelius as a holdout of Romanticism, and therefore, as a Germanic artist, is...
Read Less
