Jean Sibelius
(1865-1957)
Symphony No. 1, Opus 39 (1898-99)
PROGRAM NOTES & COMMENTARY
Only five years separate Tchaikovsky’s last symphony (1893) from Sibelius’s First (1898-99). The Russian master — a modern master in the last years of the 19th century — was one of the most important early influences on Sibelius, who once confided in a letter to his wife: “There is much in that man that I recognize in myself.” Later, however, he declared that the differences between Tchaikovsky and himself were more important than the similarities:
“I cannot understand why my symphonies are so often compared with Tchaikovsky’s. His symphonies are very human, but they represent the soft part of human nature. Mine are the hard part.”
Quiz yourself on facts about Sibelius
SELECTED WORKS OF SIBELIUS
SYMPHONIES
1899 Symphony no. 1
1902 Symphony no. 2
1907 Symphony no. 3
1911 Symphony no. 4
1915 Symphony no. 5
1923 Symphony no. 6
1924 Symphony no. 7
INCIDENTAL MUSIC FOR ORCHESTRA
1898 King Christian II
1903 Kuolema
1905 Pelléas et Mélisande
1906 Belshazzar’s Feast
1908 Swanwhite
1916 Jedermann
1926 The Tempest
CHORAL WITH ORCHESTRA
1892 Kullervo
1896 Cantata for the Coronation of Tsar Nicholas II
1902 The Origin of Fire
1906 The Captive Queen
1918 Our Native Land
1919 Song of the Earth
CONCERTOS
1904 Violin Concerto in D Minor
ORCHESTRAL MUSIC
1892 En Saga
1893 Karelia Suite
1893 The Swan of Tuonela
1899 Finlandia
1904 Valse triste
1904 Romance for String Orchestra
1905 Suite from Pelléas and Mélisande
1906 Pohjola’s Daughter
1908 Night Ride and Sunrise
1910 The Dryad
1913 The Bard
1914 The Oceanides
1926 Tapiola
CHAMBER MUSIC
1890 String Quartet in Bb major
1890 Piano Quintet in G Minor
1909 String Quartet in D Minor “Voces intimae”
CYS Performance History
Works by Jean Sibelius
The following Sibelius works have been performed by CYS since 1990:
1991 Symphony No. 1 in E Minor, op. 39
2004 Violin Concerto in D Minor, op. 47
2009 Violin Concerto in D Minor, op. 47
2014 Finlandia (AO)
2023 Finlandia (AO)
2023 Symphony No. 1 in E Minor, op. 39
2024 Violin Concerto in D Minor, op. 47