Symphony No. 1 (Sibelius)
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Jean Sibelius's Symphony No. 1 in E minor, Opus 39 was written in 1898 when Sibelius was 33. It was given its first performance on 26 April 1899 by the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by the composer himself, in an original version which has not survived. After the premiere Sibelius made some revisions, resulting in the version which is performed today. The revised version was completed in the spring and summer of 1900, and was first performed by the Helsinki Philharmonic under the baton of Robert Kajanus on 1 July 1900.
Unlike Sibelius's later symphonies, the piece does not closely resemble the brass-heavy symphonic movements, such as Finlandia, that Sibelius is known for. Instead, the symphony closely mimics the lyric style of Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and German composer Johannes Brahms. Though Sibelius later denied being influenced by Tchaikovsky or Brahms, the lyricism and the light use of brass is evidence of emulation. Though the piece was initially classified as being romantic, some music historians argue that it should be classified as modern.
The symphony is characterized by its use of string and woodwind solos; the first movement opens with a long and somewhat rambling clarinet solo over a timpani roll (the music of which returns at the beginning of the fourth movement, fortissimo in the strings, with wind and brass chordal accompaniment), and subsequent movements include violin, viola, and cello solos. In addition, the piece is also characterized by its distinctively minor tones that contrast with the piece's major tonality sections.
The work has a duration of approximately 35-36 minutes. However, many conductors choose to slacken the speeds that are suggested by Sibelius's metronome markings, particularly in the fast part (allegro energico) of the first movement. Because of this, many versions of the symphony are about 38-40 minutes long (indeed, the publishers suggest the duration is 40 minutes [1]). When being played in slower tempi, the work is likely to be regarded as grandiose and romantic, while the faster tempi makes it more youthful. In Osmo Vänskä's recording of the work, released in 1997, the first movement is played in Sibelius's own tempo and clocking in at 9:42, to be compared with the 10½ - 11½ minutes that it takes on most other recordings.
[edit] Movements
Like most symphonies, it is in four movements:
- Andante, ma non troppo - Allegro energico (dotted half note = 108 M.M.)
- Andante (ma non troppo lento) (half note = 54 M.M.)
- Scherzo: Allegro (dotted half note = 108 M.M.)
- Finale: Andante - Allegro molto - Andante assai - Allegro molto come prima - Andante (ma non troppo)
The first recording was made by Robert Kajanus with the London Symphony Orchestra for the HMV label in May 1930.
