Jean Sibelius - Malinconia, Op. 20 (1900)

"The last years of the 19th century saw the Finnish composer and conductor Jean Sibelius' works heard more and more in Finland and outside of Finland as well. Sibelius was part of the artistic renaissance in Finland and his reputation went beyond just a Finnish composer of Finnish music. He became a symbol of the struggles of Finland to free itself from Russia who had annexed the country and ruled over it for over 100 years. The turn of the century was keeping up with the trend as Sibelius took every opportunity to write Finnish inspired music.

Sibelius and his wife were separated over the New Year's celebration of 1900 because his wife was away at her brother's house, as his daughter had just died in a typhus epidemic. A few weeks later the epidemic had reached the town of Kerava where Sibelius and his family lived, and on the 13th of February their 15-month old daughter Kirsti died. Aino took the other children away from Kerava and away from the epidemic. Kirsti was the youngest daughter and Sibelius was very attached to her. In March, Sibelius wrote to his wife:

""I think very often of you, joy of my heart. If only you could get over it. I don't know what I ought to do. My dearest, don't look back on the past but forward. It is the only way to survive (or better; don't look forward, live in the present). The countryside is so beautiful and besides that you have the children and - I dare scarcely even to say - me."

The death of his youngest daughter affected Sibelius profoundly. His drinking, a recurring problem for Sibelius, got worse after his daugher's death, His grief was such that he never spoke of Kristi again for the rest of his life. It was in the aftermath of this personal tragedy that Sibelius composed Malinconia For Cello And Piano. The title likely reflects Sibelius' frame of mind at the time but Sibelius was also familiar with a painting he had seen at an art exhibition in 1895 by Magnus Enckell, a Finnish symbolist painter, titled Malinconia. Some writers find a connection between the painting and the musical work, others do not. Perhaps it was a subconscious influence that helped shape Sibelius' piece.

It has been alleged by some that Sibelius wrote the complete piece in three hours. It was originally titled Fantasia and given its first performance on March 12, 1900.

Thank you for watching!

[MarcoSavínMoreno]

There is something symphonic in this pice, I can imagine some parts in the 5 symphony.

[olenadenysenko]

Спасибо, прекрасная музыка и исполнение! Кто играл?

[jockmoron]

Severe and forbidding. Not a comfortable listen, but composed at a time of great emotional turmoil, death of his youngest daughter during typhoid epidemic, and the beginning of a serious alcohol problem. The title is pretty accurate - there is something experimental about this score. . Not surprisingly, this person who thought he knew his Sibelius, had not heard this piece before. It is to be performed in the Martinborough Music Festival, New Zealand, in September this year.

[Eira-vttl]

En nyt osaa sanoa, ikävä kyllä, olen kuuntelemessa, yritån katsoa.