Sibelius worked on an opera called "The Burning of the Boat" in 1894, using its musical material in the symphonic Lemminkäinen poems, particularly in "The Swan of Tuonela."
Composition History
Sibelius initially titled these four orchestral pieces "Symphonic Poems on Motifs from the Lemminkainen Myth" for their premiere concert in Helsinki on April 13, 1896.
Performer Biography
The Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, one of Scandinavia's oldest, was founded in 1905 and has hosted famous guest conductors like Bruno Walter and Herbert von Karajan.
Critical Reception
The first version of the Lemminkäinen poems received enormous public and critical acclaim, but the composer was not satisfied and presented a new version the following year.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Sibelius stated, "I am a tone painter and poet. It is Liszt's view of music which is closest to me. The symphonic poem, that is, (this was what I meant by poet)."
Performer Biography
Neeme Järvi, the conductor on this recording, was born in Estonia in 1937 and received his main conducting training in Leningrad.
Critical Reception
The revised version of the Lemminkäinen poems was met with criticism, with Karl Flodin, a leading Helsinki critic, calling the music "purely pathological."
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