The request for Sibelius to compose music for The Tempest came at a good time, allowing him to use his compositional imagination after a decade of focusing on challenging symphonic issues.
Performer Biography
The Royal Danish Orchestra, with a history dating back to 1448, is unique among world orchestras and is particularly famous for its string sound, possessing an exclusive collection of Italian master string instruments.
Composition History
Sibelius's incidental music to Shakespeare's The Tempest was a commissioned work, unlike his symphonies which arose from 'inner necessity'.
Compositional Technique
For The Tempest, Sibelius used a large orchestra, including a harmonium and a mixed choir, for the 34 expressive pieces of music.
Recording & Production
This recording represents the music played at the 1925 world premiere of Sibelius's incidental music to Shakespeare's The Tempest at Copenhagen's Royal Theatre.
Performer Biography
Hanne Fischer, a mezzo-soprano, was the first voice heard from the Copenhagen Opera House stage at its official opening in 2005, premiering a Shakespeare sonnet written for her by Poul Ruders.
Compositional Technique
The overture to The Tempest features surging chromatic string movements, transposed whole-tone passages in the wind section, and aggressive brass outbursts, concluding with a spectral overtones chord.
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