Sibelius Finlandia
Sibelius Finlandia Suite Program Notes
The music that is now Finlandia was first a seven-movement suite, performed in Helsinki for an 1899 “Press Celebrations” event, dedicated to Finnish journalists recently banned by Russia’s Czar Nicholas II. At its opening, Finlandia’s Andante sostenuto chorale harmonies (in brass then woodwinds) sound somewhat Orthodox Russian, reminiscent of music that could have been composed by Tchaikovsky or Rachmaninoff. Its weighty writing pushes any melodies down to the tonic of the introduction’s main key, F minor. This key is frequently used by composers seeking a serious sound, with its darkness due to the absence of most open strings. In this author’s opinion, the key is no accident, the same as Beethoven’s Egmont Overture (with its portrayal of a Dutch people under Spanish oppression a parallel to Finns under the Czars). A dramatic Allegro moderato fanfare interrupts, in a section featuring rising and hopeful string triplets, and, modulating into its related A-flat major, heroic writing in the horns. From this climax, a string tremolo emerges, evoking hushed Finnish forests. A hymn-like melody emerges. Characteristic of Sibelius’s compositional style, it’s mostly a melody with a step-wise contour, and one that is long and drawn out. First, it’s in the winds (only six musicians), then the strings, with dozens of players across the orchestra joining in. This thinly-veiled rallying cry for independence leads into a return of the heroic material and its grand conclusion. The message was surely understood by any in the audience. Birth name: Johan Julius Christian Sibelius Born: December 8, 1865, Hämeenlinna, Finland Died: September 20, 1957, Ainola, FinlandFinlandia, Op. 26 is a tone poem for orchestra composed by Jean Sibelius in 1899, created as part of a series of tableaux celebrating Finnish history at a time when the Russian imperial government was suppressing Finnish cultural and political expression. It became an immediate symbol of Finnish national identity.
Sibelius composed Finlandia in 1899 and it was premiered in Helsinki on July 2, 1900. The Russian authorities eventually banned public performances of the work in Finland because of its association with Finnish nationalism.
A typical performance lasts approximately 8 to 9 minutes.
The opening is dark and oppressive, with heavy brass chords suggesting subjugation and struggle. The music builds through increasing turmoil before arriving at the serene, hymn-like Finlandia Hymn — one of the most moving melodies Sibelius ever wrote — which brings the work to a triumphant and deeply moving conclusion.
The Finlandia Hymn became so beloved that it was set to words and is sometimes mistaken for a traditional Finnish folk song or even a hymn. Sibelius composed it entirely himself, and it is now considered an unofficial national anthem of Finland, performed at major national occasions.
