Two Serious Melodies
- Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra
- Ossian Fohström [fi] (cello)
The Two Serious Melodies, Op. 77, are concertante compositions for violin and orchestra written from 1914 to 1915 by the Finnish composer Jean Sibelius. They are:
- Cantique, Op. 77/1 (1914); subtitled "Laetare anima mea" ("Rejoice my soul")
- Devotion, Op. 77/2 (1915); subtitled "Ab imo pectore" ("From my very heart")
Sibelius originally called No. 1 Lofsången (Song of Praise). In 1915, he made transcriptions of each piece for violin and piano. In 1916, he arranged both pieces for cello and orchestra and transcribed them, too, for cello and piano.[3][4]
Cantique is marked Moderato assai. Devotion is marked Tempo molto moderato.
Each piece is dedicated to the Finnish cellist Ossian Fohström [fi].
Instrumentation
Cantique is scored for the following instruments:[5]
- Soloist: violin (or cello)
- Woodwinds: 2 flutes and 2 clarinets (in B♭)
- Brass: 2 horns (in F)
- Percussion: timpani (2 players)
- Strings: violins, violas, cellos, double basses, and harp
Devotion is scored for the following instruments:[6]
- Soloist: violin (or cello)
- Woodwinds: 2 flutes, 2 clarinets (in A), and 2 bassoons
- Brass: 4 horns (in F) and 3 trombones
- Strings: violins, violas, cellos, and double basses
Recordings
The sortable table below lists commercially available recordings of the complete Two Serious Melodies:
No. | Conductor | Orchestra | Soloist | Rec.[a] | Time | Recording venue | Label | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Vladimir Ashkenazy | Philharmonia Orchestra | Boris Belkin (violin) | 1979 | 7:23 | Kingsway Hall | Decca | [b] |
2 | Vernon Handley | Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra | Ralph Holmes (violin) | 1980 | 9:31 | Jesus-Christus-Kirche, Berlin | Schwann, Koch | [c] |
3 | Lawrence Foster | Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra | David Geringas (violin) | 1980 | 8:24 | Jesus-Christus-Kirche, Berlin | Parnass | [d] |
4 | Neeme Järvi | Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra | Dong-Suk Kang (violin) | 1989 | 8:28 | Gothenburg Concert Hall | BIS | [e] |
5 | Jukka-Pekka Saraste | Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra | Arto Noras (cello) | Finlandia | [f] | |||
6 | Luca Pfaff [fr] | Monte-Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra | Marie Scheublé | Arion Music | [g] | |||
7 | Thomas Dausgaard | Danish National Symphony Orchestra | Christian Tetzlaff (violin) | 2002 | Danish Radio Concert Hall (old) | Virgin Classics | [h] | |
8 | Osmo Vänskä | Lahti Symphony Orchestra | Marko Ylönen [fi] (cello) | 2004 | Sibelius Hall | BIS | [i] | |
9 | Leif Segerstam | Turku Philharmonic Orchestra | Mikaela Palmu (violin) | 2014 | 10:17 | Turku Concert Hall | Naxos | [j] |
10 | Alejandro Garrido Porras | Orquestra Vigo 430 | Nicolas Dautricourt (violin) | 2014 | 9:15 | Martín Códax Auditorium, Vigo Conservatory of Music | La Dolce Volta [fr] | [k] |
Notes, references, and sources
- Notes
- ^ Refers to the year in which the performers recorded the work; this may not be the same as the year in which the recording was first released to the general public.
- ^ V. Ashkenazy–Decca (473 590–2) 2003
- ^ V. Handley–Koch-Schwann (CD 311 003 F1) 1988
- ^ L. Foster–Parnass (91 987 8) 1982
- ^ N. Järvi–BIS (CD–472) 1990
- ^ J. Saraste–Finlandia (4509–95872–2) 1992
- ^ L. Pfaff–Arion Music (ARN 68330) 1996
- ^ T. Dausgaard–Virgin Classics (7243 5 45534 2 4) 2002
- ^ O. Vänskä–BIS (CD–1485) 2006
- ^ L. Segerstam–Naxos (8.573340) 2015
- ^ A. Garrido Porras–La Dolce Volta (LDV 23) 2015
- References
- ^ a b Dahlström 2003, pp. 338, 340.
- ^ Dahlström 2003, pp. 338–339.
- ^ Barnett 2007, pp. 248, 251, 260.
- ^ Dahlström 2003, pp. 338–340.
- ^ Dahlström 2003, p. 338.
- ^ Dahlström 2003, p. 339.
- Sources
- Barnett, Andrew (2007). Sibelius. New Haven: Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0-300-11159-0.
- Dahlström, Fabian [in Swedish] (2003). Jean Sibelius: Thematisch-bibliographisches Verzeichnis seiner Werke [Jean Sibelius: A Thematic Bibliographic Index of His Works] (in German). Wiesbaden: Breitkopf & Härtel. ISBN 3-7651-0333-0.
- v
- t
- e
- Kullervo (1892)
- Symphony No. 1 (1899, rev. 1900)
- Symphony No. 2 (1902)
- Symphony No. 3 (1907)
- Symphony No. 4 (1911)
- Symphony No. 5 (1915, rev. 1916, 1919)
- Symphony No. 6 (1923)
- Symphony No. 7 (1924)
- Symphony No. 8 (mid 1920s–c. 1938, abandoned)
- Violin Concerto (1904, rev. 1905)
- Two Serenades (1912–1913)
- Two Serious Melodies (1914–1915)
- Six Humoresques (1917–1918, No. 1 rev. 1940)
- Suite for Violin and String Orchestra (1929)
- En saga (1892, rev. 1902)
- Spring Song (1894, rev. 1895)
- The Wood Nymph (1895)
- Lemminkäinen Suite
- 1895, rev. 1897, 1900, 1939; includes The Swan of Tuonela
- Finlandia (1899)
- Pohjola's Daughter (1906)
- Nightride and Sunrise (1909)
- The Dryad (1910)
- The Bard (1913)
- Luonnotar (1913)
- The Oceanides (1914, rev. 1914)
- Tapiola (1926)
- The Building of the Boat (1893–1894, abandoned)
- The Maiden in the Tower (1896)
- King Christian II (1898)
- Kuolema
- 1903; includes Valse triste
- Pelléas et Mélisande (1905)
- Belshazzar's Feast (1906)
- Swanwhite (1908)
- The Lizard (1909)
- The Language of the Birds (1911)
- Scaramouche (1913)
- Everyman (1916)
- The Tempest (1925)
- Cantata for the University Graduation Ceremonies of 1894
- Cantata for the Coronation of Nicholas II (1896)
- Cantata for the University Graduation Ceremonies of 1897
- The Origin of Fire (1902, rev. 1910)
- The Captive Queen (1906)
- My Own Land (1918)
- Song of the Earth (1919)
- Hymn of the Earth (1920)
- Väinämöinen's Song (1926)
- The Rapids-Rider's Brides (1897)
- The Breaking of the Ice on the Oulu River (1899)
- Snöfrid (1900)
- Marjatta (1905, abandoned)
- Impromptu (1902, rev. 1910)
- The Raven (1910, abandoned)
- Overture in E major (1891)
- Ballet Scene (1891)
- Karelia Suite (1893)
- Rakastava (1894, arr. 1912)
- Scènes historiques I (1899, arr. 1911)
- Overture in A minor (1902)
- Romance in C major (1904)
- Cassazione (1904, rev. 1905)
- Pan and Echo (1906)
- In memoriam (1909, rev. 1910)
- Scènes historiques II (1912)
- Suite mignonne (1921)
- Suite champêtre (1922)
- Suite caractéristique (1922)
- String Quartet in E-flat major (1885)
- String Quartet in A minor (1889)
- String Quartet in B-flat major (1890)
- String Quartet in D minor, Voces intimae (1909)
- Andante festivo (1922, orch. 1938)
- Piano Trio in A minor, Hafträsk (1886)
- Piano Trio in D major, Korpo (1887)
- Piano Trio in C major, Lovisa (1888)
- Water Droplets (c. 1875–1881)
- Pieces for brass septet (1889–1899)
- Piano Quintet (1890)
- Malinconia (1900)
- Violin Sonatina (1915)
- Six Impromptus (1893)
- Piano Sonata (1893)
- Ten Pieces, Op. 24 (1895–1903)
- Kyllikki (1904)
- Three Sonatinas (1912)
- The Bells of Kallio Church (1912, arr. 1912)
- Two Rondinos (1912)
- Five Pieces, The Trees, Op. 75 (1914)
- Five Pieces, The Flowers, Op. 85 (1916–1917)
- Five Esquisses (1929)
- Seven Runeberg Songs, Op. 13 (1891–1892)
- "Serenad", JS 168 (1894–1895)
- Six Songs, Op. 36 (1899–1900)
- Five Songs, Op. 37 (1900–1902)
- Seven Songs, Op. 17 (1891–1904)
- Five Songs, Op. 38 (1903–1904; includes "Höstkväll")
- Six Songs, Op. 50 (1906)
- Two Songs, Op. 35 (1908)
- "Kom nu hit, död", Op. 60/1 (1909, orch. 1957)
- "Arioso", Op. 3 (1911)
- Five Christmas Songs, Op. 1 (1897–1913; includes "Giv mig ej glans, ej guld, ej prakt")
- Six Runeberg Songs, Op. 90 (1917)
- Hymn, Op. 21 (1896, rev. 1898)
- Songs for Mixed Chorus from the 1897 Promotional Cantata (arr. 1898)
- Finlandia Hymn (1899, arr. 1938–1940)
- Six Partsongs, Op. 18 (1893–1901)
- Jäger March (1917)
- Ainola (home)
- Aino Sibelius (wife)
- Ruth Snellman [fi] (daughter)
- Heidi Blomstedt (daughter)
- Christian Sibelius (brother)
- Aulis Blomstedt (son-in-law)
- Jussi Jalas (son-in-law)
- Jussi Snellman [fi] (son-in-law)
- Alexander Järnefelt (father-in-law)
- Elisabeth Järnefelt (mother-in-law)
- Armas Järnefelt (brother-in-law)
- Arvid Järnefelt (brother-in-law)
- Eero Järnefelt (brother-in-law)
- Kasper Järnefelt [fi] (brother-in-law)
- Helsinki Music Institute: Martin Wegelius (theory, composition)
- Mitrofan Vasiliev (violin)
- Hermann Csillag [de] (violin)
- Post-graduate studies: Albert Becker
- Robert Fuchs
- Karl Goldmark
- Toivo Kuula
- Leevi Madetoja
- Bengt de Törne [fi]
- Juhani Aho
- Aino Ackté
- Granville Bantock
- Ferruccio Busoni
- Axel Carpelan [fi] (patron)
- Olin Downes
- Ida Ekman
- Richard Faltin [fi]
- Ida Flodin [fi]
- Karl Flodin [fi]
- Akseli Gallen-Kallela
- Heikki Klemetti [fi]
- Santeri Levas (secretary)
- Erkki Melartin
- Oskar Merikanto
- Rosa Newmarch
- Abraham Ojanperä
- Selim Palmgren
- Adolf Paul
- Wilhelm Stenhammar
- Karl Wasenius [fi]
- Fabian Dahlström [fi]
- Karl Ekman [fi]
- Erik Furuhjelm [fi]
- Glenda Dawn Goss
- Cecil Gray
- Robert Layton
- Nils-Eric Ringbom [fi]
- Erik W. Tawaststjerna
- International Jean Sibelius Violin Competition
- Jean Sibelius Quartet
- Sibelius (2003 film)
- Sibelius (scorewriter)
- Sibelius Academy
- Sibelius Academy Quartet
- Sibelius Glacier
- Sibelius Hall
- Sibelius Medal
- Sibelius Monument
- Sibelius Museum
- Sibelius Piano Trio
- Sibelius Society of Finland
- 1405 Sibelius (asteroid)
- Wihuri Sibelius Prize