User:Silence of Järvenpää/Work (x)
| Valse triste | |
|---|---|
| Concert piece by Jean Sibelius | |
 The composer (c. 1902) | |
| Catalogue | Op. 44/1 |
| Text | Kuolema by Arvid Järnefelt |
| Composed | 1903 (incidental music), rev. 1904 |
| Publisher | Breitkopf & Härtel (1904) |
| Duration | Approx. 5 mins. |
| Premiere | |
| Date | 2 December 1903 |
| Location | Helsinki, Grand Duchy of Finland |
| Conductor | Jean Sibelius |
| Performers | Helsinki Philharmonic Society |
Valse triste (literal English translation: Sad Waltz), Op. 44/1, is a concert piece for orchestra by the Finnish composer Jean Sibelius, who in 1904 excerpted the piece from the incidental music he had written the previous year to Death (Kuolema), a three-act Symbolist play by his brother-in-law Arvid Järnefelt.
The revised version of Valse triste premiered in Helsinki on 25 April 1904, with Sibelius conducting the Helsinki Philharmonic Society.[1]
History
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Composition
[edit]In 1898, Sibelius composed his first music for theatre, King Christian II (Kuningas Kristian II; Op. 27) to a play by his friend, the Finnish playwright Adolf Paul. After the play's premiere at the Swedish Theatre in Helsinki, Sibelius excerpted a five-number orchestral suite from his incidental music, which eventually became one of his most popular pieces. Following the success of King Christian II, Sibelius was a natural choice to provide music for a play by his brother-in-law, Arvid Järnefelt. In 1903, he was attempting to stage his third play, the three-act Death (Kuolema).
Premiere and revision
[edit]Following the Helsinki premiere, Valse triste was again performed in the city on 30 April, albeit this time under the baton of Robert Kajanus—the Philharmonic Society's founder and permanent conductor—at the final popular concert of the season; according to Merikanto's review, the "strangely charming" piece had to be encored for the at-capacity audience.[2] That same day, at a concert of Sibelius's music in Viipuri (Vyborg), Valse triste and the Romance were removed from the program; apparently, this was done at Sibelius's request, who was not present for the concert and intended to conduct these novelties in Viipuri next autumn. Instead, a excerpt from Erkki Melartin's incidental music for Hannele (EM060) was played as a substitute.[3]
Publication
[edit]In preparation for publication, Sibelius also made a piano arrangement of Valse triste.[a]
In 1904, Sibelius sold Valse triste outright to the Finnish publishing house Fazer & Westerlund for 500 Finnish marks: 100 for the orchestral score, 100 for the piano arrangement, and an advance of 300 marks for the complete incidental music to Death (when this failed to materialize, the publisher deducted the advance sum from Sibelius's royalty payments).[4] A year later, Fazer & Westerlund sold their entire Sibelius holdings—including Valse triste—to the German publisher Breitkopf & Härtel. .
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Synopsis
[edit]
A young boy named Paavali[b] keeps watch over his mother's sick bed; exhausted, he falls asleep in the darkened bedchamber. The mother—delirious with a fever—also slumbers, and her dream-visions fill the stage.[5] A waltz melody—initially faint—grows in volume as the room fills with red light.[6] Paavali's mother rises and begins to sway slowly back and forth in her white nightgown, recalling the memory of a ball she once attended;[7] in time with the music, she beckons with her arms. Suddenly, several ghostly couples fill the bedchamber and begin waltzing to the music. Mingling with the shadowy guests, the mother tries to make eye contact, but all avoid her glance. Shortly thereafter, she collapses in her bed due to weariness; the music stops and the dancers begin to depart. Although the life drains from her body, she gathers her strength and dances once more; the music resumes and the phantoms return. As the tempo quickens, the waltzing becomes increasingly frenetic until it abruptly ends as three knocks sound at the door: Death has come to claim the mother, in the guise of her late husband.[8] Death, who too is dressed in white, leaves his scythe in the hallway and enters the room.[6] The mother is repulsed by him but pleads for mercy: cannot Death spare her for Paavali's sake?—or at least allow her to say farewell?[6]
Music
[edit]Valse triste is scored for flute, clarinet (in A), 2 horns (in F), strings, and timpani (in D).[9] The piece is loosely in the key of G major;[10] the time signature is the waltz standard of 3
4.[11] Following the Viennese waltz tradition, Sibelius weaves several continuous sections into Valse triste.[12]
The string section begins the waltz begin with a slow and grim opening evocative of the work's title.[12] First the double basses mark the downbeat with pizzicato (plucked strings) until they continue under the second violin and viola, which annuciate beats two and three (for measures 1–4, they too play pizzicato, before switching to arco).[13] Both the violin and cello sections enter with the main theme (see below)—an octave apart—while the texeture alternates between major and minor modes, creating an uncertain tonal center.[13] Although marked in G major, the opening melody appears in the somewhat distant key of F-sharp minor.[10] The writer Richard Rodda characterizes this as a "quiet, introspective paragraph":[12]
Although the opening melody briefly lands in its intended key of G major, it soon moves chromatically upwards to A-flat major.[10] The music of the next section is firmly in G major and includes a contrasting string theme at the tip of the bow (marked Spitze).[13] There is an increased rhythmic urgency, variously characterized as a "gossamer strain"[12] and a "a hesitation waltz".[10]
Subject B—again, for strings alone—introduces the actual dance, which contains "glimpses of past happiness":[15]
https://orchestrasounds.com/tag/valse-triste/page/2/
https://www.ncsymphony.org/wp-content/uploads/The-Firebird-EXPANDED-Program-Notes.pdf
https://www.hollywoodbowl.com/musicdb/pieces/4946/valse-triste
@Aza24: You'll want to take a look at the Cunningham source below (link under Websites), because he analyzes the music more than any other source I've found.
Tempo marking: Lento—Poco risoluto—Più risoluto e mosso—Stretto—Lento assai
Context and analysis
[edit]Global popularity
[edit]"... Sibelius's music tries to mirror an interplay between this vivid memory [the mother relives a ball scene from her youth] and the sense of on-coming death ... In Valse triste Sibelius touched on a responsive chord, much in the same way as Strindberg or Munch had done, and uncovered sympathetic resonances that were in the air at the time".[16]
Later opinion's of Sibelius's music
[edit]- "It is difficult to imagine the effect this seductive piece made on its first appearance, so hackneyed has it become."[17]
- "Valse triste soon became even more maligned than Finlandia. Many have been at a loss to explain why it should have made the composer's name known to the many and injured his reputation in the eyes of the few."[18]
- "... less sad than macabre[19] ... The blameless but shallow bit of salon music[20] ... it is a medley of waltz tunes deftly [sic] scored for theatre (small) orchestra[19] ... Sibelius is certainly no 'difficult' modern, overturning one's expectations of what is beautiful or useful in music. Some of his output is 'easier' than the rest, beautiful to the lay ear—and useful to the lazy mind".[21]
- "There is more apparent reason for its [Finlandia's] popularity than for that of the Valse triste, which is simply a respectable waltz that could have been written by any one of a hundred composers".[22]
- "Though this sentimental and often mawkish piece of music took Continental Europe by storm a few decades ago, it is one of the least creditable of Sibelius's works".[23]
- "Yet many professionals after World War II found Sibelius a dated bore ... Professionals look for consistency in a composer. They distrust a creator who constantly turns out music that is not on a high level, and are apt to regard as freaks those few works that do cause a ripple. How could the composer of Valse Triste ... be taken seriously? It cannot be denied that a large quantity of Sibelius's work—and he was a prolific composer—consists of ephemera ..."[24]
Seventh Symphony's quotation of
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Discography
[edit]The sortable table below lists select commercially available recordings of Valse triste:
Notes, references, and sources
[edit]- Notes
- ^ All other arrangements of Valse triste—of which Breitkopf & Härtel made many over the years—are not by Sibelius.
- ^ Paavali, although a side character in the act during which Sibelius's Valse triste is heard, is nevertheless the main character in Järnefelt's play.
- ^ 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.
- ^ [ T. Beecham–name () yyyy]
- ^ H. Rosbaud–Decca (0289 478 8589 4) 2015
- ^ E. Beinum–Decca (0289 478 8589 4) 2015
- ^ [ H. Karajan–EMI Classics () yyyy]
- ^ C. Mackerras–Decca (0289 478 8589 4) 2015
- ^ E. Ormandy–RCA Red Seal (88875 108582) 2015
- ^ [ A. Doráti–name () yyyy]
- ^ [ M. Gould–name () yyyy]
- ^ J. Barbirolli–EMI Classics (5 67299 2) 2000
- ^ G. Rozhdestvensky–Melodiya (SR–40031) 1967
- ^ H. Karajan–DG (423 208–2) 1988
- ^ [ L. Bernstein–Sony Classical () yyyy]
- ^ P. Berglund–EMI Classics (50999 9 73600 2 5) 2013
- ^ E. Ormandy–RCA Red Seal (88875 108582) 2015
- ^ J. Jalas–Decca (448 267–2) 1996
- ^ N. Marriner–Decca (411 933–2) 1984
- ^ K. Kord–Decca (436 518–2) 1992
- ^ C. Davis–Decca (478 3696) 2012
- ^ H. Karajan–EMI Classics (4 76846 2) 2005
- ^ P. Berglund–EMI Classics (CDC 7 45484 2) 1983
- ^ K. Sanderling–Brilliant Classics (6899) 2002
- ^ H. Karajan–DG (413 755–2) 1984
- ^ L. Foster–Erato (ECD 88103) 1985
- ^ G. Rozhdestvensky–Cirrus (CICD 1002) 1986
- ^ O. Hughes–CFP (CD–CFP 4496) 1985
- ^ N. Järvi–BIS (CD–311) 1986
- ^ P. Helasvuo–Finlandia (4509–95844–2) 1991
- ^ K. Schermerhorn–Naxos (8.550103) 1988
- ^ W. Boughton–Nimbus (NI 5169) 1989
- ^ J. Saraste–RCA Red Seal (19439704812) 2020
- ^ E. Salonen–Sony Classical (SK 46 668) 1991
- ^ L. Segerstam–Chandos (CHAN 9055) 1992
- ^ H. Blomstedt–Decca (475 7677) 2003
- ^ L. Maazel–Sony Classical (SK 61963) 1996
- ^ M. Jansons–EMI Classics (0777 7 54804 2 9) 1993
- ^ V. Ashkenazy–Decca (473 590–2) 2003
- ^ J. Levine–DG (437 828–2) 1993
- ^ L. Segerstam–Ondine (ODE 815–2) 1993
- ^ C. Davis–RCA Red Seal (88765431352) 2013
- ^ A. Rasilainen–Finlandia (0927–46661–2) 2002
- ^ N. Järvi–DG (477 6654) 2007
- ^ T. Hannikainen–Ondine (ODE 871–2) 1996
- ^ J. Panula–Naxos (8.555773) 2001
- ^ O. Schmidt–Regis (RRC 1216) 2005
- ^ O. Vänskä–BIS (CD–1125) 2000
- ^ P. Järvi–Virgin Classics (7243 5 45493 2 8) 2002
- ^ J. Swensen–Linn (CKD 220) 2003
- ^ V. Ashkenazy–Exton (OVCL–00293) yyyy
- ^ O. Vänskä–BIS (SACD–1645) 2009
- ^ L. Segerstam–Ondine (ODE 1112–2) 2007
- ^ P. Inkinen–Naxos (8.570763) 2008
- ^ A. Volmer–ABC Classics (476 3943) 2010
- ^ P. Saraki–Sony Classical (886978355324) 2001
- ^ A. Davis–Chandos (CHSA 5134) 2014
- ^ M. Tilson Thomas–name (SFS 0060) 2014
- ^ T. Søndergård–Linn (CKD 566) 2018
- References
- ^ Virtanen 2019, p. x.
- ^ Päivälehti, No. 77 1904, p. 4.
- ^ Viborgs Nyheter, No. 100 1904, p. 2.
- ^ Johnson 1959, p. 112.
- ^ Burton 2014, p. 9.
- ^ a b c Järnefelt 1927.
- ^ Franklin 1992, p. 4.
- ^ Kurki 1997, p. 12.
- ^ Rodda 2019, § "Instrumentation".
- ^ a b c d Cunningham 2018.
- ^ Yasner 2014, § "20. Triple Time 3".
- ^ a b c d Rodda 2019, § "What To Listen For".
- ^ a b c Yasner 2014, § "A Happy Part of Valse Triste".
- ^ a b Fennica Gehrman 2015.
- ^ Tawaststjerna 2008a, p. [page needed].
- ^ Tawaststjerna 2008a, pp. 288–289.
- ^ Layton 1993, p. 128.
- ^ Johnson 1959, p. 113.
- ^ a b Mordden 1980, p. 364.
- ^ Mordden 1980, p. 363.
- ^ Mordden 1980, p. 351.
- ^ Brockway & Weinstock 1958, p. 581.
- ^ Ewen 1954, p. 572.
- ^ Schonberg 1970, p. 387.
- Sources
- Books
- Barnett, Andrew (2007). Sibelius. New Haven, Connecticut: Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0-300-16397-1.
- Brockway, Wallace; Weinstock, Herbert (1958) [1939]. "XXII: Jean Sibelius". Men of Music (Revised and Enlarged ed.). New York: Simon & Schuster. pp. 574–593. ISBN 0671465104.
- Ekman, Karl [in Finnish] (1938) [1935]. Jean Sibelius: His Life and Personality. Translated by Birse, Edward. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. OCLC 896231.
- Ewen, David (1954) [1944]. "Sibelius". Ewen's Musical Masterworks: The Encyclopedia of Musical Masterpieces (2nd ed.). New York: Bonanza. p. 568–575.
- Goss, Glenda Dawn (2009). Sibelius: A Composer's Life and the Awakening of Finland. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. ISBN 978-0-226-00547-8.
- Gray, Cecil (1934) [1931]. Sibelius (2nd ed.). London: Oxford University Press. OCLC 373927.
- Grimley, Daniel (2021). Jean Sibelius: Life, Music, Silence. Reaktion Books. ISBN 978-1-78914-466-6.
- Järnefelt, Arvid (1927). Kuolema: 3-näyt oksinen näytelmä [Death: A Play in Three Acts] (PDF) (in Finnish). Porvoo: Werner Söderström Oy. OCLC 7158083.
- Johnson, Harold (1959). Jean Sibelius (1st ed.). New York: Alfred A. Knopf. OCLC 603128.
- Layton, Robert (1993) [1965]. Sibelius. (The Master Musicians Series) (4th ed.). New York: Schirmer Books. ISBN 0028713222.
- Mordden, Ethan (1980). "Jean Sibelius (1865 – 1957)". A Guide to Orchestral Music: The Handbook for Non-musicians. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 351–364. ISBN 0-19-502686-1.
- Rickards, Guy (1997). Jean Sibelius. (20th-century Composers Series). London: Phaidon. ISBN 978-0-714-83581-5.
- Ringbom, Nils-Eric [in Finnish] (1954) [1948]. Jean Sibelius: A Master and His Work. Translated by de Courcy, G. I. C. Norman, Oklahoma: University of Oklahoma. ISBN 978-0-837-19840-8.
- Schonberg, Harold (1970). "From Bohemia to Spain: European Nationalists". The Lives of the Great Composers. New York: Norton. p. 365–387. ISBN 0-393-02146-7.
- Tawaststjerna, Erik (2019) [1965/1967; trans. 1976]. Jean Sibelius: Series I, Orchestral Works – Volume 22. Translated by Layton, Robert. London: Faber and Faber. ISBN 978-0-571-24772-1.
- Tawaststjerna, Erik (2008a) [1965/1967; trans. 1976]. Sibelius: Volume I, 1865–1905. Translated by Layton, Robert. London: Faber and Faber. ISBN 978-0-571-24772-1.
- Virtanen, Timo, ed. (2019). "Introduction". Finlandia Op. 26 / Valse triste Op. 44 No. 1 / Scen med tranorna Op. 44 No. 2 / Canzonetta Op. 62a / Valse romantique Op. 62b / Valse lyrique Op. 96a / Valse chevaleresque Op. 96c. (Urtext from the Complete Edition of Jean Sibelius Works, Series I – Orchestral Works, Volume 22. National Library of Finland and the Sibelius Society of Finland. Wiesbaden: Breitkopf & Härtel. p. viii–xv. ISMN 979-0-004-80357-8. SON 630.
- Liner notes
- Achenbach, Andrew (2018). Sibelius: Finlandia / Swan of Tuonela / Oceanides / En saga / Valse triste / King Christian II Suite (CD booklet). Thomas Søndergård & BBC National Orchestra of Wales. Linn. p. 1–9. CKD 566.
- Anderson, Keith (2008). Sibelius: Night Ride and Sunrise / Belshazzar's Feast / Kuolema (CD booklet). Pietari Inkinen & New Zealand Symphony Orchestra. Naxos. p. 2–3. 8.570763.
- Burton, Anthony (2014). Sibelius: Villin Concerto / Karelia Suite / Finlandia / Valse triste /Andante festivo / Valse lyrique / The Swan of Tuonela (CD booklet). Andrew Davis & Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra. Chandos. p. 5–10. CHSA 5134.
- Franklin, Peter (1992). Symphony No. 5 Op. 82 / Symphony No. 7 Op. 105 / Valse triste Op. 44/1 (CD booklet). Leif Segerstam & Danish National Radio Symphony Orchestra. Chandos. p. 3–4. CHAN 9055.
- Kurki, Eija (1997). Jean Sibelius: Karelia—Complete score / Kuolema—Incidental music, including original version of Valse triste (CD booklet). Translated by Barnett, Andrew. Osmo Vänskä & Lahti Symphony Orchestra. BIS. p. 11–13. CD–915.
- McEwan, Roy (2003). Jean Sibelius: Pelleas and Melisande / Kuolema: Valse triste / Belshazzar's Feast / The Tempest: Suite No. 2 / Andante festivo (CD booklet). Joseph Swensen & Scottish Chamber Orchestra. Linn. p. 3–7. CKD 220.
- Journal articles
- Stoeckel, Carl (1971). "Some Recollections of the Visit of Sibelius to America in 1914". Scandinavian Studies. 43 (1). University of Illinois Press: 53–88. JSTOR 40917124. (subscription required)
- Newspapers (by date)
- T. S. [???] (16 April 1904). "Jean Sibelius' konserter" [Jean Sibelius's concert]. Vasabladet (in Swedish). No. 46. p. 2.
- A. U. [Uggla, Alarik] [in Finnish] (26 April 1904). "Konserten för orkesterns pensionskassa" [The concert for the orchestra's pension fund]. Hufvudstadsbladet (in Swedish). No. 112. p. 6.
- E. K. [Katila, Evert] [in Finnish] (27 April 1904). "Konsertti orkesterin eläkerahaston hyväksi" [Concert for the benefit of the orchestra's pension fund]. Uusi Suometar (in Finnish). No. 96. p. 4.
- K. [Flodin, Karl] [in Finnish] (26 April 1904). "Populära konserteni afton" [Popular concert in the evening]. Helsingfors-Posten (in Swedish). No. 112. p. 2.
- O. [Merikanto, Oskar] (26 April 1904). "Filharmoonisen seuran konsertti" [The Philharmonic Society's concert]. Päivälehti (in Finnish). No. 72. p. 3.
- O. [Merikanto, Oskar] (1 May 1904). "Helppotajuisessa konsertissa" [Popular concert]. Päivälehti (in Finnish). No. 77. p. 4.
- X. [???] (2 May 1904). "Sibelii promotionskantat" [Sibelius's promotional cantata]. Viborgs Nyheter (in Swedish). No. 100. p. 2.
- Websites
- Clive, Michael (5 January 2019). "Sibelius – "Valse triste" from Kuolema, Op. 44". utahsymphony.org. Utah Symphony. Retrieved 7 June 2023.
- Cunningham, Carl (2018). "Jean Sibelius: Valse triste". hollywoodbowl.com. Los Angeles Philharmonic Association. Retrieved 7 June 2023.
- Kurki, Eija (2020). "A Play about Death, but the Music lives on: Sibelius's music for the play Kuolema". Sibelius One. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
- Rodda, Richard (2019). "Jean Sibelius: Valse triste, Op. 44, No. 1; Violin Concerto in D Minor, Op. 47 / Igor Stravinsky: Suite from Pulcinella; Suite from The Firebird" (PDF). ncsymphony.org. North Carolina Symphony Orchestra. Retrieved 7 June 2023.
- Sirén, Vesa [in Finnish] (n.d.). "Other orchestral works – Music for the play Death: Valse triste, Scene with Cranes, Canzonetta, Valse romantique". sibelius.fi. Finnish Club of Helsinki. Retrieved 7 June 2023.
- Sirén, Vesa (n.d.). "The Waltz of Death and the move to Ainola 1903–1904". sibelius.fi. Finnish Club of Helsinki. Retrieved 7 June 2023.
- Yasner, Matthew (2014). "Valse Triste". orchestrasounds.com. Retrieved 10 June 2023.