Sibelius Tapiola
About this episode
This episode explores Sibelius' tone poem Tapiola, its mysterious nature, and its significance as the composer's last major work.
Ancient, mysterious, brooding savage dreams; Within them dwells the Forest's mighty God, And wood-sprites in the gloom weave magic secrets. These lines are affixed to the first page of Sibelius' tone poem Tapiola , a piece that is mysterious in many ways and stands as Sibelius' last completed major work. You might be expecting me to say that Sibelius died soon after its composition, but this is not the case. Sibelius wrote Tapiola in 1926, but did not pass away until 1957. Over the course of Sibelius' final 30 years, he wrote almost no music, a creative silence that has never been properly explained. There are many theories about this silence, but the answer to why Sibelius stopped composing might never be found. So, we have this final major piece, Tapiola , written at the very height of the composer's powers. Tapiola , a piece of around 15–20 minutes in duration, is concentrated Sibelius at its very best. It is a piece full of mystery, atmosphere, and most of all, the immense and overwhelming power of nature. Tapiola directly translates to "The Realm of Tapio," Tapio being the forest spirit that is prominent in the Finnish national epic myth, the Kalevala . Throughout this…
People in this episode
Host: Joshua Weilerstein
Mentioned in this episode
Books & works: Tapiola, Kalevala, 7th symphony
More episodes of Sticky Notes: The Classical Music Podcast
- Arthur Honneger, Symphony No. 3, "Liturgique"
- Dvorak Piano Quintet, Op. 81
- Mozart String Quartet, K. 465, "Dissonance"
- Bonus Episode: Beethoven 5 en français!
- Liszt Faust Symphony
- Schubert: Die Schöne Mullerin Mini-Episode No. 1 (Free Preview)
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Sticky Notes: The Classical Music Podcast podcast page.