| Marketing Copy | Kuolema ("Death" in Finnish) is a play by Arvid Järnefelt. Jean Sibelius (1865-1957) happened to be Järnefelt's brother-in-law, and he composed incidental music to the play under the same title (Kuolema, JS 113) in 1903. The incidental music originally included six numbers, and Sibelius himself conducted the premiere performance on December 2, 1903, with the Finnish National Theatre in Helsinki. The standout movement was the first one (Tempo di valse lente - Poco risoluto). In 1904, Sibelius revised this movement and titled it Valse triste, Op. 44 (Sad Waltz), which premiered on April 25, 1904, in Helsinki. In 1906, Sibelius also combined Nos. 3 and 4 from the original incidental music to create Scen med tranor (Scene with Cranes), and this was set as the second movement of Op. 44. But Valse triste was truly the breakout work, and for some time, it was the only work by Sieblius known outside of Finland. In the plot of the play, Paavali waits next to his mother in her deathbed, his mother dreaming of having gone to the ball. Paavali himself falls asleep, then Death comes to take his mother, but she believes Death to be her already dead husband, and she proceeds to dance the Valse triste with him. When Paavali awakes, his mother has passed. The melancholic work, as Sibelius' breakout work, remains a regular part of concert performances. Instrumentation: 1.0.1.0: 2.0.0.0: Timp: Str (9-8-7-6-5 in set). Reprint edition. |
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