- Sibelius originally wrote this piece for string quartet in 1922. He reworked it for string orchestra and timpani in 1938.
- By 1931, Sibelius had almost entirely retired from composing and performing. He remained based at his villa at Järvenpää and held an honored place in Finnish culture. Some have called this late period the “silence from Järvenpää.”1
- The orchestral version of this work was one of the very few pieces he produced in this late period.
- Sibelius was also persuaded to come out of retirement in 1939 to record this piece for a short-wave broadcast.
Sources
- Fabian Dahlström and James Hepokoski, “Sibelius, Jean,” Grove Music Online (2001), accessed January 30, 2020, https://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-0000043725.
Cut IDs
18508, 18509, 18499, 42081, 42101