Sibelius · Jean Sibelius
Sibelius Symphony No. 4 in A minor
The darkest symphony, the one audiences avoided looking at
- Key
- A minor
- Composed
- 1911
- Premiere
- 1911 Helsinki
- Duration
- About 35 min
- Movements
- 4 movements
- Instrumentation
- Woodwinds 2·2·2·2 · Brass 4·2·3·0 · Timpani · Percussion (glockenspiel) · Strings
The story behind this piece
In 1908 Sibelius had a tumor removed from his throat, and for a while, fearing it would return, he gave up even drinking and smoking. It is the darkest and most compressed of his symphonies, written after that period.
At the Helsinki premiere on April 3, 1911, the audience was thoroughly baffled. His wife Aino recalled that 'people avoided our eyes.' Sibelius himself said the piece was 'a protest against the music of today.'
What to listen for
- Opening of movement 1: The low instruments trace the tritone, once known as the 'devil's interval.' It is the seed of the tension that rules the whole piece.
- Movement 4: The glockenspiel rings out clearly, yet the piece ends darkly all the same.
Listen · Score
Credits