Sibelius Symphony No. 2
Sticky Notes: The Classical Music Podcast
Joshua Weilerstein
4.9 • 2.1K Ratings
🗓️ 5 August 2021
⏱️ 56 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In 1901, in the throes of the Finnish Independence movement, Jean Sibelius composed his legendary 2nd Symphony. Sibelius’ close colleague, the conductor Robert Kajanus, said that the symphony "strikes one as the most broken-hearted protest against all the injustice that threatens at the present time to deprive the sun of its light and our flowers of their scent." But is the symphony actually about Finnish Independence? Or was it simply, as Sibelius said, “a confession of the soul”? Join us for a deep dive!
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hello and welcome to the Season 8 premiere of Sticky Notes, the Classical Music Podcast. |
| 0:09.1 | My name is Joshua Weylerstein, I'm a conductor and I'm the Music Director of the Phoenix |
| 0:12.4 | Orchestra of Boston. |
| 0:14.1 | This podcast is for anyone who loves classical music, works in the field, or is just getting |
| 0:17.6 | ready to dive in to this amazing world of incredible music. |
| 0:21.4 | Before we get started, I want to thank my new Patreon sponsors, Rex Sarah, Nicholas |
| 0:25.3 | C, Nicholas D, and all of my other Patreon sponsors for making Season 8 possible. |
| 0:31.2 | If you'd like to support the show, please head over to patreon.com slash Sticky Notes |
| 0:34.9 | Podcast. |
| 0:36.1 | And if you are a fan of the show, please just take a moment to give us a rating or review |
| 0:38.8 | on Apple Podcasts. |
| 0:40.6 | Every written review helps more people find the show, and it is greatly appreciated. |
| 0:45.2 | This is a newly written and reworked episode on one of my absolute favorite pieces, Sibelius's |
| 0:50.0 | monumental second symphony. |
| 0:52.3 | Here we go. |
| 1:20.2 | It's 1901, and the Finnish Independence Movement was heating up. |
| 1:27.7 | Finland, which was at this point in time an autonomous part of the Russian Empire, was |
| 1:31.5 | chafing against a new law that required Finnish soldiers to not only defend Finland, but |
| 1:37.1 | also any part of Russia in any war. |
| 1:41.1 | Half of Finland's army deserted, and a movement that had begun in 1880 gained steam. |
| 1:47.0 | It would not be until 1917 that Finland would gain its final independence from Russia, |
| 1:52.4 | but the seeds were planted here, and John Sibelius, a composer, and by no means a political figure, |
... |
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