Erik W. Tawaststjerna
Encyclopedia
Erik Werner Tawaststjerna (10 October 191622 January 1993) was the best known Finnish musicologist of his generation. He was also a pianist, pedagogue, critic, and biographer of Jean Sibelius
.
Erik Werner Tawaststjerna was born in Mikkeli
in 1916. His piano studies were with Ilmari Hannikainen
, K. Bernhard, Heinrich Leygraf, Heinrich Neuhaus
, Alfred Cortot
and Jules Gentil. His concert career began in 1943, and was confined to Scandinavia, Vienna and the then Soviet Union, after which he became a private teacher. He held posts in the Press and Cultural Affairs Department of the Foreign Ministry of Finland from 1948 to 1960. His doctoral dissertation from University of Helsinki
in 1960 was on the piano works of Jean Sibelius
; he became Professor of Musicology there from 1960 to 1983.
His magnum opus
was his biography of Sibelius, who had been a personal friend of his. It used a wealth of hitherto unavailable personal material including private letters and diaries, to which he was given unrestricted access. It was published in five volumes in Finnish; then five in Swedish; three in English (translated by Robert Layton); and one in Russian. It was awarded the Tieto-Finlandia Award
. The immediate impetus for the work was the 1959 biography of Sibelius by Harold E Johnson, which created an uproar in Finland, and caused Sibelius's family to commission Tawaststjerna to write a more balanced life.
He also served on the juries of international piano competitions (Tchaikovsky Competition 1970, 1974; Rio de Janeiro Competition 1973; Ravel Competition 1975), and was music critic for the leading Finnish daily newspaper. Tawaststjerna also wrote on Sergei Prokofiev
, but was unable to complete a major biography of Dmitri Shostakovich
before his death. He died in Helsinki in 1993, aged 76.
His son Erik T. (Thomas) Tawaststjerna (born 1951; sometimes seen as Erick Tawaststjerna) is also a pianist and pedagogue, who teaches at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki. He has recorded the complete original piano music of Sibelius. He gave the first Finnish performance of Leonard Bernstein
's Symphony No. 2 "The Age of Anxiety"
in 1981.
Jean Sibelius
Jean Sibelius was a Finnish composer of the later Romantic period whose music played an important role in the formation of the Finnish national identity. His mastery of the orchestra has been described as "prodigious."...
.
Erik Werner Tawaststjerna was born in Mikkeli
Mikkeli
Mikkeli is a town and municipality in Finland. It is located in what used to be the province of Eastern Finland and is part of the Southern Savonia region. The municipality has a population of and covers an area of of which is water...
in 1916. His piano studies were with Ilmari Hannikainen
Ilmari Hannikainen
Toivo Ilmari Hannikainen was a Finnish composer.Hannikainen was the son of Pekka Juhani Hannikainen and the brother of Väinö Hannikainen, both of whom were composers and of Tauno Hannikainen who was a conductor...
, K. Bernhard, Heinrich Leygraf, Heinrich Neuhaus
Heinrich Neuhaus
Heinrich Gustavovich Neuhaus was a Soviet pianist and pedagogue of German extraction. He taught at the Moscow Conservatory from 1922 to 1964. He was made a People's Artist of the RSFSR in 1956...
, Alfred Cortot
Alfred Cortot
Alfred Denis Cortot was a Franco-Swiss pianist and conductor. He is one of the most renowned 20th-century classical musicians, especially valued for his poetic insight in Romantic period piano works, particularly those of Chopin and Schumann.-Early life and education:Born in Nyon, Vaud, in the...
and Jules Gentil. His concert career began in 1943, and was confined to Scandinavia, Vienna and the then Soviet Union, after which he became a private teacher. He held posts in the Press and Cultural Affairs Department of the Foreign Ministry of Finland from 1948 to 1960. His doctoral dissertation from University of Helsinki
University of Helsinki
The University of Helsinki is a university located in Helsinki, Finland since 1829, but was founded in the city of Turku in 1640 as The Royal Academy of Turku, at that time part of the Swedish Empire. It is the oldest and largest university in Finland with the widest range of disciplines available...
in 1960 was on the piano works of Jean Sibelius
Jean Sibelius
Jean Sibelius was a Finnish composer of the later Romantic period whose music played an important role in the formation of the Finnish national identity. His mastery of the orchestra has been described as "prodigious."...
; he became Professor of Musicology there from 1960 to 1983.
His magnum opus
Magnum opus
Magnum opus , from the Latin meaning "great work", refers to the largest, and perhaps the best, greatest, most popular, or most renowned achievement of a writer, artist, or composer.-Related terms:Sometimes the term magnum opus is used to refer to simply "a great work" rather than "the...
was his biography of Sibelius, who had been a personal friend of his. It used a wealth of hitherto unavailable personal material including private letters and diaries, to which he was given unrestricted access. It was published in five volumes in Finnish; then five in Swedish; three in English (translated by Robert Layton); and one in Russian. It was awarded the Tieto-Finlandia Award
Finlandia Prize
The Finlandia Prize is the most prestigious literary award in Finland by the Finnish Book Foundation. It is awarded annually to the author of the best novel written by a Finnish citizen , children's book , and non-fiction book...
. The immediate impetus for the work was the 1959 biography of Sibelius by Harold E Johnson, which created an uproar in Finland, and caused Sibelius's family to commission Tawaststjerna to write a more balanced life.
He also served on the juries of international piano competitions (Tchaikovsky Competition 1970, 1974; Rio de Janeiro Competition 1973; Ravel Competition 1975), and was music critic for the leading Finnish daily newspaper. Tawaststjerna also wrote on Sergei Prokofiev
Sergei Prokofiev
Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev was a Russian composer, pianist and conductor who mastered numerous musical genres and is regarded as one of the major composers of the 20th century...
, but was unable to complete a major biography of Dmitri Shostakovich
Dmitri Shostakovich
Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich was a Soviet Russian composer and one of the most celebrated composers of the 20th century....
before his death. He died in Helsinki in 1993, aged 76.
His son Erik T. (Thomas) Tawaststjerna (born 1951; sometimes seen as Erick Tawaststjerna) is also a pianist and pedagogue, who teaches at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki. He has recorded the complete original piano music of Sibelius. He gave the first Finnish performance of Leonard Bernstein
Leonard Bernstein
Leonard Bernstein August 25, 1918 – October 14, 1990) was an American conductor, composer, author, music lecturer and pianist. He was among the first conductors born and educated in the United States of America to receive worldwide acclaim...
's Symphony No. 2 "The Age of Anxiety"
Symphony No. 2 (Bernstein)
Leonard Bernstein's Symphony No. 2 The Age of Anxiety was composed from 1948 to 1949 in the US and Israel. It is titled after W. H. Auden's poem of the same name. It was dedicated to Serge Koussevitzky. The symphony was revised in 1965.-Instrumentation:...
in 1981.