The Tempest (Sibelius)
Encyclopedia
Incidental Music to Shakespeare
’s The Tempest
, Op. 109, was written by Jean Sibelius
in 1925-26, at about the same time as he wrote his tone poem Tapiola
. The music is said to display an astounding richness of imagination and inventive capacity, and is one of Sibelius's greatest achievements. He represented individual characters through instrumentation choices: particularly admired was his use of harps and percussion to represent Prospero, said to capture the "resonant ambiguity of the character".
Sibelius had completed his 7th Symphony
, which was to be his last, in 1924. The Tempest and Tapiola were to be his last great works, and he wrote little else for the remaining 32 years of his life, which came to be known as "The Silence of Järvenpää
".
The idea for music for The Tempest was first suggested to Sibelius in 1901, by his friend Axel Carpelan. In 1925, his Danish publisher Wilhelm Hansen again raised the idea, as the Royal Theatre in Copenhagen
was going to stage the work the following year, directed by Adam Poulsen. Sibelius wrote it from the autumn of 1925 through to the early part of 1926, during which time he turned 60.
The complete music lasts for over an hour. It originally consisted of 34 pieces, for vocalists, mixed-voice choir, harmonium and a large orchestra. It was first performed in Copenhagen on 15 March 1926. The first night attracted international attention but Sibelius was not present. Reviews noted that "Shakespeare and Sibelius, these two geniuses, have finally found one another", and praised in particular the part played by the music and stage sets. Only four days later Sibelius set off for an extended trip to work on new commissions in Rome. He did not hear the music for the first time until the autumn of 1927 when the National Theatre in Helsinki
staged the work. For this performance, he composed an alternative Epilogue, bringing the number of items to 35.
The Overture has been described as "the single most onomatopoetic stretch of music ever composed". Sibelius published the Overture as a separate piece, and arranged two suites from the music, comprising 19 pieces. These suites condensed and combined items from the stage music, sometimes in ways that obscure the drama. It is in the form of these suites that the music has been most frequently heard in the concert hall and on recordings. Various recordings do not stick to the formal suites but include other items.
The complete Incidental Music was not recorded for the first time until 1992, by the Lahti Symphony Orchestra
, Lahti Opera Chorus, and soloists under Osmo Vänskä
, as part of the complete recordings of all Sibelius’s works. Recordings of the suites include those by Sir Thomas Beecham
, Sir Charles Groves
, Horst Stein
and Leif Segerstam
.
Suite No. 1
Suite No. 2
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
’s The Tempest
The Tempest
The Tempest is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1610–11, and thought by many critics to be the last play that Shakespeare wrote alone. It is set on a remote island, where Prospero, the exiled Duke of Milan, plots to restore his daughter Miranda to her rightful place,...
, Op. 109, was written by 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."...
in 1925-26, at about the same time as he wrote his tone poem Tapiola
Tapiola (Sibelius)
Tapiola , Op. 112, is a tone poem by the Finnish composer Jean Sibelius, written in 1926. It was the product of a commission from Walter Damrosch for the New York Philharmonic Society...
. The music is said to display an astounding richness of imagination and inventive capacity, and is one of Sibelius's greatest achievements. He represented individual characters through instrumentation choices: particularly admired was his use of harps and percussion to represent Prospero, said to capture the "resonant ambiguity of the character".
Sibelius had completed his 7th Symphony
Symphony No. 7 (Sibelius)
The Symphony No. 7 in C major, Op. 105, was the final published symphony of Jean Sibelius. Completed in 1924, the Seventh is notable for being a one-movement symphony, in contrast to the standard symphonic formula of four movements...
, which was to be his last, in 1924. The Tempest and Tapiola were to be his last great works, and he wrote little else for the remaining 32 years of his life, which came to be known as "The Silence of Järvenpää
Järvenpää
Järvenpää is a town and municipality of Finland.-History:Järvenpää was separated from its parent community Tuusula in 1951. Järvenpää was granted the status of a market town after the separation. Neighbouring districts Kellokoski and Nummenkylä were not added to the municipality of Järvenpää and...
".
The idea for music for The Tempest was first suggested to Sibelius in 1901, by his friend Axel Carpelan. In 1925, his Danish publisher Wilhelm Hansen again raised the idea, as the Royal Theatre in Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
was going to stage the work the following year, directed by Adam Poulsen. Sibelius wrote it from the autumn of 1925 through to the early part of 1926, during which time he turned 60.
The complete music lasts for over an hour. It originally consisted of 34 pieces, for vocalists, mixed-voice choir, harmonium and a large orchestra. It was first performed in Copenhagen on 15 March 1926. The first night attracted international attention but Sibelius was not present. Reviews noted that "Shakespeare and Sibelius, these two geniuses, have finally found one another", and praised in particular the part played by the music and stage sets. Only four days later Sibelius set off for an extended trip to work on new commissions in Rome. He did not hear the music for the first time until the autumn of 1927 when the National Theatre in Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
staged the work. For this performance, he composed an alternative Epilogue, bringing the number of items to 35.
The Overture has been described as "the single most onomatopoetic stretch of music ever composed". Sibelius published the Overture as a separate piece, and arranged two suites from the music, comprising 19 pieces. These suites condensed and combined items from the stage music, sometimes in ways that obscure the drama. It is in the form of these suites that the music has been most frequently heard in the concert hall and on recordings. Various recordings do not stick to the formal suites but include other items.
The complete Incidental Music was not recorded for the first time until 1992, by the Lahti Symphony Orchestra
Lahti Symphony Orchestra
The Lahti Symphony Orchestra is a Finnish orchestra, based in the city of Lahti. It was founded in 1910 and placed under the control of the Lahti municipality in 1949. In Finland the orchestra performs in the Sibelius Hall, while it also performs abroad in concert halls and festivals...
, Lahti Opera Chorus, and soloists under Osmo Vänskä
Osmo Vänskä
Osmo Antero Vänskä is a Finnish conductor, clarinetist and composer.He started his musical career as an orchestral clarinetist with the Turku Philharmonic . He then became the principal clarinet of the Helsinki Philharmonic from 1977 to 1982...
, as part of the complete recordings of all Sibelius’s works. Recordings of the suites include those by Sir Thomas Beecham
Thomas Beecham
Sir Thomas Beecham, 2nd Baronet CH was an English conductor and impresario best known for his association with the London Philharmonic and the Royal Philharmonic orchestras. He was also closely associated with the Liverpool Philharmonic and Hallé orchestras...
, Sir Charles Groves
Charles Groves
Sir Charles Barnard Groves CBE was an English conductor. He was known for the breadth of his repertoire and for encouraging contemporary composers and young conductors....
, Horst Stein
Horst Stein
Horst Walter Stein was a German conductor.- Biography :...
and Leif Segerstam
Leif Segerstam
Leif Segerstam is a Finnish conductor and composer.He studied violin, piano and conducting at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki and conducting at the Juilliard School in New York with Jean Morel....
.
Structure of the Incidental Music
- No. 1. Overture
- Act 1
- No. 2, Miranda Falls Asleep
- No. 3, Ariel Flies In
- No. 4, Chorus of the Winds
- No. 5, Ariel Hurries Away
- No. 6, Ariel's First Song with introduction and chorus
- No. 7, Ariel's Second Song
- Act 2
- No. 8, Interlude
- No. 9, The Oak Tree
- No. 10, Ariel's Third Song
- No. 11, Interlude
- No. 12, Stephano' Song
- No. 13, Caliban's Song
- Act 3
- No. 14, Interlude
- No. 15 Humoreske
- No. 16, Canon
- No. 17, Devil's Dance
- No. 18, Ariel as a Harpy
- No. 19, Dance II [The Devils Dance Away]
- No. 20, Intermezzo
- Act 4
- No. 21, Ariel Flies In [= No. 3]
- No. 22, Ariel's Fourth Song
- No. 23, The Rainbow
- No. 24, Iris's Recitation
- No. 25, Juno's Song
- No. 26, Dance Of The Naiads
- No. 27, The Harvester
- No. 28, Ariel Flies In [= No. 3]
- No. 29, Ariel Flies Off [= No. 5]
- No. 30, Ariel Flies In
- No. 31, The Dogs
- Act 5
- No. 31bis, Overture
- No. 32 Intrada
- No. 33, Ariel's Fifth Song
- No. 34, Cortège
- No. 34bis, Epilogue.
Structure of the Suites
The references in brackets are to the origin of the music in the original score.Suite No. 1
- 1. The Oak (No. 18, Ariel as a Harpy, followed by No. 9, The Oak Tree)
- 2. Humoreske (No. 15)
- 3. Caliban’s Song (No. 13)
- 4. The Harvesters (No. 19, Dance II The Devils Dance Away; No. 27, The Harvester)
- 5. Canon (No. 16)
- 6. Scene (No. 11, Interlude; No. 31, The Dogs)
- 7a. Intrada (No. 32)
- 7b. Berceuse (No. 2, Miranda Falls Asleep)
- 8a. Interlude (No, 23, The Rainbow)
- 8b. Ariel’s Song (No. 7, Ariel’s Second Song)
- 9. Overture (No. 1)
Suite No. 2
- 1. Chorus of the Winds (No. 4)
- 2. Intermezzo (No. 20)
- 3. Dance of Nymphs (No. 26, Dance of the Naiads)
- 4. Prospero (No. 8, Interlude)
- 5. Song I (No. 22, Ariel’s Fourth Song)
- 6. Song II (No. 31 bis, Overture; No. 33, Ariel’s Fifth Song)
- 7. Miranda (No. 14, Interlude)
- 8. The Naiads (No. 6, Ariel's First Song)
- 9. Dance Episode (No. 17, Devil’s Dance)