Jean Sibelius: Symphony No. 2 in D Major, Opus 43

 

Jean Sibelius  (1865 - 1957)

 

Still mourning the recent death of his daughter from typhus, depressed about his troubled marriage, and worried over  recent Russian threats to Finland, Sibelius took a friend’s advice and traveled with his family to Italy in February, 1901.  As it had appealed to artists before him,  the three month trip to Italy was a breath of fresh air, for he immediately began work on his  2nd Symphony.  By November it was near completion and in March 1902, the first performances were enthusiastically received.  The first movement begins with a series of short melodic fragments between the strings, woodwinds and french horns.  One author has referred to the opening string passage as “an accompaniment in search of a theme.”  The short motives return several times.  This is followed by woodwinds, strings, returning themes and broad melodic statements by the strings and brass.  By the middle or development section, the fragments which began the movement have coalesced into larger melodic ideas, themes that have taken on a comfortable familiarity.  But Sibelius is not finished, for he concludes the movement with the earlier melodic fragments.The darker, and at times,  frenetic second movement opens with timpani, and low pizzicato strings followed by the bassoons and oboes.  Soon the strings build in power anticipating the full orchestra in a powerful statement followed by silence.  Quiet strings reappear, various instruments of the orchestra interact-woodwinds, brass, string, percussion- sometimes apart sometimes together, softly followed by full volume and tempo changes, with broad themes and four note motives which are repeated.  The movement ends with fast agitated passages followed by slower reflective sounds.The third movement, a scherzo, opens with rapid string passages played against longer woodwinds phrases that build in volume, followed by silence. A timpani, a reflective oboe solo soon supported by a subdued orchestra. Suddenly, the agitation reignites as the strings alternate with woodwinds and brass.  The quiet oboe theme returns embraced by the orchestra which leads without pause to a climax, and the beginning of the fourth movement.  A memorable theme, led by the string section and supported by the brass erupts. Agitated lower strings support woodwinds in the minor key repeated several times until it is resolved into the major key. The theme which opened the movement is reintroduced quietly.  Various other themes are stated, restated, often softly  then more aggressively as the orchestra rushes to the theme which opened the movement again supported by the brass.  What appears as a diversion reintroduces a theme heard earlier, lows rumbling strings in which the woodwinds pass the earlier minor melody around.  The violins pick up the theme followed by the full orchestra from minor to major key. Heavy sounds appear at the very end as the full brass bring the piece to an exciting conclusion.