Classical Music | Violin Music

Jean Sibelius

Auf der Heide, from Romantic Pieces, Op. 115  Play

Emma Steele Violin
Shirley Trissell Piano

Recorded on 12/22/2010, uploaded on 05/19/2011

Musician's or Publisher's Notes

The existence of Sibelius's later opuses cannot be explained by a lack of money, for at this stage the composer was a wealthy man and free from debt. And it is difficult to believe that the last two violin opuses would have been written with the general public in mind. On the contrary, the violin works published in 1929 are enigmatic experiments with material in the style of Beethoven's late bagatelles or Liszt's piano compositions from the 1880s.

Auf der Heide ("On the Moor") presents a peaceful landscape. It unfolds with diatonic chords and melodic sequences until chromatically descending chords take us into cumulus clouds portrayed by harp-like arpeggios. The close of the piece is full of harmonic interest.    
Emma Steele