Classical Music | Violin Music

Recorded on 11/22/2010, 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.

Die Glocken  ("The Bells") is one of Sibelius's boldest pieces as regards his organization of pitch. It is also extremely difficult to explain. There are bells in the partly unison piano texture, but the modally ambiguous opening goes through many transmutations until C sharp is established as the centre.

Courtesy of International Music Foundation.