Sibelius: 1914-57 v. 3

click here for more details, find new or used items	Erik Tawaststjerna Pages: 400 (Hardcover) ISBN: 0571190855 Pub: Faber and Faber Pub date: 1997-11-01 Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 708046

Reader Reviews:

The final (English) volume of the essential biography. (10/10 people found this helpful)

The biographical literature on Jean Sibelius has ranged from the incredibly adulatory to the unduly harsh, with little objectivity or middle ground. In contrast, the biography written by Prof. Tawaststjerna, originally published in 5 vol. in both Finnish and Swedish and now abridged to three and translated by Robert Layton, is a wonderfully scholarly work from someone who both admired the composer and understood him well enough to write an accurate biography, integrating musical and cultural analysis. This volume picks up at the beginning of the First World War, analyzing the development of the major pieces which followed, and ends with the composer's death and the unsolved mystery of the never-produced Eighth Symphony. Of particular value is the original correspondence Tawaststjerna alone has had access to, an invaluable insight. The musical analysis can be technical for the reader without background, but is never obtrusive; much of it is more general. Unfortunately, the previous two volumes of this biography are out of print, and difficult to obtain, but the third volume can be read alone with some previous background. An essential book for anyone interested in Sibelius or the development of Finnish music at the turn of the century.

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