Finlandia, Op. 26

The Medical College of Wisconsin Orchestra
Spring 2024 Concert
Finlandia, Op. 26
by Jean Sibelius
Conducted by: Alexander Mandl, DMA
The fame of Jean Sibelius rests on his orchestral works, mainly his seven symphonies and the Violin Concerto. He also wrote several symphonic poems, the most important of which are: the earthy Karelia Suite, Op. 11, the Lemminkäinen Suite, Op. 22, based on the Kalevala myths, Finlandia, Op. 26, which became the symbol of Finland's struggle for independence and then of Finland as a nation, and the monumental Tapiola, Op. 112, which was his last major work. The significance of Sibelius for the music not only of Finland but the whole of Europe was encapsulated by English composer Ralph Vaughan Williams, who wrote in a letter to Sibelius: “You have lit a candle that will never go out.” Tonight, we perform two tone poems by Sibelius, the famous Finlandia and the seldom heard Spring Song.
The orchestral “overture”, Finlandia (1899), became an important symbol of Finland's struggle for independence, and it has remained an epitome of all things Finnish, both in its original orchestral guise and in the choral version of the hymn section, with words later provided by V.A. Koskenniemi. Like all successful symphonic poems, Finlandia’s extra-musical meaning generates the music’s formal shape.
Sibelius described this meaning in stirring words: “We fought 600 years for our freedom, and I am part of the generation which achieved it. Freedom! My Finlandia is the story of this fight. It is the song of our battle, our hymn of victory.” His genius is that this story functions simultaneously on both exterior and interior levels - capturing just that intersection where patriotism feeds personal identity and vice versa. Massive chords establish the music’s parameters of great depth and seriousness. Very slowly they yield to a woodwind choir, then to the strings; the judiciously restrained orchestration suggests that there is power held in check. The accumulated tension yields to more defiant strains, then to a resolute, even jaunty section before settling into the strains of the last reverent theme (later used for the hymn “Be still, my soul,” whose text emphasizes patience in the face of suffering), which Sibelius gradually builds into triumph.