In this first enthralling episode of Absolute Masters, Wise Music Group’s Creative Director, Gill Graham, and the composer, broadcaster and scholar Stephen Johnson, take a deep dive into the life and work of Jean Sibelius. In this first of a two-part conversation as dynamic and elemental as Sibelius’ music itself, we learn about the man as composer and human being; the influence and impact of his wife Aino and her rock-like strength; how the First World War and the Russian Revolution affected Symphony No 5; the way in which one of the greatest transitions in music absolutely enthralled the young Sibelius - and what that transition is; how he utilised Wagner’s liberating of dissonance and saw Schoenberg as a challenge he had to face, and the moment he stepped into nature’s inner sanctum and forever changed his approach to composition.

https://www.wisemusicclassical.com/

https://stephen-johnson.co.uk/

Musical Excerpts:

• Sibelius Symphony #7 in C, Op. 105 - Lahti Symphony Orchestra / Osmo Vänskä
• Sibelius Symphony #5 in E Flat, Op. 82 - 1. Tempo Molto Moderato - London Symphony Orchestra / Colin Davis
• Sibelius Symphony #5 in E Flat, Op. 82 - 3. Allegro Molto - London Symphony Orchestra / Colin Davis
• Wagner Das Rheingold - Scene 1, Prelude 1 - Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra / Georg Solti
• Sibelius Symphony #6 in D Minor, Op. 104 - 2/ Allegretto Moderato - Lahti Symphony Orchestra / Osmo Vänskä

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