Symphony n° 2 of Jean Sibelius

The symphony n° 2 in major D, COp 43 of Jean Sibelius was written by the Finnish type-setter in particular during his stay in Italy, beginning 1901. It of this fact is often called Italian the . This voyage was caused by the invitation of a friend, the baron Axel Carpelan, with whom it will dedicate this work. This last was also the inspirer of some showpieces of the musician, of which Finlandia and the concerto for violin . This invitation fell in one period tormented from the life from the type-setter: his/her daughter had died of typhus the year of front, and the Finland knew political disturbances.

It is under the pseudonym of “X” that the baron Carpelan addresses one surprising letter to the young person Sibelius (35 years), at the beginning of the summer 1900, after having seen the first presentation of the Grand Duchy of Finland, then Russian, with the World Fair of Paris: “ You long enough wasted your time while remaining on your premise, Mr Sibelius - now, that is enough! It is high time to leave on a journey. Preferably, should pass the autumn and the winter to Italy to you. Eternal Italy, a country where one is able to learn the cantabilità , proportions and the harmony, the plasticity and the symmetry of the lines. Here is an imposing country where the ugliness itself wants to be beautiful! You know very well in what a not this Italy was significant, even decisive for the artistic evolution of a Richard Strauss or a Tchaïkovski! ”. Initially disconcerted and surprised, Sbelius obtains a purse of a patron whom the baron Carpelan gets to him, which allows him this Italian voyage.

During its Mediterranean stay with its family, with Rapallo then with Florence, it outlined a symphonic poem in four parts on the life of Don Juan, took again the partition to make another part of it. It brought back the whole to Helsinki in May 1901 to finally make of it the screen of its second symphony which it completed with the end of the year or the whole beginning of 1902. This symphony will comprise any more any trace of program (neither Don Juan , neither Mozart, nor Dante, like initially considered).

The second symphony was created on March 8th 1902 with Helsinki by the type-setter with the direction and was from the start a popular success. Success is such as it was rejouée the three following days with closed counters.

It comprises four movements and lasts roughly forty-five minutes. It remains very “romantic” in its design, following, although tonal, comprising some “dissonances the” voluntary ones. The 4th movement is attacked without transition ( attacca ), after the Scherzo .

Allegretto

Tempo andante, my rubato
Vivacissimo - Lento E suave - Tempo firstly - attacca

Final: allegro moderato

The 2nd symphony sometimes was also called, without any irony, “the Pathétique tchaïkovskienne in Finnish dialect”.

In this symphony, Sibelius is distinguished above all by the rhapsodic design, by a structuring often décousue and very contrasted, while seeking, with much success, an authentic and personalized writing, combined with a universal symphonic language where the majority of the features nationalist (or picturesque) are eliminated.

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