Nightride and Sunrise
Template:Short description Script error: No such module "Infobox".Template:Template otherScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
.jpeg){kind=link}
Nightride and Sunrise (in Finnish: Script error: No such module "Lang".; in German: Script error: No such module "Lang".),Template:Sfn Op. 55, is a single-movement tone poem for orchestra written in 1908 by the Finnish composer Jean Sibelius.
The work represents a subjective, spiritual experience of nature by "an ordinary man." It unfolds in three contrasting parts: a galloping section whose length and dogged determination produce one of Sibelius's strangest utterances; a brief hymnic transition in the strings; and an exquisite Northern sunrise whose first rays emerge in the horns.
Although poorly received by audiences initially, the work has gained importance over time. Its repetitive rhythmic patterns and gradual development of musical ideas are characteristics that foreshadow minimalism. The composition is known for expression, artful construction, and psychological weight. The subdued finale was called one of the most magical moments in all of 20th-century music by the American composer Jonathan Blumhofer.[1]
History
Sibelius gave different accounts of the inspiration for this music. One, told to Karl Ekman, was that it was inspired by his first visit to the Colosseum in Rome, in 1901. Another account, given in his later years to his secretary Santeri Levas, was that the inspiration was a sleigh ride from Helsinki to Kerava "at some time around the turn of the century", during which he saw a striking sunrise.Template:Sfn
Sibelius completed the score by November 1908 and sent the manuscript to Alexander Siloti, who conducted the first performance, in Saint Petersburg, in 1909. The reviews of the first performance were unfavorable, except for one in Novy Russ, and one reviewer called Siloti's conducting "slack and monotonous". A writer for Novoye Vremya asked, "Who is actually riding, and why?" Siloti had made cuts to the score.Template:Sfn
Orchestration
Sibelius scored the work for piccolo, 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, bass clarinet, 2 bassoons, contrabassoon, 4 horns (doubled if possible in the Sunrise), 2 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, timpani, bass drum, snare drum, tambourine, triangle and strings.
A typical performance takes about fourteen minutes.
Structure
The composition begins with a dramatic burst from the brass and percussion, followed by a brisk, trotting figure in the strings, reminiscent of Schubert but with more harmonic instability and color. This motive persists for a significant portion of the piece, with the first melody appearing about three minutes in, characterized by a bleak, simple rising figure followed by a descending scale.
As the piece progresses, the initial rhythmic figure in the strings continues, eventually blending with the melody. A notable transition occurs when Sibelius reorders the principal melody’s notes, creating a rich, Slavic chorale texture. This transformation shifts the music from ominous to warm and familiar.
The final third of “Nightride and Sunrise” builds with increasing confidence and splendor, featuring chorales and climaxes. The piece concludes with a magical moment as a crescendo in the strings abruptly reveals a soft E-flat major triad, which fades away gently.[1]
Discography
The British conductor Sir Adrian Boult and the BBC Symphony Orchestra made the world premiere studio recording of Nightride and Sunrise in 1936 for His Master's Voice (released in 2015 by Warner Classics).Template:Sfn The sortable table below contains this and other commercially available recordings:
| No. | Conductor | Ensemble | Rec.Template:Efn | Time | Recording venue | Label | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Script error: No such module "sort". (1) | BBC Symphony Orchestra | 1936 | 13:37 | Abbey Road Studios | Warner Classics | Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
| 2 | Script error: No such module "sort". | London Symphony Orchestra (1) | 1955 | 14:26 | Kingsway Hall | Beulah | Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
| 3 | Script error: No such module "sort". | Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra | 1955 | 13:31 | Herkulessaal | Deutsche Grammophon | Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
| 4 | Script error: No such module "sort". (2) | London Philharmonic Orchestra | 1956 | 14:11 | Walthamstow Assembly Hall | Somm | Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
| 5 | Script error: No such module "sort". | Script error: No such module "sort". (1) | 1967 | 13:27 | Walthamstow Town Hall | RCA Red Seal | Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
| 6 | Script error: No such module "sort". | London Symphony Orchestra (2) | 1969 | 15:15 | Abbey Road Studios | EMI Classics | Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
| 7 | Script error: No such module "sort". | L'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande | 1971 | 14:23 | Victoria Hall | Decca | Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
| 8 | Script error: No such module "sort". | Royal Scottish National Orchestra | 1977 | 15:02 | Glasgow City Halls | Chandos | Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
| 9 | Script error: No such module "sort". | Philharmonia Orchestra (2) | 1981 | 14:28 | Abbey Road Studios | EMI Warner Classics | Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
| 10 | Script error: No such module "sort". | Berlin Symphony Orchestra | 1983 | 16:11 | Template:Ill | Brilliant Classics | Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
| 11 | Script error: No such module "sort". (1) | Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra (1) | 1985 | 15:32 | Gothenburg Concert Hall | BIS | Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
| 12 | Script error: No such module "sort". (1) | Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra | 1988 | 13:32 | Kulttuuritalo | RCA Red Seal | Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
| 13 | Script error: No such module "sort". | Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra | 1991 | 14:15 | Mosfilm Studios | Brilliant Classics | Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
| 14 | Script error: No such module "sort". (2) | Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra (2) | 1995 | 14:49 | Gothenburg Concert Hall | Deutsche Grammophon | Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
| 15 | Script error: No such module "sort". | Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra | 1996 | 14:41 | Stockholm Concert Hall | Virgin Classics | Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
| 16 | Script error: No such module "sort". | Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra | 1998 | 16:40 | Template:Ill | Ondine | Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
| 17 | Script error: No such module "sort". | London Symphony Orchestra (3) | 1998 | 17:01 | Walthamstow Assembly Hall | RCA Red Seal | Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
| 18 | Script error: No such module "sort". (2) | Toronto Symphony Orchestra | 1998 | 14:19 | Massey Hall | Finlandia | Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
| 19 | Script error: No such module "sort". | Lahti Symphony Orchestra | 2001 | 17:20 | Sibelius Hall | BIS | Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
| 20 | Script error: No such module "sort". | New Zealand Symphony Orchestra | 2007 | 16:38 | Michael Fowler Centre | Naxos | Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
Notes, references, and sources
- Notes
- References
<templatestyles src="Reflist/styles.css" />
- ↑ a b Blumhofer, J.: Rethinking the Repertoire #8 – Sibelius’s “Night Ride and Sunrise”. The Arts Fuse, March 5, 2016.
Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
- Sources
<templatestyles src="Refbegin/styles.css" />
- Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
External links
- Night Ride and Sunrise (Öinen ratsastus ja auringonnousu), Op. 55: Scores at the International Music Score Library Project
- On-line biography of Jean Sibelius, "Inner voices 1908-1914". Template:Webarchive
Template:Italic title Template:Jean Sibelius Template:Portalbar Template:Authority control