Spring Song (Sibelius)

Template:Short description Template:Infobox musical composition

Spring Song (in Swedish: Script error: No such module "Lang".; in Finnish: Script error: No such module "Lang".), Op. 16, is a single-movement tone poem for orchestra written in 1894 by the Finnish composer Jean Sibelius.

History

The piece was initially composed as Improvisation for Orchestra, in the key of D major. It was premiered on 21 July 1894Template:Sfn at an outdoor festival in Vaasa, organized by the Template:Ill (Script error: No such module "Lang".). Short, lyrical, and delicately scored, Sibelius's piece was ill-suited for the open-air concert, and the audience received it less enthusiastically than another work on the program: Korsholm, by Sibelius's brother-in-law and friend Armas Järnefelt. Shortly therefore, Sibelius withdrew Improvisation for revision. In 1895, he recast it in F major and retitled the work Spring Song (Script error: No such module "Lang".), appending the subtitle "The Sadness of Spring" to that (unpublished) version.Template:Sfn

Structure

The work is scored for 2 flutes (both doubling piccolo), 2 oboes, 2 clarinets (in BTemplate:Music), 2 bassoons, 4 horns (in F), 3 trumpets (in F), 3 trombones, tuba, timpani, glocken, violins, violas, cellos, and double basses.^[1] Spring Song takes about 8 minutes to play.

<score> \relative c' \new Staff \with { \remove "Time_signature_engraver" } {

\key f \major \time 3/4 \tempo ""
r4^\markup \italic cantabile c\mp ( d) c4.\( bes8( d bes) c4\) f--( e-- f) c2
d4-- \( e8\> ( d e4\! d4.) \) \< c8( \> \( e c\! ) d2.\) \< d2.*5/6 s8\!

} </score>

The tempo marking is: Tempo moderato e sostenuto. The piece contains an optimism that is relatively rare among Sibelius' works. It is known for its prominent use of bells at the end of the song.Template:Sfn

Discography

The sortable table below lists commercially available recordings of Spring Song:

No.	Conductor	Orchestra	Rec.Template:Efn	Time	Recording venue	Label	Ref.
1	Template:Sort	Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra	1973	8:21	Southampton Guildhall	EMI Classics	Template:Efn Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
2	Template:Sort	Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra	1975	6:56	Liverpool Philharmonic Hall	EMI Classics	Template:Efn Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
3	Template:Sort	Royal Scottish National Orchestra	1977	7:10	Glasgow City Halls	Chandos	Template:Efn Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
4	Template:Sort (1)	Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra (1)	1986	8:17	Gothenburg Concert Hall	BIS	Template:Efn Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
5	Template:Sort	Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra	1991	8:19	Mosfilm Studios	Brilliant Classics	Template:Efn Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
6	Template:Sort (2)	Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra (2)	1994	7:46	Gothenburg Concert Hall	Deutsche Grammophon	Template:Efn Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
7	Template:Sort (1)	Lahti Symphony Orchestra (1)	1999	8:14	Ristinkirkko	BIS	Template:Efn Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
8	Template:Sort	Template:Ill	2002	8:32	Template:Ill	Finlandia	Template:Efn Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
9	Template:Sort (2)	Lahti Symphony Orchestra (2)	2007	7:34	Sibelius Hall	BIS	Template:Efn Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
10	Template:Sort	Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra	2007	8:56	Finlandia Hall	Ondine	Template:Efn Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
11	Template:Sort	Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra	2018	7:45	Grieg Hall	Chandos	Template:Efn Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
12	Template:Sort	BBC Symphony Orchestra	2018	9:03	Watford Colosseum	Chandos	Template:Efn Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".