Editor’s note: Arachnophonia (“Arachno” = spider / “-phonia” = sound) is a regular feature on our blog where members of the UR community can share their thoughts about resources from the Parsons Music Library‘s collection.
All links included in these posts will take you to either the library catalog record for the item in question or to additional relevant information from around the web.
Today’s installment of Arachnophonia is by student manager Allison (class of 2022) and features a streaming audio version of the “Karelia Overture” by Finnish composer Jean Sibelius. Thanks, Allison!
Jean Sibelius – Karelia Overture Op. 10
Karelia Overture Op. 10 was the first piece in the Karelia Suite written by Jean Sibelius in 1893. The suite was premiered by the Viipuri Students’ association at the Imperial Alexander University in Finland during the same year. The Karelia Suite is one of Sibelius’ most popular works.
Jean Sibelius (1865-1957) was a very well-known Finnish composer and violinist. In fact, his music is often credited for helping develop Finland‘s national identity whilst the country struggled for independence from Russia. Sibelius began playing violin at age ten and soon became a very successful violinist. Despite his success in the instrumental realm, he decided he would rather become a composer. He studied music at the Helsinki Music Institute and then in various cities across Europe while launching his own career in composition. Fun fact: the Helsinki Music Institute is now known as the Sibelius Academy.
Finnish composer Jean Sibelius (1865-1957)
I was first introduced to Sibelius my junior year of high school when I played Karelia Overture Op. 10 with my youth orchestra. I was very drawn to the piece because of its grandiosity and utilization of brass instruments. While I have since played other Sibelius pieces in youth orchestra and here at Richmond, Karelia Overture Op. 10 is my all-time favorite.