Progetto Martha Argerich

italiano

Works

Jean Sibelius

Valse triste (from Kuolema)

 

The Valse triste, Op. 44, No. 1, is surely the most famous piece in Jean Sibelius’s entire orchestral output. The work probably enjoys a greater degree of popularity than it deserves, but, be that as it may, Sibelius undoubtedly had the ability to make even the most insignificant pieces immediately recognisable – to sculpt them with a few highly capable strokes. The Valse triste was part of the incidental music composed in 1903 for the play Kuolema (Death) by A. Järnefelt, Sibelius’s brother-in-law. It was originally scored for string orchestra with timpani and bells, but the composer later transcribed it for full orchestra; it soon became very famous thanks to innumerable arrangements. Sibelius, however, was unable to profit from it, because he had sold the rights to the publishers Breitkopf & Härtel in Leipzig for the ridiculous sum of 300 marks.

Performers

Performance