Symphony No. 1 (Sibelius)
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Jean Sibelius's Symphony No. 1 in E minor, Opus 39 was written in 1898 when Sibelius was 33. Unlike Sibelius's later symphonies, the piece does not closely resemble the brass-heavy symphonic movements, such as Finlandia, that Sibelius is known for. Instead, the symphony closely mimics the lyric style of fellow Russian composer Pyotr Tchaikovsky and German composer Johannes Brahms. Though Sibelius later denied being influenced by Tchaikovsky or Brahms, the lyrics and the fewer use of brass signifies that the piece emulates the symphonies of both composers. Though the piece was initially classified as being romantic, some music historians argue that it should be classified as modern.
The symphony is characterized by its use of string and woodwind solos; the first movement opens with a long and somewhat rambling clarinet solo, and later movements include violin, viola, and cello solos. In addition, the piece is also characterized by its distinctively minor tones that contrast with the piece's major tonality sections.
The entire symphony is approximately 50 minutes long.
Movements
Like most symphonies, it is in four movements:
- Andante, ma non troppo - Allegro energico
- Andante. Ma non troppo lento
- Scherzo. Allegro
- Finale. Andante