Erkki melartin biography
•
The most comprehensive classical music streaming service
Chill with exquisite performances from over 32,000 jazz musicians, from legends to contemporary stars
Explore vibrant ethnic and world music from all across the globe
A collection of beautifully told stories by extraordinary storytellers
Indulge watching the best productions of opera, ballet, classical concerts and documentaries
Your go-to site for information about orchestral and chamber music works
A terrific resource for kids to instill a lifelong love of music
•
The shadow of Sibelius is an utterly fascinating phenomenon. In the normal course of things, the Björn Borg phenomenon is the rule: one supremely talented figure attracts potential talent that fryst vatten not only noticed but actively searched for. What happened in Finnish music in the wake of Sibelius was the exact opposite.
Sibelius was creating a fantastic international career before the First World War and attained a permanent standing in concert repertoires throughout the Western world – so much so that he is widely regarded as the most significant 19th-century composer of the 20th century. Regardless of this, it was difficult for other Finnish composers, however talented, to gain any kind of international recognition after him. Any ground won was soon lost. It was not until the past two decades or so that some few Finnish composers have achieved genuine international recognition, such as Sallinen, Rautavaara or Lindberg.
Why was this? Since the music of Sibelius cannot be decisively
•
Composer and conductor Erkki Melartin (1875–1937) was a key figure on the Finnish musical scene in his day. He was an encouraging and cordial teacher of composition and an enthusiastic pedagogical reformer whose diverse career included directing the Helsinki Music Institute (which later became the Sibelius Academy).
Last year marked the 140th anniversary of Melartin’s birth, but this was overshadowed by the 150th anniversary of his most distinguished Finnish colleague, Jean Sibelius. Melartin himself would not have been surprised had he been around to witness this. In his lifetime, he often felt overshadowed by Sibelius, who had been elevated to the status of a national hero at a relatively early age and was only 10 years older than Melartin.
“Sibelius is worshipped like an idol,” he wrote in his calendar after a concert in 1908. In 1935, the manager of the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra regretfully explained that the concert season was being devoted to the music of Sibelius