Jean Sibelius

Sämtliche Werke Serie I (Orchesterwerke) Band 1.4: Kullervo op. 7

Early version February 1892 Insight into the Kullervo workshopFor almost a century, Jean Sibelius' own piano reductions of the two choral movements of the Kullervo Symphony op. 7 were forgotten. It was not until 1982 that the manuscripts from the composer's estate reached the Helsinki University Library. In the complete edition they are published for the first time. They provide the expert with a fascinating insight into reworkings that Sibelius made even before the premiere, and complement the new edition of the first text-critical score recently presented by Glenda Dawn Goss as part of the Complete Edition. The explosive nature of the Kullervo vocal text in 1892 is evidenced by the composer's decision to dispense with the women's voices originally envisioned and to settle on a male chorus. His teacher Martin Wegelius suggested that female choristers might refuse to perform the incestuous seduction scene.