Any Finnish choreographer who sets out to create a choreography to Jean
Sibelius’s music is well aware that they are laying hands on music that is full of national meaning Maybe that is why Finnish ballets which have been made to Sibelius’s music tend to deal with the history of the nation
Sibelius as an artist or visions of nature Can we Finns at all think of Sibe lius’s music on the stage as mere music? Jean Sibelius and Dance TIINA SUHONEN Photos: KARI HAKLI AND FINNISH NATIONAL BALLET
Jean Sibelius and dance have There were great expectations that Sibelius would compose an become a focus of attention in Helsinki this year. The new director of opera, but his one-act experiment The Maiden in the Tower (1896) the Finnish National Ballet, Dinna Bjørn, commissioned new choreogra- remained his only opera composition. Sibelius composed theatre music phies to Sibelius’ music from three choreographers, namely Xin-Peng for 11 plays, including Pelléas and Mélisande (1905) and The Tempest Wang from China, Stefano Giannetti from Italy and Finland’s Jorma Elo. (1926). Scaramouche (1913), which was originally characterised as a Xin-Peng Wang interpreted the Narcissus myth on the basis of Sibe- ballet pantomime, can been regarded as Sibelius’ only piece of ballet lius’ long forgotten orchestral ballad The Wood-Nymph. Stefano Gian- music. netti choreographed the entire Fifth Symphony – without a storyline, as It seems that Sibelius was not inspired to compose for the ballet he himself pointed out, although his work drew on problems that Jean – at least he managed to avoid all such commissions. In 1909 the and Aino Sibelius experienced in their marriage. Canadian solo dancer Maud Allan wanted Sibelius to compose a ballet The critics were not very enthusiastic about either ballet, but they for her with an Oriental theme. Allan had become famous with her did like Jorma Elo’s work Twisted Shadow. Twisted Shadow is representa- work The Vision of Salome at The Palace Theatre in London. Oriental tive of current contemporary ballet, its basic ideas being very Forsyth- exoticness sold very well, but Sibelius was not interested in Allan’s ian in its continuous flow of convulsive movement. The musical hooks ideas about composing Khamma, and the task later fell to Debussy. are the very familiar Swan of Tuonela from the Lemminkäinen-suite, and In late 1909, when Allan wanted to create a ballet about a bear-hunting the violin concerto’s intensive finale. feast, she approached Sibelius with the new theme, but, after working In addition to the first premieres, Bjørn decided to end the Ballet’s on the project for a while, he gave it up. 80th anniversary season with a Sibelius gala. The disjointed evening was The bear-feast theme was resurrected in 1914 when the Finnish extended by Giannetti’s Fifth Symphony, and extracts from ballets made pioneer of modern dance Maggie Gripenberg approached Sibelius to Sibelius’ music by John Neumeier, Imre Eck, Juri Vamos, Jorma Elo, with the same idea. In the fourth part of his Sibelius biography, Erik Jorma Uotinen, Pär Isberg and Hans van Manen were performed. Tawaststjerna presents Sibelius’ correspondence with his friend and The critics were scathing, but why? adviser Axel Carpelan, which reveals very clearly the composer’s lack Why was the combining of dance with Sibelius’ music not perceived of motivation: “Ballet suits me and would surely bring me great as a friendly gesture from the Ballet’s Danish director to us Finns? The success…but why waste themes that would make brilliant symphonies event certainly caught the spectators’ attention. On the other hand, on a few pas!” Carpelan’s comforting reply was: “Indeed, follow your part of the audience undoubtedly knows Sibelius’ music so well that genius, devote yourself to symphonic creation… The coming times are, they watched the choreographies with two critical eyes. Some might in my view, not best suited for opera (ballet). It would be rather have entertained old-fashioned thoughts that there is music that one amusing to compose pas with cannons in the background “. cannot and should not dance to. Commissioning three new first premieres means being courageous and taking a big risk, but is it also possible that the choreographers found the well-known classical music The Triumph of the Waltz of Death restrictive? Nowadays, music does not very often serve as the starting point of a choreography; at least, over the last century, new kinds of Sibelius wanted to concentrate on symphonies but, as he constantly links have been created between music and dance. Jorma Elo, whose lived above his means, lack of money forced him to compose small- work was best received by the critics, broke the silence of his ballet scale music for practical uses. His greatest success in this field was
i Hakli with Sibelius’ hits in a postmodern way, and he managed to surprise the undoubtedly Valse triste, which was originally incidental music com- audience with a combination of familiar music and weird movement. posed for Arvid Järnefelt’s symbolistic drama Death (1903). Sibelius orchestrated the waltz in 1904 and, apart from its success in other areas, it became a regular feature in solo dancers’ repertoires. Maggie Sibelius Never Composed Ballets Gripenberg became the first to dance Valse triste in Finland in 1906, and she was followed by many others. Both classical and modern At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, composing ballets was dancers became interested in Valse triste; well-known foreign dancers not regarded as a very worthy occupation for a composer. This was included Olga Preobrazenska, Lubov Egorova, Anna Pavlova, Mary explained partly by the changes that were taking place within dance Wigman and the Estonian Ella Illbak.
| Choreography Jorma Uotinen | Photo Kar art itself and partly by the prevailing ideal of absolute, ‘pure’ music that The composer Erkki Salmenhaara has pointed out that this piece is not dependent on other art forms. As ballet started to renew itself alone, which captured the spirit of its age, would have earned Sibelius in the 1910s in the repertoire of the Ballets Russes, a new interest was his place in the international history of music. As a dance piece Valse also created in ballet music. This transition only took place later on in triste stayed largely faithful to the scene in the original play: a delirious
The Glass Sonate Finland when modern ballet music arrived in the 1930s. woman dreams of being at a ball, at the end of which death asks her