Sibelius - Night Ride and Sunrise, Op 55 - (2/2) - New Zealand Symphony Orchestra

***This is the COMPLETE composition, not an excerpt***

Pietari Inkinen, a lesser known but up and coming (he's only 29 years old after all) Finnish conductor, leads the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra in one of Sibelius' lesser performed but most glorious tone poems, "Nightride and Sunrise", Op. 55, which was completed in 1908.

This piece, if ever one of Sibelius' pieces (other than the ubiquitous but always marvelous 'Finlandia') better painted a portrait of his native Finland, is an excercise in Finnish minimalism (perhaps I am biased in this assertion, but being a Debussy fanatic before only Sibelius, I can't help but wonder if the meeting of these 2 great minds may have produced the minimalism in this monstrously magical piece).
The piece, per Sibelius, was intended to express the subjective, spiritual view of nature by, as he put it, "an ordinary man". He wrote the symphonic poem for piccolo, 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, bass clarinet, 2 bassoons, contrabassoon, 4 horns (only 4 horns is hard to believe at times when I listen), 2 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, timpani, bass drum, snare drum, tambourine, triangle and strings.

The piece, misleading as the title may be, is more of a 3 movement work; 'Nightride' is seemngly split in to 2 seperate miniatures, opening with a "gallop", then settling to a more sedate "canter". At the 9:00 minute mark "Sunrise" is announced with soft woodwinds and building horns. I have split this piece at the 9:00 minute mark for this reason. Sibelius' Sunrise is as if Sibelius "painted" a sunrise just as glorious as was Ravel's "Lever du jour".

I have included pictures of Jean Sibelius at different stages in his life as well as some beautiful pictures of Finnish sunrises.

Enjoy!

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Jean
• Sibelius
• Nightride
• and
• Sunrise
• Night
• Ride
• Op.
• Opus
• 55
• Tone
• Symphonic
• Poem
• Classical
• Music
• New
• Zealand
• Symphony
• Orchestra
• Pietari
• Inkinen
• Finland
• Finnish
• Finlandia

[cheesemongerinF]

Actually the horn parts are scored for horns doubled, so there are actually 8 of them if the orchestra has the budget. This piece has among it the must luxuriant, euphonius and sonically eloquent statements in all of modern music! The early entry of the winds is sheer mastery of orchestration and atmosphere. The ending, again with horns is exquisite, golden, cosmic ..............!

[billystewart4]

@cheesemongerinF

Thanks for the info. I didn't know that about the horns.

Best,

Billy

[billystewart4]

I have posted another version of this piece, by the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra.

I believe that my latest post is more true to Sibelius' original composition, with a quicker tempo, but I must admit that I prefer this version, personally.

[Numboss]

You've done a great job again. There are some beautiful passages in this piece, complimented perfectly by your visual editing. Well done.

[billystewart4]

Thanks Numboss.

I have found that I have another complete version of this piece and I will be posting it for variety as there are no others available. I'm still searching for my Berglund version of "Night Ride", but have yet to find it.

Best,

Billy

[cuervorrojo]

hi

the best performance of this sibelius work.

will be very hard do it better.

this is my opinion , no more.

thanks and i hope you enjoy as myself the most elegant compositor at the the history so good performanced as we can listen here.

[LoveSomebodyToday]

Awsome:)

[lewars1912]

@53slyder Yes, it may "get good" if you really listen to it. Great music like this doesn't always have an immediate appeal like some pop music does but its effect can be much longer lasting. It's like Shakespeare, a great poem, a great painting, etc. (:o)

[53slyder]

@Greatheil does it get good?

[53slyder]

actually i was looking for a celtic tune called knight rider....can anyone help me with that??......i believe it was performed by a group called the sisters of the celtic moon

[nadinecremers]

@raydutchman true true

[raydutchman]

I wish to thank you, thank you, thank you! Such a heavenly performance of a heavenly piece...

[PSMcL67]

Thanks, numboss

[Greatheil]

I heard this a few weeks ago for the first time in concert. I remember being a bit distracted as I usually am when I don't know a piece and it doesn't immediately grab my attention, but the moment the rest of the orchestra dropped out and those horns began playing I was riveted. I've never heard a more beautiful use of what's already the most beautiful instrument in the orchestra.

[lewars1912]

@TheJoyfulPianist >>> Yes! It's wonderful. Apart from his songs and piano pieces I'm familiar with almost everything else and just wish that he hadn't stopped composing when he did.

He virtually abandoned composition at the age of sixty-five and  lived to ninety-one. He had an astonishing flair for creating atmosphere and his music is amazingly evocative.