Sibelius centenary; Finlandia

1965 marks the one hundredth anniversary of the birth of the great Finnish composer yon subeditors. To commemorate this important musical event. The University of Michigan broadcasting service presents 13 hour long broadcast of the Master's work. Produced from materials especially recorded by the Finnish Broadcasting Company for these programs. Undoubted lays Abed yes is known to more listeners through his tone poem Finlandia than by any other work. So well like has it become that its main chorale like theme has been given a four part harmony ization. And now appears in many Protestant hymnals. Originally Finlandia was a piece of theatre music. During 1899 a freedom of the press campaign developed in Finland in response to a series of restrictive measures which Russian imperial authorities sought to impose upon Finnish and Swedish newspapers. A number of patriotic theater benefits when I arranged to raise both financial assistance and moral support. Do one such theater benefit. So the US contributed a rather hastily contrived musical a

compliment for a series of 10 blows illustrating the glories of Finland's past. The following year 900 civilians extracted and revised a section of this music and gave it the title Finlandia the work incurred official displeasure and Enrica and one thousand for one enterprising conductor resorted to performing it under the innocuous title of impromptu critics look upon it as an exhilarating patriotic piece. One of the finest examples in the orchestral repertoire. It is raucous strident and belligerent as a work of this sort ought to be. It's appropriate then that this series of so bad your centennial programs begins with a work so thoroughly finish so completely representative of the composer's nationalistic style and so well-liked by audiences everywhere. The Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra Pablo Backlund conductor now performs the tone points in one day Opus 26 pipes of it yes. The composition from which the theme for their series has been taken.

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13 hour long broadcasts commemorating the centennial of the birth of this right now and Finnish composer and featuring music recorded by the Finnish Broadcasting Company. Especially for this series. Well those are bad years was born in 1865 his death occurred only as recently as one thousand fifty seven. He was 91 years old at the time that he lived until December 8th of that year. He died in September. He would have been 92. A number of the composer's students and personal friends are still living active as professional musicians and in the musical lives of their communities. We have recorded interviews with these people interviews which will be heard from time to time during the present series. Today our guest is Henri and Dolly a member of the faculty of the University of Michigan School of Music. Mr. Dolly is conductor of the Michigan youth symphony a select group of 100 and 25 musicians from the high schools throughout the state. He's director of the Allstate division of the National Music capita Interlochen and is conductor of the Scandinavian Symphony Orchestra of

Detroit is with us today and will talk about civilian the map. It's a demo you had an opportunity to observe the great Finnish composer Sabbat Yes in his own home ground. And I wonder if we could talk about him as a man today not just as a composer but as an individual. In his picture somebody just looks a little grim and Teutonic. It reminds me somewhat of the old German actor Erich Funke strong. I was he actually I did he actually look like this. Well Ed he had of course a massive a massive fizzy a tremendous head. He was simply like a block of granite.

But he was not an approachable and. It is certainly true that once he began his devotion to his life of music that the people around him in Finland respected his privacy and protected him from We'll say the average type of tourist to who would like to flock around him. But no he was he was not unapproachable he was not severe. When you had. We'll say a legitimate right to come in contact with you. He was friendly I suppose you would say particularly with those whom he knew well. Very friendly and and was certainly not solely interested in music

although he gave his waking and much of the night hours to the contemplation. All of that. But as host in his home he was certainly. It was certainly gracious and certainly interested in most everything that went on in the world from the from the standpoint that really over radio he would listen to his prized set way in which he could in which he could monitor many many different countries throughout the world. Did he take an active role at all in the life around him. The politics of his country and the social life of the town in which he lived.

This this is one of the fabulous things. About it. C. Bailey Yes. Someone has said you know. That. No man is an island. But in this case. Sube alias. Was the. Island. Of Finland. And from the time. In which. They started their surged towards independence towards the possibility of deciding what Finland should do as a nation in the use of its language and the use of its arts in architecture all of the things he was one of the most successful leaders of a group which is I mentioned including the writers the artist the architects and so on. And perhaps he was the most effective one because some way or other his music.

In a sense produced a kind of a kind of constitution or a declaration of independence which some way or other the people understood. And it certainly fortified them because you see being a small country. They were under at least one of two countries for more than a thousand years. All oh no country subjugated them. They simply would not be subjugated. And it's in this area if you call that politics that Sue Bailey Sue Bailey This was Supremes. Well he spoke through his music did he actually. Go on the soapbox on the platform did he speak. No in public no notice at all. No not a not at all he. He very seldom got out of his medium as a composer. He was not

even what you would call a real successful conductor. But. He did reserve the right to say in the intimate way which as it as it proved to be that that the majority of the people understood. And this is one of the great things about a man whether I think he's writing literature whether it's writing music it's whether or not he gets the response where he queer that he can communicate. And in this sense he certainly did. Did he spend what we might say a hundred percent of his waking hours on music. Was it his habit to compose throughout any day seven days a week. That was entirely his life and that's why for instance outside of the enjoyment of will say Havana cigars and good

food. This is this is where he spent his entire time and I think all oh I can say with authority I think that he slept very little. He was actually either. Contemplating about music he was walking in around the country that he loved listening to the undertow injure the overtones that came about through nature. And of course this is obviously mirrored in his in his music. He had no particular hobbies that would take him away at least for the rest let us say from the composing that he did the only thing that you could call a hobby would be perhaps an extension of his walks and his travels he did. He did travel to some of the European countries even came to America for which he received

some citations and which concerts were given. But outside of say traveling his total life was really devoted to his music and then perhaps second place to his family. Thank you very much Mr. Dali for joining us briefly in discussing SABERA view of the map. The major portion of this first civilian Centennial broadcast will be devoted to a performance of his first symphony the Opus 39 in a minor like Brahms bided his time as far as writing his first symphony was concerned. The Finnish master was 34 years of age when he wrote his first symphony. This was in 1909 when he already was a figure in his native Finland with Finlandia and Saga and other nationalistic tone poems already to his credit. Critics will find the influence of Tchaikovsky in this composition. Philip Hale writes that more important and it is the sound of a powerful unique and a new voice of virile

voice which has new things to say and is not ashamed of screaming outbursts and sudden contrasts. It's not the work of a whining egotist nor a despairing pessimist. It's a strong soul not disturbed by the sensuous charm of women. So critic Philip K. are writing about the first symphony of Sabet Yes. The Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra. Bob a background conductor now performs the Symphony Number one in a minor Opus 39 by on Sabbat Yes the work is in four movements andante ma non troppo Allegro energy co andante Scott so and Finale Symphony Number one by Save it yes. Ain't ain't

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The Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra Pabo background conductor has been heard in a performance of the Symphony Number one in the minor Opus 39 by the bed yes. The earth. Listening to the first in a series of 13 hour long broadcasts works of young

surveyed US produced from materials especially recorded by the Finnish Broadcasting Company for these programs. 1965 marks the one hundredth anniversary of the birth great Finnish composer and to commemorate this unfortunate is the event. The series of fraud through the. Program prepared and written by Honeywell. For speaking and inviting the listener again next week at the same time while the second in this unusual series of programs. This program is produced by Wm the University of Michigan. This is the National Education all radio network.