Posts by: Leon
When Jean Sibelius and Aino Järnefelt first chanced upon each other, their eyes locked for so long that she faltered. He was visiting her family flat in Helsinki and was providing, with her brother Armas, musical accompaniment to a pantomime being put up by the ladies of the house. So intense was Jean’s blue-eyed gaze [...]
The wonder that is Twitter. I was having breakfast in front of my laptop when a tweet popped up in the corner of my browser (thanks to the Echofon plug-in for Firefox),
And the remains of my Subway roast chicken sandwich watched the following with me:
Siitäpä nyt tie menevi, ura uusi urkenevi.
“From here today the path is going, a bright new star the way is showing.”
Thus were these words written on a celebratory wreath presented to Sibelius by the eminent conductor and his close friend, Robert Kajanus, on the premiere of the Kullervo Symphony, in [...]
News is emerging in the English language world of music that significant parts of Sibelius’ Eighth Symphony may have been truly found. Not only that, but they’ve been played and recorded. My friend KH alerted me via Facebook, quoting the English version of the report by Finnish music critic Vesa Sirén, who ponders if they [...]
I’ve never looked back since I got my iPhone in Dec 2009. It’s ease of use and that sense of delight when it just got things right, is unsurpassed. Apple affirmed for me again why I love the organic and the intuitively logical approach when it comes to art, science, technology and life.
While it is exciting to know that the Singapore Symphony Orchestra (SSO) will soon embark on its first complete cycle of Sibelius’ seven symphonies, I was even more excited about the prelude to this cycle – Leonidas Kavakos coming here to play the Violin Concerto. It’s been more than a decade since I wrote about [...]
Jean Sibelius
I have traversed the forests of Tapio, I have heard tales from Kullervo's blade. I have scored the chorus of tempests, and transcribed the scent of drying hemp into song. I have caressed the smooth shell of Luonnotar's egg, and I have wept farewell for Runeberg's bard.
This blog belongs to the Inkpot Sibelius Nutcase. He writes about the Finnish composer, Jean Sibelius.- Why so many conducting Finns? http://t.co/U5TTDGK9
- RT @ABCClassic: Ever wondered just what a conductor does? Fascinating video from @NYTimes. http://t.co/uN5P6msD
- Which is the best musical instrument? http://t.co/WMgrV7eU
