How to Listen to Sibelius's Second Symphony

Completed in 1902 and revised the following year, the Symphony No. 2 in D by Finnish composer Jean Sibelius is arguably the most beloved symphony written in the 20th century. The entire piece, and especially the majestic finale, exudes fervent, heartfelt nationalism, and ever since its first performance it has been closely identified with Finland’s long struggle for independence from Russia. The Second is still tremendously popular with audiences worldwide, and is the most frequently performed and recorded of Sibelius’s seven great symphonies. Here are a few ideas about images and emotions you might keep in mind as you listen to this majestic, timeless piece of music.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• A recording of Sibelius’s Symphony no. 2 in D major Op. 43
• <br>A good stereo system
• <br>A lively imagination
• <br>Drawing pad and pencil (optional)

1. Start the music and make yourself comfortable. Close your eyes and let the music wash over you.

2. During the noble, restrained opening movement, imagine a small, proud nation being called to arms to win its freedom from a foreign oppressor. There is a little pomp and fanfare here, but beneath it is a steely strength and determination, an unpretentious but formidable will to win at all costs and despite imposing odds. Imagine brave, resourceful, but poorly equipped soldiers skiing across the white frozen Finnish landscape, determined to defend their country and their families no matter the cost.

3. The dark, somber second movement puts a damper on the optimistic patriotism of the first. It is as if those lofty feelings have been brought back down to earth by the weight of the sunless, barren sub-Arctic winter, and by the harsh realities of war—disease, injury, torture and death. The music gradually becomes faster, more insistent and more intense, emphasizing these harsh realities. About four and a half minutes into the movement, the sun breaks out from the clouds, and there is a brief respite from the unforgiving winter and the relentless war. But the break doesn’t last for long.

4. The fiery, aggressive third movement doesn’t sound like a traditional scherzo. (The word “scherzo” comes from the Italian for “joke.”) If this is a joke, it’s a bitterly sarcastic one. About a minute and a half into the movement, the frenetic energy dissolves into a heartbreaking elegy by the woodwinds and then the strings. Then, the frenetic energy returns at around the three-minute mark. It’s as if Sibelius is trying to convey the demonic intensity of war side by side with its tragic, human aspects. Imagine a group of soldiers returning to bury a fallen comrade even as bullets are whirring and mortars are exploding all around them.

5. The third movement moves seamlessly into the triumphant finale like an army cresting a distant rise and coming into splendid, glorious view. The finale opens with boundless optimism and unabashed nationalism, similar to the first movement—except this time, victory is in sight. But the finale is not without struggle. The dark winter with its biting north wind reappears at around 2:45, the same winter that was so prominent in the second movement. But rather than prolonged darkness and cold, this time when the winter winds blow in their brooding minor key, they are eventually transformed into the warm springtime of D major. Again at the end of the finale, the inevitability of the frigid winter and the enemy’s strength in numbers seems nearly insurmountable—but then the music unexpectedly crescendos into one of the most powerful climaxes in the entire symphonic repertoire. As you listen to this dramatic conclusion, imagine victory over adversity in whatever form you want.

6. Open your eyes and, if you wish, sketch some of these impressions (or others that might have come to your mind) on your drawing pad.