Jean Sibelius

Mäkelä's study brings together German, Nordic and Anglo-American work on Sibelius, and synthesizes these various strands of Sibelius reception into a single coherent critical narrative. This acclaimed study, available in English for the first time, looks at the music of Jean Sibelius in its biographical context.Myths have surrounded Sibelius [1865-1957] and his work, for more than 100 years, often diverting attention away from his creative output. Drawing on many unpublished sources, Mäkelä's study leads us back to Sibelius as a musician and a 'poet' of universal validity.Chapters examine the composer's creativity, inspiration, influence, aspects of genre, as well as the relationship of the artist with nature and homeland.Those who knew Sibelius at an early age tell of a youthful bohemian in the midst of European decadence. This 'age of Carmen' [Eduard Munch] marked Sibelius's formative years. The composer's most important works, dating from a time between his third symphony and Tapiol