- Hardcover: 549 pages
- Publisher: University Of Chicago Press (Dec 15 2009)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0226304779
- ISBN-13: 978-0226304779
- Product Dimensions: 25.4 x 18.8 x 4.6 cm
- Shipping Weight: 1.5 Kg
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Amazon Bestsellers Rank:
#288,913 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #13 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Ethnic & National > Scandinavian
- #19 in Books > History > Europe > Finland
- #50 in Books > History > Europe > Scandinavia
- See Complete Table of Contents
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Product Details |
Product Description
Review
"Until now, classical music listeners have not had an adequate context in which to place Sibelius's well-known and much-performed works. With Sibelius, Glenda Goss treats us to a panoramic view of the relevant Finnish background. This is idiosyncratic music from an idiosyncratic place, and Goss provides a generous overview of both. Unabashedly interpretive, this is a comprehensive and compelling look at a major composer and the culture he both influenced and drew upon. Essential reading for all Sibelians." - James Hepokoski, Yale University"
Book Description
One of the twentieth century’s greatest composers, Jean Sibelius (1865–1957) virtually stopped writing music during the last thirty years of his life. Recasting his mysterious musical silence and his undeniably influential life against the backdrop of Finland’s national awakening, Sibelius will be the definitive biography of this creative legend for many years to come.
Glenda Dawn Goss begins her sweeping narrative in the Finland of Sibelius’s youth, which remained under Russian control for the first five decades of his life. Focusing on previously unexamined events, Goss explores the composer’s formative experiences as a Russian subject and a member of the Swedish-speaking Finnish minority. She goes on to trace Sibelius’s relationships with his creative contemporaries, with whom he worked to usher in a golden age of music and art that would endow Finns with a sense of pride in their heritage and encourage their hopes for the possibilities of nationhood. Skillfully evoking this artistic climate—in which Sibelius emerged as a leader—Goss creates a dazzling portrait of the painting, sculpture, literature, and music it inspired. To solve the deepest riddles of Sibelius’s life, work, and enigmatic silence, Goss contends, we must understand the awakening in which he played so great a role.
Situating this national creative tide in the context of Nordic and European cultural currents, Sibelius dramatically deepens our knowledge of a misunderstood musical giant and an important chapter in the intellectual history of Europe.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
5.0 out of 5 stars (1 customer review)
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
A masterpiece of musicology and cultural history, Aug 10 2010
By Craig M. Zeichner "CMZ" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Sibelius: A Composer's Life and the Awakening of Finland (Hardcover)
This is a miraculous book. Goss's portrait of one of the 20th century's greatest and most enigmatic composers is set against the backdrop of Finland's rise to nationhood. The author's meticulous research and vivid portrayal of the key players in the drama - Jean Sibelius, Robert Kajanus, Axel Gallén and others - makes the book almost read like a novel. Goss is dead-on in many of her musical assessments and peppers her narrative with flashes of wit. If you are interested in the music of Sibelius, this is essential reading. I only wish a writer of similar talents would take on the legacy of Dmitri Shostakovich in similar fashion.
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