He has such a multitude of themes in his head that he has been literally quite dizzy. "Janne has been on fire all the time (and so have I!) and this time there has once again been an 'embarras de richesse'. Aino Sibelius described the composition process to Axel Carpelan: In December 1903 the composer was able to tell Carpelan that he had completed two movements of the concerto, but that the orchestration of the third movement remained to be done.Īt the beginning of 1904 Sibelius was writing the concerto like a man possessed and playing the themes on his violin day and night. In the autumn of 1903 the composer announced that he would dedicate the concerto to his acquaintance, Willy Burmester, who once had been the first violinist of Kajanus's orchestra and who had subsequently had a successful career in Central Europe as a violin virtuoso. Sibelius's work was disrupted, and alcohol became a real risk to his health over the next few years. However, the Sibeliuses would soon move back to Helsinki. "I have got wonderful themes for the violin concerto," he revealed to Aino on 18th September 1899. Not long after that Sibelius himself wrote about the concerto. After that he will start writing a string quartet." So you see that he makes a good use of his time. There are also 20 pieces for a ballet, which unfortunately does not have a text, while a violin concerto with orchestra and a great fantasy for orchestra are at the drafting stage, as well as a small book of piano works which will be published at Christmas. "He has also been drafting a ballad or an incantation (Kanteletar) for soprano and large orchestra (for Mrs Ekman, who will sing four of his songs at her autumn concert). The next mention of a violin concerto is from the summer of 1902, in a letter from Axel Carpelan to his cousin Lydia Rosengren: If the music of the king goes well, I won't give any of my old works to anyone before I have thoroughly revised them," he wrote to Adolf Paul on 2nd September.
"I have been thinking of writing a violin concerto. Sibelius started to plan his violin concerto as early as 1899. At the start of the 21st century there were over 50 recordings available. Jean Sibelius's violin concerto is the most frequently recorded and performed concerto of the violin concertos composed in the 20th century. Final version 1905 first public performance in Berlin, 19th October 1905 (Karl Halír, the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra under Richard Strauss). First public performance in Helsinki, 8th February 1904 (Viktor Novácèk, Orchestra of Helsinki Philharmonic Society under Jean Sibelius).