Jean Sibelius’ first tone poem, En Saga, despite its literary title, was not inspired by an extra-musical tale. “It represents a state of mind,” Sibelius explained. “I had undergone a number of painful experiences at the time and in no other work have I revealed myself so completely. It is for this reason that I find all literary explanations quite alien.” This atmospheric music conjures up a variety of shifting moods and images.
After its 1893 premiere, Sibelius withdrew En Saga from his repertoire until 1902, when Ferruccio Busoni invited him to conduct it with the Berlin Philharmonic. Excited by the opportunity to conduct a world-class orchestra, Sibelius decided to overhaul the ten-year-old En Saga. He conducted the newly revised version in Berlin on November 15, 1902, where he received lavish applause and several curtain calls.
The revised version of En Saga is substantially different from the original. Sibelius removed an entire middle section and also eliminated a number of tempo and key changes. In addition, the orchestration was superior, reflecting Sibelius’ growing understanding of orchestral colors and techniques.
The opening evokes the magical realms of Norse mythology and the swashbuckling adventures of ancient Vikings. The winds’ breathy dissonances alternate with arpeggiated strings, followed by bassoons and cellos sounding a mournful, mysterious tune. The violins have the heroic first theme, which the violas echo in modified form. This intrepid music serves as the main lynchpin for the whole work; it spawns eddies and currents of countermelody in the winds and brasses. A hushed quartet of violins plays briefly, separating the first section from the next, in which the brasses have the primary melody, a variant of the heroic theme. The muted violin quartet returns briefly, like an aural palette cleanser, before a short final section featuring an extended solo for clarinet, full of modal oddities and impenetrable Scandinavian shadows.
© Elizabeth Schwartz