Sibelius: Andante Festivo, JS 34b, Op. 117a (Version for String Orchestra & Timpani)

Description

Originally composed in 1922 for string quartet, Andante festivo was arranged by Jean Sibelius for string orchestra and timpani in 1938 when New York Times critic Olin Downes requested him to "conduct a piece of music as Finland's greeting to the world in a radio broadcast to celebrate the New York Wold Exhibition." The first performance took place in a direct radio broadcast on January 1 1939 by the Finnish National Radio Orchestra, conducted by the composer himself, the only recorded example of the composer interpreting one of his own works.

Hymnlike in nature, the music is constructed as a smooth, continuous stream of similar melodic phrases that flow into and out of each other. Combining a rich sonority with a sense of poignance, the work projects an almost religious statement in a world before the Second World War. While no opus number was assigned by the composer, it is commonly referred to as, Op. 117a.