The Impromptu, Op. 19, is a single-movement work for female choir and orchestra written in 1902 by the Finnish composer Jean Sibelius. The piece, which is a setting of the Swedish poet Viktor Rydberg's poem Unge hellener (Young Hellenics), premiered in Helsinki on 8 March 1902, with Sibelius conducting the Helsinki Philharmonic Society and an amateur choir. The Impromptu was the middle item a program that also included two other first performances: the Overture in A minor (JS 144), which served as the opener; and the Second Symphony (Op. 43).[4][1]
| Impromptu | |
|---|---|
| Choral piece by Jean Sibelius | |
 The composer (c. 1902) | |
| Opus | 19 |
| Text |
|
| Language | Swedish |
| Composed | 1902 |
| Publisher | Breitkopf & Härtel (1912)[2] |
| Duration | 7 mins. (orig. 6 mins.)[3] |
| Premiere | |
| Date | 8 March 1902[1] |
| Location | Helsinki, Grand Duchy of Finland |
| Conductor | Jean Sibelius |
| Performers | Helsinki Philharmonic Society |
Sibelius extensively revised the Impromptu in the spring of 1910, reducing the instrumentation and altering both the beginning and ending of the piece, the former of which now incorporated a second Rydberg poem, Bacchospräster (The Priests of Bacchus).[2][5] This version of the Impromptu received its premiere in Helsinki on 29 March 1912, with Sibelius conducting the Philharmonic Society;[6] "Nuori Laulu" and the Arbetets vänner female choir sang the choral part.[2]
Instrumentation edit
The revised version of the Impromptu is scored for the following instruments and voices,[2] organized by family (vocalists, woodwinds, brass, percussion, and strings):
- Female choir (SSAA)
- 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, and 2 bassoons
- 4 horns
- Timpani and triangle
- Violins (I and II), violas, cellos, double basses, and harp
The original version of the piece called for much larger orchestral forces, including 2 trumpets, cymbals, bass drum, tambourine, and castanets.[1]
Discography edit
The Estonian conductor Eri Klas and the Finnish National Opera Orchestra made the world premiere studio recording of the Impromptu in 1990 for Ondine.[2] The table below lists this and other commercially available recordings:
| No. | Conductor | Ensemble | Chorus | Rec.[a] | Time | Recording venue | Label | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eri Klas | Finnish National Opera Orchestra | Finnish National Opera Chorus | 1990 | 6:59 | Roihuvuori Church | Ondine | |
| 2 | Osmo Vänskä (1) | Lahti Symphony Orchestra (1) | Dominante Choir (1) | 2004 | 6:57 | Sibelius Hall | BIS | |
| † | Osmo Vänskä (2) | Lahti Symphony Orchestra (2) | Dominante Choir (2) | 2004 | 5:27 | Sibelius Hall | BIS |
† = original version (1902)
Notes, references, and sources edit
- Notes
- ^ Refers to the year in which the performers recorded the work; this may not be the same as the year in which the recording was first released to the general public.
- ^ E. Klas—Ondine (ODE 754-2) 1990
- ^ a b O. Vänskä–BIS (CD–1565) 2006
- References
- ^ a b c d Dahlström 2003, p. 78.
- ^ a b c d e Dahlström 2003, p. 79.
- ^ Dahlström 2003, pp. 78–79.
- ^ Barnett 2007, pp. 146, 148.
- ^ Barnett 2007, p. 205.
- ^ Barnett 2007, p. 220.
- Sources
- Barnett, Andrew (2007). Sibelius. New Haven: Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0-300-11159-0.
- Dahlström, Fabian [in Swedish] (2003). Jean Sibelius: Thematisch-bibliographisches Verzeichnis seiner Werke [Jean Sibelius: A Thematic Bibliographic Index of His Works] (in German). Wiesbaden: Breitkopf & Härtel. ISBN 3-7651-0333-0.
External links edit
- Impromptu, Op. 19: Scores at the International Music Score Library Project
