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Pelléas and Mélisande
Theatre score & suite by Jean Sibelius
The composer (c. 1905)
Native namePelléas och Mélisande
CatalogueJS 147 (score)
Opus46 (suite)
Textplay by Maurice Maeterlinck
LanguageSwedish (trans. French)
Composed1905 (1905), arr. 1905
PublisherLienau (Op. 46)
Movements10 (JS 147); 9 (Op. 46)
Premiere
Date17 March 1905 (1905-03-17)[1]
Location
ConductorJean Sibelius
PerformersHelsinki Philharmonic Society

Pelléas and Mélisande (in French: Pelléas et Mélisande; in Swedish: Pelléas och Mélisande), JS 147 (full score) and Op. 46 (concert suite), is theatre music for orchestra written in 1905 by the Finnish composer Jean Sibelius to accompany a Swedish-language production of the Belgian playwright Maurice Maeterlinck's 1893 Symbolist play of the same name (translated by Bertel Gripenberg). The story, which takes place at King Arkel's castle, is a romantic triangle: two princes, Golaud and his younger brother Pelléas, each harbor feelings for Mélisande, a young maiden betrothed to the former (and carrying his child) but courted by the latter. Golaud confronts Pelléas and Mélisande during their secret rendezvous in the park, with lethal consequences. Sibelius contributed music for 10 scenes, spanning all five acts.

The play premiered on 17 March 1905 at the Swedish Theatre in Helsinki, with Sibelius conducting the Helsinki Philharmonic Society. The Swedish actors Gunnar Wingård [sv] and Gabrielle Tavaststjerna [sv] starred as Pelléas and Mélisande, respectively, while the Finnish actor Konrad Tallroth played the role of Golaud; as Mélisande, Tavaststjerna also sang a song by Maeterlinck, "De trenne blinda systrar" ("The Three Blind Sisters", No. 6; original French: "Les trois sœurs aveugles"), which Sibelius had set.[1]


The suite premiered on 12 March 1906 with Robert Kajanus conducting the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra at University Hall; also on the program was the Violin Concerto in D minor (Op. 47; 1904, revised 1905) and the Second Symphony (Op. 43; 1902).[2]

History edit

By 1905, Sibelius already had written incidental music for two plays: Adolf Paul's King Christian II (Kung Kristian II, Op. 27; 1898) and Arvid Järnefelt's Death (Kuolema, JS 113; 1903).

Composition edit

Premiere edit

 
A 17 March 1905 advertisement in Hufvudstadsbladet promoting Sibelius's incidental music to Pelléas och Mélisande

[3]

Maeterlinck's play edit

 
Maurice_Maeterlinck_1901

Structure and roles edit

Pelléas and Mélisande is a stage drama in five acts; in all, Sibelius wrote ten numbers: seven preludes, two postludes that double as melodrama, and a song. The play includes eight roles, the three principal characters—Mélisande, Pelléas, and Golaud—and five minor. These are as follows:

Roles Description Appearances Premiere cast
(17 May 1905)
Pelléas Grandson of Arkël; lover of Mélisande Gunnar Wingård [sv]
Mélisande Wife of Golund; lover of Pelléas Gabrielle Tavaststjerna [sv]
Golaud Grandson of Arkël; husband of Mélisande Konrad Tallroth
Arkël King of Allemonde
Geneviève Mother of Pelléas and Golaud
Little Yniold Son of Golaud by a former marriage
Physician
Porter
Servants, beggars
Incidental music:

Act I

  • No. 1 – Scene 1: Prelude (Förspel). Grave e largamente
  • No. 2 – Scene 2: Andantino con moto
  • No. 3 – Scene 4: Adagio

Act II

  • No. 4 – Scene 1: Prelude (Förspel). Commodo

Act III

  • No. 5 – Scene 1: Prelude (Förspel). Con moto (ma non tanto)
  • No. 6 – Scene 2: Tranquillo, "De trenne blinda systrar" ("The Three Blind Sisters")
  • No. 7 – Scene 4: Andantino pastorale

Act IV

  • No. 8 – Scene 1: Prelude (Förspel). Allegretto
  • No. 9 – Scene 2: [no tempo marking]

Act V

  • No. 10 – Scene 2: Prelude (Förspel). Andante
Concert suite: 
* At the Castle Gate [No. 1]
* Mélisande [No. 2]
* At the Seashore [No. 2a]
* A Spring in the Park [No. 3]
* Pastorale [No. 5]
* The Three Blind Sisters [No. 4]
* Mélisande at the Spinning Wheel [No. 6]
* Entr'acte [No. 7]
* The Death of Mélisande [No. 8]

Synopsis edit

 
Mélisande au puits (1902) - Lucien Lévy-Dhurmer

Instrumentation edit

The incidental music to Pelléas and Mélisande is scored for the following instruments,[4] organized by family (woodwinds, brass, percussion, and strings):

In addition to the instrumental forces above, No. 6 "De trenne blinda systrar" ("The Three Blind Sisters") is a song with female vocalist, supported by the two clarinets. In the concert suite, however, the clarinets take the melodic line alone.[5]

Music edit

Pelléas et Mélisande recordings edit

 
From 1939 to 1955, Sir Thomas Beecham recorded eight of the nine numbers (sans No. 2a) from Sibelius's Pelléas et Mélisande Suite.

Three numbers from Sibelius's Pelléas et Mélisande Suite, Nos. 4 and 8–9, were first recorded in June 1939 at Kingsway Hall by Sir Thomas Beecham and the London Philharmonic Orchestra (now available on Warner Classics); this, Anthony Collins and the London Symphony Orchestra followed in June 1955, for Decca, with recordings of Nos. 2 and 6–9. The same year in late November, Beecham recorded eight of the nine numbers—all but No. 2a—with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at Abbey Road Studios for HMV/EMI; they also performed the same eight numbers during a 8 December live performance on occasion of Sibelius's ninetieth birthday at Royal Festival Hall (released in 2000 by BBC Music). The earliest complete recording of the suite appears to have been by Gennady Rozhdestvensky and Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra for Melodiya in 1967. The table below lists this and other commercially available complete recordings of the suite:

No. Conductor Orchestra Rec.[a] Time Recording venue Label Ref.
1 Gennady Rozhdestvensky (1) Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra 1967 23:26 Melodiya
[b]
2 Paavo Berglund Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra 1978 27:42 Southampton Guildhall EMI Classics
[c]
3 Horst Stein Orchestre de la Suisse Romande 1978 27:32 Victoria Hall, Geneva Decca
[d]
5 Herbert von Karajan Berlin Philharmonic 1982 31:24 Berliner Philharmonie Deutsche Grammophon
[e]
6 Neeme Järvi Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra 1983 28:43 Gothenburg Concert Hall BIS
[f]
7 Okko Kamu Finlandia Sinfonietta [fi] 1983 25:25 Helsinki City Hall Finlandia
[g]
8 Yondani Butt Royal Philharmonic Orchestra 1988 29:55 St. Peter's, Morden AVS Digital
[h]
9 Serge Baudo Czech Philharmonic 1989 29:48 Dvořák Hall, Rudolfinum Supraphon
[i]
10 Juhani Lamminmäki [fi] Tapiola Sinfonietta (1) 1989 24:55 Tapiola Hall, Espoo Cultural Centre Finlandia
[j]
11 Gerard Oskamp [no] Royal Flanders Philharmonic 1992 24:28 De Singel Aurophon
[k]
12 Petri Sakari [fi] Iceland Symphony Orchestra 1992 28:40 Háskólabíó [is] Chandos
[l]
13 Enrique Bátiz Philharmonia Orchestra 1994 28:58 All Saints Church, Tooting Regis
[m]
14 Leif Segerstam (1) Danish National Radio Symphony Orchestra 1994 31:04 Danish Radio Concert Hall Chandos
[n]
15 Tuomas Hannikainen Tapiola Sinfonietta (1) 2000 23:26 Tapiola Hall, Espoo Cultural Centre Ondine
[o]
16 Paavo Järvi Estonian National Symphony Orchestra 2001 25:48 Concert Hall, Tallin Virgin Classics
[p]
17 Joseph Swensen Scottish Chamber Orchestra 2003 26:16 Usher Hall Linn
[q]
18 Patrick Gallois Jyväskylä Sinfonia 2005 24:42 Hankasalmi Church [fi] Naxos
[r]
19 Edward Gardner Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra 2018 25:43 Grieg Hall Chandos
[s]
20 Nicholas Collon Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra 2021 26:04 Helsinki Music Centre Ondine
[t]
. Gennady Rozhdestvensky (2) USSR Ministry of Culture Symphony Orchestra Denon
[u]
. William Boughton English String Orchestra 26:46 Nimbus
[v]
. Anton Nanut Slovenian Symphony Orchestra Pentagon Classics
[w]

Recordings of the complete incidental music:

No. Conductor Orchestra Rec.[a] Time Recording venue Label Ref.
1 David Zinman Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra 1979 28:02 De Doelen Philips
[x]
2 Michael Schønwandt Orchestre philharmonique de Nice [fr] 1989 29:48 Salle Diacosmie Forlane
[y]
3 Osmo Vänskä Lahti Symphony Orchestra 1998 29:19 Ristinkirkko BIS
[z]
4 Leif Segerstam (2) Turku Philharmonic Orchestra 2015 33:34 Turku Concert Hall Naxos
[aa]

Recordings of the suite (omits No. 2b) transcribed for piano:

No. Pianist Rec.[a] Time Recording venue Label Ref.
1 Erik T. Tawaststjerna 1987 25:03 Danderyd Grammar School BIS
[ab]
2 Henri Sigfridsson 2007 24:13 SWR Baden-Baden Hans Rosbaud Studio Hänssler
[ac]
3 Folke Gräsbeck [fi] 2009 27:19 Kuusankoski Hall [fi] BIS
[ad]

Recordings of "De trenne blinda systrar" ("The Tree Blind Sisters"; in French: "Les trois sœurs aveugles") arranged for voice and piano:

No. Soloist Pianist Rec.[a] Time Recording venue Label Ref.
1 Kim Borg Erik Werba 1957 Herkulessaal [de], Munich Residenz Deutsche Grammophon[ae]
[af]
2 Jorma Hynninen Ralf Gothóni 1975 2:58 Fuga Studio Fuga [fi]
[ag]
3 Tom Krause Irwin Gage 1981 3:26 Kingsway Hall Decca
[ah]
4 Anne Sofie von Otter Bengt Forsberg 1989 3:44 Danderyd Grammar School BIS
[ai]
5 Hannu Jurmu [fi] Jouni Somero [fi] 2005 3:27 Sellosali [fi] Naxos
[aj]

Notes, references, and sources edit

Notes
  1. ^ a b c d 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.
  2. ^ G. Rozhdestvensky—Melodiya (SR–40031) 1967
  3. ^ [ P. Berglund—EMI Classics (7243 5 69773 2 7) 1997]
  4. ^ H. Stein—Decca (482 3922) 2015
  5. ^ H. Karajan—Deutsche Grammophon (445 550–2) 1995
  6. ^ N. Järvi—BIS (CD–237) 1984
  7. ^ O. Kamu—Finlandia (FACD 023) 1991
  8. ^ Y. Butt—Label (CD DCA 649) 1989
  9. ^ S. Baudo—Supraphon (11 1269–2 03) 1991
  10. ^ J. Lamminmäki–Finlandia (4509–95859–2) 1991
  11. ^ G. Oskamp—Aurophon (AU–32155) yyyy
  12. ^ P. Sakari—Chandos (CHAN 9158) 1993
  13. ^ E. Bátiz—Regis (RRC 1272) 2007
  14. ^ L. Segerstam—Chandos (CHAN 9483) 1996
  15. ^ T. Hannikainen—Ondine (ODE 952–2) 2000
  16. ^ P. Järvi—Virgin Classics (5099952205552) 2008
  17. ^ [ J. Swensen—Label (CKD220) 2003]
  18. ^ P. Gallois—Naxos (8.557985F) 2006
  19. ^ E. Gardner—Chandos (CHSA 5217) 2021
  20. ^ N. Collon—Ondine (ODE 1404–2) 2022
  21. ^ [ G. Rozhdestvensky—Denon (00795041963468) 2009]
  22. ^ W. Boughton—Nimbus (NI 7716/7) 2000
  23. ^ A. Nanut—Pentagon Classics (PTG 100037) 2016
  24. ^ D. Zinman—Philips (6769 045) 1980
  25. ^ M. Schønwandt—Forlane (UCD 16594) 1989
  26. ^ O. Vänskä—BIS (CD–918) 1999
  27. ^ L. Segerstam—Naxos (8.573301) 2015
  28. ^ E. Tawaststjerna–BIS (CD–366) 1987
  29. ^ H. Sigfridsson–Hänssler (CD 98.261) 2007
  30. ^ F. Gräsbeck—BIS (CD–1927/29) 2010
  31. ^ Cite error: The named reference English was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  32. ^ K. Borg—DG (4776612) 2007
  33. ^ J. Hynninen—Fuga (FA 3007) 1975
  34. ^ T. Krause—Decca (00028947886150) 2015
  35. ^ A. von Otter—BIS (CD–457) 1989
  36. ^ H.&nbspJurmu—Naxos (8.570020) 2007
References
  1. ^ a b Dahlström 2003, p. 212.
  2. ^ Dahlström 2003, p. 214.
  3. ^ Kurki 1998.
  4. ^ Dahlström 2003, pp. 209–212.
  5. ^ Dahlström 2003, pp. 211, 213.
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.
  • Kurki, Eija (1998). Jean Sibelius: Karelia Suite / King Christian II / Pelléas et Mélisande (original versions) (booklet). BIS. CD–918.
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