Symphony No. 3
by Jean Sibelius
The composer (c. 1907)
KeyC major
CatalogueOp. 52
Composed1904 (1904)–1907
PublisherRobert Lienau (1907)
DurationApprox. 30 mins.
Movements3
Premiere
Date25 September 1907 (1907-09-25)
LocationHelsinki, Grand Duchy of Finland
ConductorJean Sibelius
PerformersHelsinki Philharmonic Society

The Symphony No. 3 in C major, Op. 52, is a three-movement work for orchestra written from 1904 to 1907 by the Finnish composer Jean Sibelius.

It was the first symphony Sibelius composed at Ainola, the villa in which he would reside with his wife Aino beginning in September 1904 until his death in 1957.

Neoclassical in style, the Third Symphony represented a new phase for Sibelius, a radical departure from the romanticism of his first two symphonies and the Violin Concerto, as well as the national romanticism of his early tone poems, such as En saga, The Wood Nymph, Finlandia, and the Lemminkäinen Suite.

The second movement of the Third Symphony contains material from 1905's abandoned oratorio Marjatta.[1]

History

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Sibelius dedicated the Symphony No. 3 to his friend, the English composer Granville Bantock.

Composition

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Premiere

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Instrumentation

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The Third Symphony is scored for the following instruments:

It is the only of Sibelius's symphonies to be published by Robert Lineau.

Music

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The Third Symphony is in three movements. They are as follows:

  1. Allegro moderato
  2. Andantino con moto, quasi allegretto
  3. Moderato—Allegro (ma non tanto)

Movement I

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Movement II

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Movement III

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Context and analysis

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Modern reception

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Relation to Sibelius's other symphonies

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It is, along with the Sixth, one of the least popular and recorded or Sibelius's symphonies.

Discography

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The sortable table below lists commercially available recordings of the Symphony No. 3 that are not part of a Sibelius cycle:

No. Conductor Ensemble Rec.[a] Time Recording venue Label Ref.
1 Robert Kajanus London Symphony Orchestra 1932 Abbey Road Studio HMV, EMI Classics, Warner Classics
1 Paul Kletzki Philharmonia Orchestra 1955 27:24 Kingsway Hall EMI Classics, Warner Classics
1 Mariss Jansons Oslo Philharmonic 1994 28:08 Oslo Konserthus EMI Classics, Warner Classics
1 [[]] [[]]
1 [[]] [[]]
1 [[]] [[]]
1 [[]] [[]]
1 [[]] [[]]
1 Santtu-Matias Rouvali Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra 2019 31:28 Gothenburg Concert Hall Alpha Classics
1 Yannick Nézet-Séguin Orchestre Métropolitain 2021 30:29 Montreal Symphony House ATMA Classique

Notes, references, and sources

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Notes
  1. ^ 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. ^ [ R. Kajanus–Warner Classics () yyyy]
  3. ^ [ P. Kletzki–Warner Classics () yyyy]
  4. ^ [ M. Jansons–Warner Classics () yyyy]
  5. ^ [ X. Xxxxxx–Zzzzzz () yyyy]
  6. ^ [ X. Xxxxxx–Zzzzzz () yyyy]
  7. ^ [ X. Xxxxxx–Zzzzzz () yyyy]
  8. ^ [ X. Xxxxxx–Zzzzzz () yyyy]
  9. ^ [ X. Xxxxxx–Zzzzzz () yyyy]
  10. ^ [ S. Rouvali–Alpha (ALPHA 574) 2020]
References
  1. ^ Barnett 2007, pp. 169–174, 182–185.
  2. ^ [ Y. Nézet-Séguin–ATMA (ACD2 4033) 2021].
Sources