Is There a Sibelius and Rimsky-Korsakov Link?

[haydnguy]

I have been listening to the Sibelius symphonies and toward the end of the second movement of the 4th Symphony there is a portion of the music that sounds very similar to Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade.

I was wondering if anyone knew if there was a link between these two pieces? Thanks.

[Mirror Image]

Originally Posted by haydnguy

I have been listening to the Sibelius symphonies and toward the end of the second movement of the 4th Symphony there is a portion of the music that sounds very similar to Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade.

I was wondering if anyone knew if there was a link between these two pieces? Thanks.

I'm sure there is somewhere. I'll have to go listen to "Symphony No. 2," so I can get a better feel for what you're referring to, but it's hard not to be influenced by Rimsky-Korsakov, especially when it comes to orchestration.

[haydnguy]

No, no M.I. it's the second movement of Symphony #4. It's towards the end of the movement.

[Mirror Image]

Originally Posted by haydnguy

No, no M.I. it's the second movement of Symphony #4. It's towards the end of the movement.

Oh...whoops! You have to excuse me, HG, I can't read tonight.

[haydnguy]

I've just listened to them both again, and while their not exactly alike they sound pretty darn close to me.

[Musaeus]

I had exactly the same feeling when i was listening to Mahler's 5th recently - there was a cadence just like one from Sibelius No 2.

There is such a strong link between Sibelius and the Russians that Rimsky is sure to be an influence, especially on the First symphony

[ReinerTorheit]

Originally Posted by haydnguy

I have been listening to the Sibelius symphonies and toward the end of the second movement of the 4th Symphony there is a portion of the music that sounds very similar to Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade.

I was wondering if anyone knew if there was a link between these two pieces? Thanks.

Rimsky-Korsakov's book on Orchestration was the standard textbook on the subject for many decades - and in fact it's still taught in academies and universities.

At the time Sibelius grew up, Finland was still a province of the Tsarist Empire. His whole musical education would have been predicated on Russian textbooks.

So he really couldn't have avoided Rimsky's influence, even if he had wanted to Rimsky is sometimes accused of including material in his works purely for the opportunity it gives to display virtuosic orchestration, and it might be that Sibelius succumbed to the same tendency now and then (The Swan of Tuonela, ehem)