The Sibelius Train through the Countryside

MUSIC

As some of you know, I did my University degrees in Music, my masters project was in conducting and in part working with the University Orchestra’s, Choirs and Bands. It was a great time and got this incredible appreciation and love of reading and listening to Classical Music. I now love trying to analyse and explain the music through reading it and how every piece tells a story. From growing up listening to music of mainly the taste of my parents music, it consisted of Scottish Celtic Rock band “Runrig” and other folk and rock bands of the 70s and 80s, I feel I got the most varied and wide palette of Music listening experiences. 

I didn’t like Classical Music when I was a teenager… it was long and sounded the same… It was however when I got to University came that I started to understand it more and got interested in Classical Music. I realised that people didn’t love or listened to Classical Music because people didn’t understand it. Behind each piece of Classical Music there is a story to be told. I don't mean the story of how it was made, for the majority that is boring and I can see why. I don't mean technically either... "The exposition modulates from D Major to the relative minor in bar 74" NO! I mean the narrative story! Each piece in some way (thats well written) yes will do all the technical bits correct but through this conveys a specific narrative. Potentially a story, an emotion, an image. That's why I didn’t enjoy it when I was younger, I didn't know how to interpret what the music was telling me.

When understood, I believe Classical Music is the highest form of Music that can evoke more complex emotions that current music can't get to.

“Classical Music is for everybody, they just haven’t found out about it yet” - Benjamin Zander

I believe this statement and am now passionate that the story can be told and would love to share the passion I have for these pieces of Music that I am listening to. First Piece: 

Sibelius Symphony No. 2 1st Movement...The train through the Countryside...

Press play and read at the same time.

Sibelius is from Finland in the 19th/20th Century and is known for his music having developed a specific Finnish sound (roll with me here) and identity during its struggle from independence from Russia.

The opening three ascending notes of the first movement (F#, G and A in first line of diagram above) are repeated and is setting the scene of a nice day. Personally, when listening to it gives me strong imagery of a view of green fields (like passing by the old Microsoft screensaver on a train) and reminds me of the train journey between Aberdeen and Dundee. The main theme starts with woodwind (second & third line of diagram) and tells me that all is well in the countryside on a nice day - blue sky with some clouds - but by the third line something is wrong and the train stops as there is a warning of something ahead on the journey. 

The train carries on and we are going but something has changed… We are going in the wrong direction and cant go back as its a train has to get to the destination. Such is life with a bit of regret and doubt of what is the right direction now we carry on a tad more tentatively but the sound has changed and we are trying different musical keys to get back on the right path like the beginning. We find ourselves in a cave, starting to find our feet and confidence back and move forward through the night. With trepidation for a few minutes, we attempt a few different directions (new melody), desperate to find ourselves back on the right track. We find ourselves with a new theme.

Have you ever had that internal struggle and doubt of making the wrong decision in your life when you are full of doubts? It feels like every option has negatives and your don’t know which way to turn. Think of that moment in your life… Maybe you made the wrong decision… then where are you… in chaos… The only way back through that is by trying stuff out, probably failing then move on to the next chapter… and probably falling ad nauseam. In short, the process of learning from your mistakes is the suffering of life and this I feel is what is happening in this music. It starts on the right path then gets lost… musically its in D major then moves to various centre grounds A Major, G Major, B Minor, G#, F#, A flat, B flat, to name a few. The music is trying to find the centre ground it knew before it lost its way at the beginning. 

At the 6 and a half minute mark we find ourselves managing to fly in the night sky with this triumphant new theme, it has found a route home and can make our way back to the right track of D Major. We land back gently on the track and in a new day with the sun shining again. Doubt keeps trying to creep in with the previous warnings but from our learned experience, of all that failing we manage to keep ourselves on the right track to the very end where we find - home. 

If you listen closely there is something missing in that opening theme, the full theme at the end is the same as the beginning but with the Double Bass (red circles in diagram below) playing in the space. The train journey is ended. The learned experience and suffering of the journey forces you to get your act together and thus become a more complete person.

I would like you to listen to this piece and do TWO things: 

Follow the tune from D major at the beginning, how it looses its way and gets back to D major.

AND

Think of a moment in your life where you have been going on all fine then lost your way, think back to all the decisions that you might have struggled or even failed in making the correct ones and how you got back on track?