Finnish composer Jean Sibelius’ birthday is December 8th.
While in Helsinki, Dan and I visited The Sibelius Monument, dedicated to Jean Sibelius.
While in Helsinki, Dan and I visited The Sibelius Monument, dedicated to Jean Sibelius.
Sibelius loved nature, and the Finnish landscape inspired his music.
He once said of his Sixth Symphony:
[It] always reminds me of the scent of the first snow.
On the subject of Sibelius's connection to nature, biographer Erik W. Tawaststjerna, wrote:
Even by Nordic standards, Sibelius responded with exceptional intensity to the moods of nature and the changes in the seasons: he scanned the skies with his binoculars for the geese flying over the lake ice, listened to the screech of the cranes, and heard the cries of the curlew echo over the marshy grounds just below Ainola.
He savoured the spring blossoms every bit as much as he did autumnal scents and colours.
He once said of his Sixth Symphony:
[It] always reminds me of the scent of the first snow.
On the subject of Sibelius's connection to nature, biographer Erik W. Tawaststjerna, wrote:
Even by Nordic standards, Sibelius responded with exceptional intensity to the moods of nature and the changes in the seasons: he scanned the skies with his binoculars for the geese flying over the lake ice, listened to the screech of the cranes, and heard the cries of the curlew echo over the marshy grounds just below Ainola.
He savoured the spring blossoms every bit as much as he did autumnal scents and colours.
It was wonderful to be able to walk under this monument, too, to view it from many angles!
The monument, located at Sibelius Park, was designed by Eila Hiltunen and unveiled on September 7, 1967.
It consists of series of more than 600 hollow steel pipes welded together in a wave-like pattern. These 600 acid-proof stainless steel tubes of various diameters, welded together individually and hand-textured by Eila Hiltunen. Wearing a 1930s leather jacket and red overalls scattered with holes from welding sparks, she would sit on a tube for hours, with the welding torch in one hand and a water-hose for rapid cooling in the other.
It consists of series of more than 600 hollow steel pipes welded together in a wave-like pattern. These 600 acid-proof stainless steel tubes of various diameters, welded together individually and hand-textured by Eila Hiltunen. Wearing a 1930s leather jacket and red overalls scattered with holes from welding sparks, she would sit on a tube for hours, with the welding torch in one hand and a water-hose for rapid cooling in the other.
I loved how the pipes reflected the natural light and outdoor sounds.
The purpose of the artist was to capture the essence of the music of Sibelius. The monument weighs 30 tons and measures 10.5 meters (length) by 6.5 meters (depth) by 8.5 meters (height). Our tour guide told us that these tubes or pipes symbolize the trees of forests often said to have inspired his composition Tapiola. And after 35 years, this monument shows no signs of aging, stress or corrosion.
Next to the monument is the face of Sibelius. This portrait added a figurative element, to appease the public who felt the monument was too abstract.
Have a great beginning to your week!
Mary^
Mary^
