A couple of years later the work was world-famous.Īt the beginning of 1904 Sibelius had time to put the finishing touches to his violin concerto, organise the preparatory work for Ainola and do some serious celebrating. A few months later Sibelius was forced to sell Valse triste at a low price due to a lack of money. Sibelius, who had a heavy cold, abstained from alcohol, but more than compensated with quinine, the medicine for colds at the time. According to Sigurd Wettenhovi-Aspa, an eccentric friend of Sibelius, the idea for the waltz was conceived on the upper floor of the Kämp Restaurant with the help of oysters, soda water and quinine. Valse triste was completed just before the premiere of Death. The house was to be called Ainola ("Aino’s Place") and it would become the Sibeliuses’ permanent home. One day earlier Janne himself had taken measures to get away from the temptations of Helsinki: he bought a building site for a house close to Lake Tuusula, 45 km north of Helsinki. You must," his brother Christian wrote to him on 19th November 1903. But Sibelius’s immediate circle feared that he was dancing a real Waltz of Death because of his way of living. Sibelius achieved his greatest popularity with Valse triste, a sad waltz which he composed for a play called Death, written by his brother-in-law Arvid Järnefelt. Yet he still managed to work, composing masterly songs, such as I natten, På verandan vid havet and Höstkväll. In the autumn of 1903 his restaurant bills amounted to as much as 200 euros per evening in today’s money. However, it had already become evident to Sibelius’s closest friends that his ability to work could only be sustained if he stayed away from the temptations of Helsinki. The family spent the spring in Lohja, and Sibelius concentrated on composing a violin concerto. Sibelius conducted his music in Tampere and Helsinki, and in the spring of 1903 in Tallinn. Katarina gave them solace, even if she could not remove the pain of Kirsti's death. The Sibeliuses' fourth daughter was born in 1903. After her husband’s death, Aino wrote on the back of one of the slips: From the König and Kämp Restaurants, Sibelius kept sending Aino slips of paper informing her that he was coming home The nights of the Euterpeans were often prolonged into the following morning, much to the annoyance of the wives of the participants. Its editors were supervised by Werner Söderhjelm who acted as a kind of father figure. Euterpe was a Swedish-language literary magazine. The Waltz of Death and the move to Ainola 1903-1904ĭuring these years in Helsinki, the composer often attended the sessions of the Euterpeans.
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