Sibelius J. 10 Pensées lyriques, Op.40 (Piano Solo)

Helsinki: R.E. Westerlund, no date. — 30 p. With bookmarks.
Level of difficulty: intermediate.From sibelius.fi: These two collections by Sibelius (i.e. Bagatelles op. 34 [see /file/2732307/ ] and Pensées lyriques op. 40), each containing ten pieces, could be easily passed over as light music for domestic purposes only - and they have indeed been characterised in this way. However, Guy Sacre, the compiler of the massive French piano music encyclopaedia (La musique de piano, 1998), ranks these collections as "among the best of Sibelius's works", adding that they "constitute a kind of Jugend-Album, which is pleasant to play for the fingers and mind of a young (and a more mature!) pianist practising his prima vista playing". Even if the opuses contain no outstanding works, they are imaginative and excellent pieces, which certainly all Finnish piano students find indispensable. Many of them are charming tributes to the pianism of Chopin, Schumann, Liszt and Tchaikovsky.Short description of the 10 pieces (source: Dissertation by Asami Hagiwara, University of Iowa, 2017):
1) Valsette. The Valsette first appeared in the Christmas magazine, Lucifer in 1912. It is written simply and without much excess, which reflects Sibelius’s writing from the middle period.
2) Chant sans paroles. Sibelius once wrote about Tchaikovsky, “in that man there is much of what I have too.” This Chant sans paroles (Song without Words) has a strong connection to Tchikovsky’s music with its beautiful melancholy character.
3) Humoresque. The Humoresque might be mistaken for a work by Robert Schumann. The main theme sounds similar to Arabeske in C, op. 18. Erik Tawaststjerna writes, “Humoresque is one of many indications of Sibelius’s enthusiasm for Schumann’s piano works.” Humoresque is shorter and less difficult than Schumann’s Arabeske.
4) Menuetto. This graceful Minuetto features Sibelius’s neoclassical style of writing. The silence in his music played an important part in creating drama during this time period. One can find wonderful examples of it in this piece.
5) Berceuse. This Berceuse has been described as, “simplicity that is disarmingly beautiful.” This pastoral piece includes a lyrically written melody line with simple accompaniment. Yet, the use of subtle harmonic dissonances and an organic accompaniment makes this piece memorable.
6) Pensée mélodique. Pensée mélodique (Melodic Thoughts) captures listeners’ attention with its harmonic ambiguity. Veijo Murtomäki explains, “[Pensée mélodique] is tonally vagrant, and only finds the tonic (C Major) at the end of the piece.” This work includes a stronger Finnish folk sound than other pieces in this collection with repetition of a runic singing-like melody.
7) Rondoletto. Rondoletto is a Viennese polka in moderate tempo. The piece begins sweetly and lightheartedly, but an unexpected sudden change in the mood begins when abrupt change to the minor occurs. Similar to other polkas written for piano, the left hand accompaniment contain many of jumps.
8) Scherzando. As the title indicates, Scherzando is filled with a joking, playful character. The quality is illustrated with notes jumping around the keyboard.
9) Petite sérénade. Petite Sérénade is a beautiful and heart-warming piece. It sounds like a composition from Mendelssohn’s Song Without Words collection with a lyrical melody in the right hand while the left hand maintains continuously moving broken chords.
10) Polonaise. This is a popular recital piece for students in Finland, with “contrast between chivalrous, fanfare like the main theme and the insistently tragic secondary subject.”Valsette (E minor)
Chanson sans paroles (E minor)
Humoresque (C major)
Menuetto (C major)
Berceuse (D major)
Pensée mélodique (C major)
Rondoletto (A-flat major)
Scherzando (A-flat major)
Petite sérénade (B-flat major)
Polonaise (C major)