En Saga, Op. 9

Jean Sibelius (1865-1957) first composed the tone poem En Saga, Op. 9 in 1892, with the work premiering on February 16th, 1893, with Sibelius conducting the Helsinki Philharmonic. While one might imagine some epic, adventurous inspiration, Sibelius was largely adamant that no program existed. The piece received wider acclaim in 1902 when the composer’s friend Ferruccio Busoni asked Sibelius to supply an orchestral piece for a series of concerts in Berlin, with the composer himself conducting his work. Sibelius chose En Saga in the end but revised the work first. This revised version was first performed with the Helsinki Philharmonic again on November 2nd, 1902, as a sort of trial run, although the Berlin concert that followed was also a success for Sibelius, if not for the other composers on the program. This revised version is what is commonly performed today. Instrumentation: 2(2nd dPicc).2.2.2: 4.3.3.1: Perc(3): Str (9-8-7-6-5 in set).