Berceuse (Järnefelt)

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Järnefelt (left) was inspired to compose his Berceuse upon seeing his young daughter, Eva (held by her mother Maikki, right), asleep in bed with a fever.

The Berceuse in G minor (sometimes followed parenthetically by the Finnish translation Kehtolaulu or by the English translation Cradle Song) is a concert piece for violin and accompaniment written in 1904 by the Finnish composer Armas Järnefelt. Originally for violin and piano, the piece is better known as an arrangement for violin and orchestra that Järnefelt made the same year.[1] At this time, he also made a version of solo piano.

Along with the earlier Prelude (Preludi) for orchestra (1900), the Berceuse is Järnefelt's most well-known piece—together, their popularity has "eclipsed" the composer's other works.[2] Indeed, the two "melodically charming miniatures"[1] frequently are recorded together. A typical performance of the Berceuse lasts about three minutes.

History[edit]

According to Järnefelt, he wrote the Berceuse in one sitting, having been inspired upon seeing his young daughter, Eva (then about two-years old, having been born on 7 November 1901), asleep in bed with a fever.[3] Appropriately, then, it is a peaceful, "beautifully atmospheric" cradle song with a touch of melancholy, as the solo violin's main theme is "warm" yet "sorrowfully songful".[3]

Järnefelt sold the Berceuse to the Helsinki-based publishing house of Helsingfors nya musikhandel [fi] (K. G. Fazer [fi]), which in 1905 began issuing the piece—in all three versions by the composer—in conjunction with the German firm Breitkopf & Härtel. The version for violin and piano, moreover, includes a dedication to the Swedish violinist Sigrid Lindberg.

Music[edit]

It is scored for violin solo, 2 clarinets (in B♭), bassoon, 2 horns (in F), and strings. The tempo is marked Andante; the piece is in 2
4 and the key of G minor.

{\new PianoStaff {<<\new Staff \relative c'{\set Staff.midiInstrument=#"violin" \time 2/4 \set Score.tempoHideNote = ##t \tempo "Andante" 4=60 \autoBeamOff \clef treble \key g \minor ^"Violin solo"|\pp g'4( d'4)|c4. ees8|d8[ d8(] c8[ bes8])|c4. a8|bes8([ c8]) d8([ bes16 d16])|f4 d8([ f8])|g4 g4 \< (~|g4 a4 \!)|\> bes4( a4)|g4. f16([ g16]) \!|f8-.([ ees8-.]) d8-.([ c8-.])|d4. c8|bes([ a8]) g8([ bes8])|d4.( c8)|bes([ a8]) g8([ fis8])|g4.}>>}}
The main theme, beginning at measure 5

Recordings[edit]

The sortable table below lists commercially available recordings of the Berceuse:

No. Conductor Orchestra Violin solo Rec.[a] Time Recording venue Label Ref.
1 Rosario Bourdon Victor Concert Orchestra [Unknown][b] 1926 2:55 Camden, New Jersey Victor
[c]
2 Sir Malcolm Sargent Royal Opera Orchestra [Unknown][b] 1928 3:08 Covent Garden His Master's Voice
[d]
3 Marek Weber Merek Weber Orchestra [Unknown][b] ? 2:44 ? His Master's Voice
[e]
4 Sir John Barbirolli London Symphony Orchestra [Unknown][b] 1933 2:56 Abbey Road Studios Warner Classics
[f]
5 Hans Kindler National Symphony Orchestra[g] [Unknown][b] 1947 3:03 ? RCA Victor
[h]
6 Lennart Hedwall [sv] Örebro Chamber Orchestra [Unknown][b] 1974 3:06 Örebro Castle Swedish Society [sv]
[i]
7 Kyösti Haatanen [fi] Jyväskylä City Orchestra Dagmar Prochákova 1982 3:32 Taulumäki Church Finlandia
[j]
8 Pertti Pekkanen [fi] Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra Jorma Rahkonen [fi] 1988 3:17 Kulttuuritalo yle
[k]
9 Esa-Pekka Salonen Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra Mats Zetterqvist [sv] 1990 3:06 Berwald Hall Sony Classical
[l]
10 Leif Segerstam Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra Erkki Palola [fi] 1994 3:12 Finlandia Hall Ondine
[m]
11 Neeme Järvi (1) Detroit Symphony Orchestra Emmanuelle Boisvert 1994 3:54 Orchestra Hall DSO
[n]
12 Neeme Järvi (2) Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra Christer Thorvaldsson [sv] 1995 3:05 Gothenburg Concert Hall Deutsche Grammophon
[o]
13 Jorma Panula Turku Philharmonic Orchestra Maarit Kirvessalo 1995 3:03 Turku Concert Hall Naxos
[p]
14 Hannu Koivula [fi] Gävle Symphony Orchestra [Unknown][b] 1996 3:28 Orkestersalen Gävle Sterling Records
[q]
15 Jaakko Kuusisto Lahti Symphony Orchestra Jaakko Kuusisto 2008 3:40 Sibelius Hall BIS
[r]

Notes, references, and sources[edit]

Notes
  1. ^ Refers to the year in which the performers recorded the work; this may not be the same as the year in which the recording was first released to the general public.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g This liner notes to this recording do not specify the name of the violin soloist.
  3. ^ R. Bourdon–Victor (20374–A) 1927
  4. ^ M. Sargent–HMV (B 2618) 1928
  5. ^ M. Weber–HMV (X 3039) yyyy
  6. ^ [ J. Barbirolli–Warner Classics (0190295386085) 2020]
  7. ^ Upon being re-released via the budget label RCA Camden in the 1950s, the National Symphony Orchestra was credited under the pseudonym the "Globe Symphony Orchestra".
  8. ^ H. Kindler–RCA Victor (10–1245) 1947
  9. ^ L. Hedwall–Swedish Society (SCD 1007) 1989
  10. ^ K. Haatanen–Finlandia (FA 906) 1982
  11. ^ P. Pekkanen–yle (YLE LP 7) 1988
  12. ^ E. Salonen–Sony Classical (SK 46668) 1991
  13. ^ L. Segerstam–Ondine (ODE 824–2) 1994
  14. ^ N. Järvi–DSO (DSOH 01) 1997
  15. ^ N. Järvi–DG (471 747–2) 2002
  16. ^ J. Panula–Naxos (8.555773) 2001
  17. ^ H. Koivula–Sterling (CDS–1021–2) 1997
  18. ^ J. Kuusisto–BIS (CD–1753) 2010
References
  1. ^ a b Korhonen 2007, p. 46.
  2. ^ Anderson 2001, p. 2.
  3. ^ a b Korhonen 2009, p. 7.
Sources
  • Anderson, Keith (2001). Finnish Orchestral Favorites: Sibelius / Järnefelt / Sallinen / Rautavaara (CD booklet). Jorma Panula & Turku Philharmonic Orchestra. Naxos. p. 2–3. 8.555773. 




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