The Scènes historiques II (literal English translation: Historical Scenes II), Op. 66, is a three-movement concert suite for orchestra written in 1912 by the Finnish composer Jean Sibelius. The suite premiered on 29 March 1912 at the University Hall in Helsinki, with Sibelius conducting the Helsinki Philharmonic Society.
Structure The Scènes historiques II contains three numbers, as follows:
Instrumentation The first number of the Scènes historiques II, The Chase, is scored for the following instruments, organized by family (woodwinds, brass, percussion, and strings):
2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets (in B), and 2 bassoons 4 horns (in F) Timpani Violins (I and II), violas, cellos, and double basses
The Love Song (No. 2) adds harp to this ensemble, while At the Drawbridge (No. 3) expands the percussion section to include triangle and tam-tam; in addition, No. 3 calls for one flutist to double piccolo.
Discography The sortable table below contains commercially available recordings of the complete Scènes historiques II: ConductorEnsembleTimeRecording venueLabel1Hungarian State Symphony Orchestra197416:43Torockó Square Church, BudapestDecca2Scottish National Orchestra197718:03Motherwell Town HallChandos3 Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra198517:51Gothenburg Concert HallBIS4Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra198817:43KulttuuritaloRCA Red Seal 5 Danish National Symphony Orchestra199519:26Danish Radio Concert HallChandos 6Norwegian Radio Orchestra200119:01NRK Broadcasting HallFinlandia7New Zealand Symphony Orchestra200619:42Wellington Town HallNaxos
Notes, references, and sources
External links