Museum of the Moon FAQs

Museum of the Moon

Museum of the Moon is a touring artwork by UK artist Luke Jerram.

Measuring seven metres in diameter, the moon features 120dpi detailed NASA imagery of the lunar surface. At an approximate scale of 1:500,000, each centimetre of the internally lit spherical sculpture represents 5km of the moon’s surface.

Over its lifetime, the Museum of the Moon will be presented in a number of different ways both indoors and outdoors, so altering the experience and interpretation of the artwork. As it travels from place to place, it will gather new musical compositions and an ongoing collection of personal responses, stories and mythologies, as well as highlighting the latest moon science.

The installation is a fusion of lunar imagery, moonlight and surround sound composition created by BAFTA and Ivor Novello award-winning composer Dan Jones. Each venue also programmes their own series lunar-inspired events beneath the moon.

Luke Jerram’s multidisciplinary practice involves the creation of sculptures, installations and live arts projects. Living in the UK but working internationally for 19 years, Jerram has created a number of extraordinary art projects which have excited and inspired people around the globe. Jerram has a set of different narratives that make up his practice which are developing in parallel with one another. He is known worldwide for his large scale public artworks.

http://my-moon.org/

FAQ – Frequency Asked Questions

1. Where did you get the idea to make an artwork such as Museum of the Moon?

Bristol has the highest tidal range in Europe. There’s a 13m gap between high tide and low tide. Cycling to work each day over the river to work, reminded me that it’s the gravitational pull of the Moon that’s making this happen. I had the idea to create the Museum of the Moon some 15 years ago, but it was only until very recently that the data for creating the Moon imagery was made available by NASA.

As a child I always wanted a telescope so I could study the Moon and the night’s sky. Now with my own Moon, I can fly there, study every detail and share this experience with the public. We can explore the far side of the Moon which is never visible from Earth.

2. The moon has always been an inspiration for artists. What was so inspiring for you about the moon?

From the beginning of human history, the moon has acted as a ‘cultural mirror’ to our beliefs, understanding and ways of seeing. Over the centuries, the moon has been interpreted as a god and as a planet. It has been used as a timekeeper, calendar and to aid night time navigation. Throughout history the moon has inspired artists, poets, scientists, writers and musicians the world over. The ethereal blue light cast by a full moon, the delicate crescent following the setting sun, or the mysterious dark side of the moon has evoked passion and exploration. Different cultures around the world have their own historical, cultural, scientific and religious relationships to the moon.
Museum of the Moon allows us to observe and contemplate cultural similarities and differences around the world, and consider the latest moon science. Depending on where the artwork is presented, its meaning and interpretation will shift. Through local research at each location of the artwork, new stories and meanings will be collected and compared from one presentation to the next.

3. During its tour, the Moon has always be shown in public spaces. Why is it important to you to show your artworks in public spaces?

Depending on where the artwork is presented, the meaning and interpretation of the Museum of the Moon, will shift. The interpretation of the Moon will be completely different if it is presented in a cathedral, warehouse, science museum or arts centre.

Whether the artwork is exhibited in China, USA, India or Europe the cultural context and audience, also effects the public’s interpretation. Every culture has its own relationship to the Moon which varies from one country to another.

4. Museum of the Moon is made of really precise lunar imagery from NASA. Can you explain this choice?

I wanted to make the artwork seem as authentic and realistic as possible. For most people, this will be their most intimate, personal and closest encounter they will ever have with the Moon.

5. What’s been the public’s response?

It’s been wonderful to witness the publics’ response to the artwork. Many people spend hours with the Moon exploring its every detail. Some visitors lie down and moon-bathe.

At our exhibition Natural History Museum a man in a suit came up to me in tears. He explained how he was a space scientist from the European Space Agency and had spent his career studying the surface of the moon. I gave him a hug and he left the exhibition, a very happy man!

In Leicester one young girl asked “will you put the moon back afterwards?” She thought I’d stolen the real moon! I reassured the young girl that I would definitely return the moon after the exhibition.

In Bristol, we had an unexpected group of visitors who arrived in slow motion to the exhibition, dressed as spacemen!

In Marseille I arranged an arc of deckchair beneath the Moon. Within minutes, many of the chairs had been groups into pairs and were occupied by couples holding hands!

6. Why has the artwork been so well received?

I think one of the reasons the artwork has been well received so far, is that it leaves space for the public to interact with one another and participate in a communal shared experience. The artwork can be accessed an enjoyed by different people at different levels. It can be enjoyed as much by a 4 year old child as much as a professional astronomer.

To date over 3million people have visited the artwork. We often draw massive crowds many of which will have never have visited the museum or gallery before.

The Museum of the Moon is both an installation artwork, as well as a venue for other people to be creative. Hosts programme their own lunar inspired events to take place beneath the Moon. This way the artwork can reflect the culture and community of a venue.

7. Each venue that hosted the Moon had its own architectural specificities. It also offered different performances beneath the Moon. Therefore it is always a new story. Why is it important to you to have several performances going on beneath your Moon?

Like many of my artworks like Play Me, I’m Yours and Withdrawn, this work provides opportunities for collaboration and the creative input of others.

The Museum of the Moon is an installation artwork that combines the architecture of the space, the sculpture of the Moon and a surround sound composition. Each venue and host, has the opportunity to curate their own moon-inspired events which reflect their local culture and creativity.

8. Music is also very important for your artwork. How relevant and important is Dan Jones’ composition to your work?

The Museum of the Moon installation is a fusion of lunar imagery, moonlight and surround sound composition. I’ve worked with Dan over 15 years, commissioning him to create music for a number of my art installations. We both understand the power that music has to paint imagery in our imaginations.

For the Museum of the Moon, the surround sound composition helps connect the sculpture of the moon with the surrounding architecture. For me, the music in the spacel shapes the atmosphere of the experience guides the interpretation of the artwork.

9. How long did the artwork take to make?
The artwork took 6 months to make. There was a lot of prototyping, planning and fundraising. The artwork was commissioned by many partners coming together to support the initial creation.

I originally had the idea to make this accurate facsimile of the moon 15 years ago. But back then neither the data nor the printing technology were available.

More information about the artwork can be found at:

www.my-moon.org/about
www.my-moon.org/research

Vicissitude

Vicissitude

Monique Martin and Alexandra Hedberg

120sq metres of silkscreened canvas
Created in Gothenburg, Sweden 2022

Change occurs through deep time when life hangs like a question mark, fragile and always changing.
A moment in time can impact this planet, but it can also take years and decades to notice the change.
Transformation is a process within human existence and within the ecosystems on the earth that allows
us to live in the continuous present as we know we will not be the same person or planet tomorrow
that we were today. The arithmetic of life can be looked at as continuous subtraction or as continuous
transformation. When parts of our life and the earth run thin like the transparent chrysalis
of a butterfly there is room for transformation, change, growth and movement.

We thought the environment was frozen in time. It is now a slow emergency. Nature measures
time in epochs, eras, eons; it is not based on a human construct of days or years. Humans
trespass without notice on nature’s time scale but have altered deep time. Our trespassing
renders a lasting impact, stripping mother earth, leaving her vulnerable and weak. We
were complacent thinking we had the answers and believing that tomorrow is always promised.
Did we even really try? The eternal seconds of our nascent attempts to address climate
change may be too late. The regrets will be carried by the future generations
comparing what we could have done with what actually occurred.

Time is eternal and everything is gradually covered by the earth.

See how it was made on Monique Martin’s website http://moniqueart.com/vicissitude/vicissitude.html

Max Richter, composer

Max Richter stands as one of the most prodigious figures on the contemporary music scene, with ground-breaking work as a composer, pianist, producer, and collaborator. From synthesizers and computers to a full symphony orchestra, Richter’s innovative work encompasses solo albums, ballets, concert hall performances, film and television series, video art installations and theatre works. He is Classically trained, studying at Edinburgh University, the Royal Academy of Music, London, and completing his studies with composer Luciano Berio in Florence,

“Memoryhouse”, Richter’s 2002 debut, has been described by The Independent, and Pitchfork Magazine as a “landmark”, while his 2004 album “The Blue Notebooks” was chosen by The Guardian as one of the best Classical works of the century. “SLEEP”, his eight-and-a-half-hour concert work, has been broadcast and performed worldwide, including at the Sydney Opera House, Berlin’s Kraftwerk, Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, the Philharmonie de Paris, and at the Barbican, London. In 2012 Richter “Recomposed” the infamous Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, winning him the prestigious ECHO Classic Award, and an established place in the classical charts.

In recent years Richter’s music has become a mainstay for many of the world’s leading ballet companies, including The Mariinski Ballet, La Scala Milan, The Joffrey Ballet, New York City Ballet, The Paris Opera Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, Semper Oper, and NDT, while his collaborations with Wayne McGregor for The Royal Ballet have been widely acclaimed.

Richter has written prolifically for film and television, with recent projects including Hostiles, Black Mirror, Taboo – which gained him an Emmy nomination, HBO series The Leftovers and My Brilliant Friend and most recently White Boy Rick, Mary Queen of Scots and the sci-fi drama Ad Astra starring Brad Pitt. His music is also featured in Martin Scorsese’s Shutter Island, Ari Folman’s Waltz With Bashir and in the Oscar-winning Arrival by Denis Villeneuve.

Richter’s most recent commissions are from the city of Bonn to mark the Beethoven 250th year anniversary, and a further collaboration between Richter, Margaret Attwood and Wayne McGregor, based on Atwood’s Maddaddam trilogy of novels, premiering in Toronto in September 2022.

His latest recorded project, The New Four Seasons, was released in 2022 marking ten years of his Vivaldi Recomposed project, re-recording the piece with period instruments.

maxrichtermusic.com

Kenneth Fuchs, composer

Kenneth Fuchs is the first living American composer recorded by the virtuoso Sinfonia of London and its brilliant conductor, John Wilson. In July 2023, Chandos Records released Cloud Slant, Orchestral Works, Volume 1, which includes two works for full orchestra, an exuberant composition for strings, and a concerto for C and alto flute, performed by the extraordinary Adam Walker.

Fuchs recorded for Naxos five albums with the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by JoAnn Falletta, the last of which won the 2018 GRAMMY^® Award for “Best Classical Compendium.” In August 2020, Naxos released Point of Tranquility (Seven Works for Symphonic Winds), recorded by the United States Coast Guard Band. Naxos also published an album of chamber music including Falling Canons, Falling Trio and String Quartet No. 5 “American.” Albany Records published String Quartets 2, 3, 4 in definitive performances by the American String Quartet.

Fuchs has composed music for orchestra, band, voice, chorus, soloists, and various chamber ensembles. With Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Lanford Wilson, Fuchs created three chamber musicals. The National September 11 Memorial & Museum presented Fuchs’s operatic monodrama Falling Man (text by Don DeLillo, adapted by J. D. McClatchy) in commemoration of the 15th anniversary of 9/11. His music has achieved significant global recognition through performances, media exposure, and digital streaming and downloading.

Fuchs serves as Professor of Music Composition at the University of Connecticut. He is a graduate of the University of Miami and received master of music and doctor of musical arts degrees from The Juilliard School. His composition teachers include Milton Babbitt, David Diamond, and Vincent Persichetti. His music is published by Bill Holab Music, Hal Leonard LLC, Edward B. Marks Music Company, and Theodore Presser Company, and it has been recorded by Albany, Chandos, and Naxos.

http://www.kennethfuchs.com/

Eventide

Kenneth Fuchs’ Eventide is a one-movement concerto that highlights the exquisite lyricism of the English horn.

Composed especially for Thomas Stacy, solo English hornist in the New York Philharmonic, Fusch created a work with a highly unique character. A technically challenging piece, Eventide includes the use of multiphonic chords.

A multiphonic is an extended technique on a monophonic musical instrument (one that generally produces only one note at a time) in which several notes are produced at once. This includes wind, reed, and brass instruments, as well as the human voice. Multiphonic-like sounds on string instruments, both bowed and hammered, have also been called multiphonics, for lack of better terminology and scarcity of research. – Wikipedia

The piece is inspired by spiritual songs such as Mary Had a Baby and Swing Low, Sweet Chariot. According to Fuchs, “Eventide is inspired by the mysterious quality of sunset glowing through stained-glass windows.”

The piece begins with mellow and delicate passages that create a sense of calm and anticipation, inviting listeners to embrace the tranquillity. Throughout the work, the soloist plays haunting multiphonic chords depicting the strange activity of the creeping darkness.

In the final moments of Eventide, Fuchs produces a declining motion that depicts the sun’s last rays giving way to the enveloping darkness of night. The music achieves a tremendous sense of completion, as though the natural world has reached a peaceful balance.

Véronique Mathieu, violin

Described as a violinist with ‘chops to burn, and rock solid musicianship’ (The Whole Note, TORONTO), Canadian violinist Véronique Mathieu enjoys an exciting career as a soloist, chamber musician, and music educator. Recent engagements have taken her throughout Europe and Asia, and she continues to work extensively with composers. Her CD ARGOT was recently featured on a BBC series dedicated to the music of Lutoslawski, and receives frequent airplay in the US. Recent highlights include the Canadian premiere of Marc-André Dalbavie’s violin concerto with Esprit Orchestra, a performance of John Corigliano’s Chaconne during the composer’s 80th birthday celebrations, the release of a second CD with pianist Stephanie Chua, and numerous recitals throughout North America.

Véronique has performed as a soloist and chamber musician throughout Asia, Europe, South Africa, South America, and the United States. She is a prizewinner of the 2012 Eckhardt-Gramatté Contemporary Music Competition, the 2010 Krakow International Contemporary Music Competition, and a three-time winner of the Canada Council Bank of Instruments Competition. Ms. Mathieu holds the David L. Kaplan Chair in Music at the University of Saskatchewan where she serves as an Associate Professor of Violin. She previously served on the faculty at the University of Kansas and State University of New York, in Buffalo.

An avid contemporary music performer, she has commissioned and premiered numerous works by American, Brazilian, and Canadian composers, and has worked with composers such as Pierre Boulez, Heinz Holliger, and Krzysztof Penderecki. She recorded for the CD series New Music at Indiana University, the label of Radio-Canada, Centrediscs, PARMA, Naxos, and Pheromone. Current projects include the commission of a large-scale solo violin work by Odawa First Nations composer Barbara Croall and a set of 12 pedagogical pieces written in collaboration with 12 internationally renowned composers with the support of the SSHRC and the Canada Council for the Arts.

Véronique has performed as a soloist with orchestras such as the National Arts Centre Orchestra, Shenyang Symphony Orchestra, Esprit Orchestra, Oakville Symphony Orchestra, the Filarmonica de Americana, Kokomo Symphony, Columbus Indiana Philharmonic, and the Montreal Contemporary Ensemble. She has given solo performances in China, Georgia, Italy, Vietnam, as well as world premieres of works by Brian Harman and Adam Scime. Her CD debut of solo works by Boulez, Donatoni, and Lutoslawski was praised as a recording of “outstanding violin playing” and “stunning [performance] with amazing technique”. Following the release of her 3rd solo CD (Cortège), she was a finalist in the Classical Artist/Ensemble of the Year category at the 2021 Western Canadian Music Awards.

In addition to her teaching and performing activities, Véronique is the co-founder and artistic director of NAVO (www.navoarts.com), a non-for-profit arts organization dedicated to bringing world-class performances to the Midwest.

Véronique won many prizes in Canada before completing her Bachelor’s Degree in Music at the Québec Conservatory. She obtained an Artist Diploma with outstanding achievement in violin performance from McGill University as a student of Denise Lupien, where was a recipient of the Ethel J. Ivey Award, and the Lloyd Carr Harris Scholarship. Mathieu completed a Performer Diploma and a Master’s Degree in music at Indiana University with professor Miriam Fried while working as an Associate Instructor in violin. She also completed a Doctor of music degree in violin performance at the same institution under the guidance of Mark Kaplan, and was a fellow at the Glenn Gould School in Toronto.

https://www.veroniquemathieu.net/

Erin Brophey, English horn

Erin Brophey is currently the Principal Oboe of the Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra. Previously, Erin held the position of section oboe and English horn with the Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra for eight seasons. Erin is also an active freelance musician and has performed with many Canadian orchestras, including the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony Orchestra, the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Symphony Nova Scotia, the Regina Symphony Orchestra, the Windsor Symphony Orchestra, the Charlottetown Festival Orchestra and the Elora Festival Orchestra.

In 2000, Erin received her Honours Bachelor of Music from Wilfrid Laurier University where she studied with James Mason. She completed her Master of Music degree at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania under the tutelage of Cynthia Koledo de Almeida in 2002.

As a chamber musician, Erin has performed in many summer festivals nation-wide including Festival of the Sound, West Ben Festival, Elora Festival, Stratford Music Festival, Tafelmusik Summer Baroque Institute, National Youth Orchestra of Canada, L’Orchestre de la Francophonie and the National Academy Orchestra. Recently, Erin performed at the Ritornello Festival with the Gryphon Trio.

Erin Brophey is a sessional lecturer at the University of Saskatchewan and is the Woodwind Coach for the Saskatoon Youth Orchestra. In Saskatoon, Erin co-directs a community double-reed band called Squawk, is active in new music programming and also teaches a private oboe studio. In addition, Erin is on faculty at the Inter-Provincial Music Camp in Parry Sound, Ontario.

Erin is the Director of a unique online oboe education program called the Oboe Path.

https://www.erinbrophey.com/

SSO’s Live Streaming for 2023-2024

Welcome to our biggest year yet! From the 300th anniversary of Bach’s St John Passion to world premieres and Grammy winners – this season has it all. And you can enjoy it from the comfort of the best seat in the house…yours!

Streaming has changed the SSO forever. It’s a great joy to be able to share our performances with viewers around the world, and bring our music making in the hearts and homes of our patrons. Whether you’re live streaming the performance, or watching it a second time on demand, we’ve curated an online season that highlights the best we have to offer this season.

Visit ConcertStream.tv

September 16th – Four Seasons of the Moon

Sit back and gaze up at the moon! A concert performed directly under Luke Jerram’s Museum of the Moon, this is a one of a kind event. The performance features your SSO led by Maestra Judith Yan and performing Kenneth Fuchs’ Eventide with the SSO’s Erin Brophey and Max Richter’s enigmatic Recomposed Four Seasons with violinist Veronique Mathieu. A one-of-a-kind musical adventure to the moon!

October 21st – Rachmaninoff Romance

2023 marks the 150th birthday of the great pianist and composer Sergei Rachmaninoff – so we’re celebrating with a pair of concerts to bring the house down! Pianist Lucille Chung makes her SSO debut with the virtuosic powerhouse of Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme by Paganini. Maestra Yue Bao leads your SSO through Coleridge Taylor Perkinson’s Worship and Dvorak’s romantic 8th Symphony.

October 28th – A Case of You

Only available to SSO Streaming Subscribers

The SSO celebrates the 80th birthday of Saskatoon’s greatest musician, Joni Mitchell. Vocalist Sarah Slean returns to perform the music from Mitchell’s albums Both Sides Now and Travelogue. The concert features hits like Both Sides Now, Circle Game, Blue, River, and so much more!

November 25th – Rachmaninoff Dances

A landmark night featuring Grammy winner saxophonist Timothy McAllister in a world premiere of Vincent Ho’s brand new Fanciful Bird Concerto. A commission of the SSO years in the making, the concerto tells an incredible story with a local twist. Maestro Robert Franz leads the SSO in the sensational Symphonic Dances of Rachmaninoff and opens with Kalamalka (Lake of Many Colours) by Jean Coulthard.

December 9th – Holiday Pops!

It’s the most wonderful time of the year and we’re here to bring you some holiday cheer. Maestra Rosemary Thompson is joined by long-time SSO collaborator Garry Gable to tell some classic holiday stories with special guests the University Chorus. Haul out the holly, its time to get festive!

December release – Handel’s Messiah

Maestra Cosette Justo Valdes wowed our audience last year with Handel’s Messiah – the soloists, the orchestra, and the chorus were breathtaking. Rejoice over the holiday season with this timeless classic celebrating its 110th anniversary in Saskatoon!

February 10th – The Roaring Twenties

The 20s were full of great music and celebrations, and this concert celebrates the 100th anniversary of Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue with pianist Daniel Clarke Bouchard. Maestra Melanie Leonard has created a program to celebrate the hustle and bustle of the 1920s with Gerswhin’s American in Paris and William Grant Still’s Symphony No 1.

March 2nd – SSO with Kinan Azmeh

Grammy winner Kinan Azmeh has been hailed as one of the greatest most versitile artists on stage today. His performances are spellbinding. He joins the SSO to perform his own work Suite for Improvisor and Orchestra. Maestra Cosette Justo Valdes takes the SSO on a journey of sound with Faure’s Pelleas et Melisande, Dohnanyi’s Symphonic Minutes, and Kelly Marie Murphy’s Curiousity, Genius, and the Search for Petula Clark.

March 23rd – Sask Celebration

Maestro William Rowson returns home to lead his hometown orchestra in a celebration of all things Saskatchewan. The world premiere of Saskatoonian Andrew Kesler‘s Suite for the Prairies with the Saskatoon Youth Orchestra opens this celebration. Then we showcase the orchestra and Sask soloists Veronique Mathieu in Sibelius’ Violin Concerto and Godwin Friesen in Prokofiev’s virtuosic 3rd Piano Concerto.

April 7th – St John’s Passion

Maestro Leslie Dala returns to the SSO podium to lead your orchestra and SSO Chorus in a performance of Bach’s St John’s Passion – 300 years to the day it premiered. Marking its first full performance in Saskatoon’s history, this musical event is a landmark project for the SSO and our chorus.

April 20th – YXE Divas

It’s a party celebrating the best female voices Saskatoon has to offer – a night where rock and roll meets blues and rap and even opera…this is going to be a fun night of making music with great friends! Maestra Janna Sailor takes to the podium alongside the best YXE has to offer.

May 4th – Beethoven 9 at 200

We’re thrilled to be celebrating the 200th anniversary of the premiere of Beethoven’s epic Symphony No 9. Maestra Judith Yan leads the SSO with an all star soloist line up, including Julie Nesrallah, and a mass choir gathering together voices from across the province. It’s going to be truly an Ode to Joy!

*Most of these concerts will be available to view in a live stream with a streaming ticket. All of the SSO’s streamed season and back catalogue is available with SSO Streaming Subscriptions.

SSO Streaming Subscriptions are available for $99.99 for 12 months.

Streaming Tickets and SSO Streaming Subscriptions are available for purchase at ConcertStream.tv

Jean Sibelius, composer

Finnish composer Jean Sibelius, née Johan Julius Christian Sibelius, was born on December 8th, 1865 in Hämeenlinna (Swedish: Tavastehus) in the Grand Duchy of Finland, an autonomous part of the Russian Empire. He was the son of the Swedish-speaking medical doctor Christian Gustaf Sibelius and Maria Charlotta Sibelius (née Borg).

His father passed away when Sibelius was young so his family moved into the home of his maternal grandmother. Sibelius’ uncle, Pehr Ferdinand Sibelius, who was interested in music, gave the boy a violin when he was ten years old and later encouraged him to maintain his interest in composition.

Sibelius spent many of his childhood summers wandering around the countryside. His strong love of nature shines through in many of his compositions. His family moved to Loviisa on the coast for the summer months. In his own words: “For me, Loviisa represented sun and happiness. Hämeenlinna was where I went to school; Loviisa was freedom.”

After graduating from high school in 1885, Sibelius began to study law at the Imperial Alexander University in Finland but, showing far more interest in music, soon moved to the Helsinki Music Institute (now the Sibelius Academy) where he studied from 1885 to 1889.

Initially, Sibelius wanted to be a violinist,

My tragedy was that I wanted to be a celebrated violinist at any price. Since the age of 15 I played my violin practically from morning to night. I hated pen and ink—unfortunately I preferred an elegant violin bow. My love for the violin lasted quite long and it was a very painful awakening when I had to admit that I had begun my training for the exacting career of a virtuoso too late.

He came to realize that his strengths lay in composition. One of his teachers, Martin Wegelius, gave the self-taught Sibelius his first formal lessons in composition. Sibelius continued his studies in Berlin (from 1889 to 1890) with Albert Becker, and in Vienna (from 1890 to 1891) with Robert Fuchs and the Hungarian-Jewish Karl Goldmark. In Berlin, he had the opportunity to widen his musical experience by going to a variety of concerts and operas, including the premiere of Richard Strauss’s Don Juan.

While Sibelius was studying music in Helsinki in the autumn of 1888, Armas Järnefelt, a friend from the Music Institute, invited him to the family home. There he met and immediately fell in love with Aino, the 17-year-old daughter of General Alexander Järnefelt, the governor of Vaasa, and Elisabeth Clodt von Jürgensburg, a Baltic aristocrat.

When Sibelius completed his studies, he married Aisno in June 1892 at Maxmo. They spent their honeymoon in Karelia, the home of the Kalevala. It served as an inspiration for Sibelius’s tone poem En saga, the Lemminkäinen legends and the Karelia Suite. Their home, Ainola, was completed on Lake Tuusula, Järvenpää, in 1903. During the years at Ainola, they had six daughters: Eva, Ruth, Kirsti (who died aged one from typhoid), Katarina, Margareta and Heidi.

He began premiering his orchestral works in 1892 with Kullervo. It was described by Juho Ranta who sang in the choir as, “Finnish music.” Thus began a long career of creating works that encapsulated Finnish music.

On the evening of 20 September 1957, Sibelius died of a brain haemorrhage at the age of 91. At the time of his death, his Fifth Symphony, conducted by Sir Malcolm Sargent, was being broadcast by radio from Helsinki. At the same time, the United Nations General Assembly was in session, and the then President of the Assembly, Sir Leslie Munro of New Zealand, called for a moment of silence and delivered a eulogy: “Sibelius belonged to the whole world. He enriched the life of the entire human race with his music”. Sibelius was honoured with a state funeral and is buried in the garden at Ainola.

Charles Jennens, librettist

Charles Jennens was an English landowner and arts supporter. A friend of George Frideric Handel’s, he helped author the libretti of several Handel oratorios, including the much-loved Messiah.

A libretto (Italian for “booklet”) is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or musical. The term libretto is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major liturgical works, such as the Mass, requiem and sacred cantata, or the story line of a ballet.

Born in 1700, Jennens was brought up in Leicestershire at Gospall Hall. He was a devout Christian, and supported the legitimacy of the Stuart line. He was considered melancholic and extravagant, and his neighbours called him Suleyman the Magnificent.

Due to his support of the Stuarts he was unable to hold any public appointments, so Jennens turned his attention to the arts instead. He was a collector of art with one of the finest collections in England (at the time), and a devoted patron of music.

Through his love of Handel’s compositions, Jennens and Handel became friends. Jennens even commissioned Tomas Hudson to paint a portrait of Handel.

Jennens used his knowledge of the Bible, and other literary interests to prepare or contribute to libretti for Handel. This work was done for free, and it was always published anonymously. He annotated his copies of Handel’s operas, adding corrections, bass figures, rejected pieces, and dates. It is also clear that on occasions Handel was prepared to accept Jennens’ suggestions and improvements to his compositions.

Some attribute Messiah’s emphasis on the Old Testament – and choice of the Old Testament title “Messiah” – to Jennens’ theological beliefs. Jennens was less than wholly approving of the musical setting, writing to Edward Holdsworth:

“I shall show you a collection I gave Handel, called Messiah, which I value highly. He has made a fine entertainment of it, though not near so good as he might and ought to have done. I have with great difficulty made him correct some of the grossest faults in the composition; but he retained his overture obstinately, in which there are some passages far unworthy of Handel, but much more unworthy of the Messiah.”

In the early 1770s Jennens commenced the preparation of scrupulous critical editions of Shakespeare plays, and the first time that these had been published individually and with editorial footnotes. He completed King Lear, Hamlet, Othello, Macbeth, and Julius Caesar before his death.

He died on 20 November 1773. His memorial lies in Nether Whitacre Parish Church and was sculpted by Richard Hayward who also provided sculptures both in his London home at Great Ormond Street and at his country seat of Gopsall Park.

After his death, Jennens’ second cousin Heneage Finch, 3rd Earl of Aylesford, inherited his music library. Much of it is now preserved in the Henry Watson Music Library at Manchester Central Library. It contains a large collection of manuscripts and published music by Handel and other contemporary composers, both English and Italian; there are 368 volumes of Handel manuscripts, and others include the autograph of Antonio Vivaldi’s “Manchester” violin sonatas and an early manuscript of The Four Seasons. Jennens’ extensive collection of books by William Shakespeare, on literature, philology and theology was largely dispersed in a sale in 1918.