Sibelius: Valse triste

The anonymous theatre piece that became Sibelius biggest success.
The Valse triste was part of the incidental music to Sibelius’ brother-in-law Arvid Järnefelt’s 1903 play Kuolema (“Death”) which had a few performances in a Helsinki theatre. When his German publisher printed it, the piece became a world wide hit. The publisher got rich, but not Sibelius. During 2024, Chief Conductor Santtu-Matias Rouvali and Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra launched a recording of works by Jean Sibelius. The previous editions have been hailed by the international press and nominated the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra as Orchestra of the Year for the Gramophone Classical Music Awards.