For the last 30 years of his life, Jean Sibelius was gripped by what became known as “The Silence from Järvenpää.” Järvenpää is the name of the Finnish market town outside of which the composer made his home. He called that home Ainola, after his wife, Aino, who in turn was named for a character in the Kalevala, the Finnish national epic.
After the completion of the Symphony No. 7 and the tone poem “Tapiola” in the mid-1920s, Sibelius created no further major works. Or did he? He was known to have grappled with the composition of an eighth symphony, the manuscript of which he is said to have destroyed. I heard as much from the mouth of his own grandson, who claimed to have been present at its burning.
However a few tantalizing sketches emerged, seemingly out of nowhere, in 2011. Is it possible that more may have survived? Perhaps somewhere, among the composer’s papers, a draft could even exist. I’m not in favor of reconstruction from mere fragments, but if there is a somewhat complete version of the symphony, even in embryonic form, I would be very interested to hear it.
It makes my heart ache to listen to these sketches and contemplate that there might actually have been another Sibelius symphony, had the composer only been able to conquer his demons and hold it together one more time.
