Insert translated critics' reviews of Helsinki premiere here
Insert translated critics' reviews of Berlin concert here
Insert translated critics' reviews of Dresden concert here
- "We have learned that Mr Mielck wanted to illustrate a definite subject here and that Andersen's fairy tale Ice Maiden preoccupied him (hence the name Sagosinfoni on the symphony in its entirety). / We sincerely admit that we were unable to follow the composer's imagination here; neither the bold string hunter Rudi, nor the smiling Babette down in the valley, nor the demonically enticing ice maiden among blue glaciers and rushing abysses were able to see our imagination. / But we pay less attention to this; what strange pictures can not play for a composer, while he who listens to his tones only hears sound combinations and senses rhythms!"
- "Ernst Mielcks konsert. Såsom vi redan i gårdagens blad nämde, omfattar programmet för konserten två större kompositioner af konsertgifvaren; Sagosinfoni--närmast inspirerad af Andersens saga Isjungfrau--utförd af Filharmoniska orkestern under anförande af kapellmästar R. Kajanus samt stråkkvintett spelad af hrr Gregorowitsch, Kihlman, Sante, Röllig och Fischer. Som solist uppträder herr Mielck med Griegs pianokonsert i A-moll. Den endast 19-åriga konsertgifvaren torde vara den förste af våra inhemska tonsättare, som vid så unga år iklädt sina musikaliska tankar sinfonins stora fordrande former och därvid lyckats skapa ett musikvärk med beaktansvärda förtjänster och med en fullt modärn, klingande instrumentering--ett otetydigt bevis på en mindre vanlig begåfning. Viförutsätta, att den unge pianistentonsättarens konsert kommer att omfattas med lifligaste intresse. ~ A.U."
- "Ernst Mielck's concert. As we already mentioned in yesterday's magazine, the program for the concert includes two major compositions by the concert giver; Sagosinfoni - almost inspired by Andersen's saga Isjungfrau - performed by the Philharmonic Orchestra under the direction of conductor R. Kajanus and string quintet played by Mr. Gregorowitsch, Kihlman, Sante, Rôllig and Fischer. Mr. Mielck performs as a soloist with Grieg's piano concerto in A minor. The only 19-year-old concert giver is probably the first of our domestic composers, who at such a young age dressed in his musical thoughts the great demanding forms of the symphony and thereby succeeded in creating a musical work with remarkable merits and with a fully modern, sounding instrumentation - an unequivocal proof on uncommon aptitude. Assume that the young pianist's concert will be covered with the liveliest interest. ~ A.U."
- A.U. likely Alarik Uggla
- Mielck gaf i går afton konsert i Berlins Singakademie. Enligt till oss anläda underrättelser var konserten särdeles lyckad och förtjusningen allmän, hvarjämte den unga kompositören varmt hyllades i synnerhet af närvarande musikförståndiga. Programmet upptog hr Mielcks Sago-sinfoni, Dramatiska ouverture, samt den nykomponerade piano konseren, da4ri kompositören själf utförde pianostämman. Filharmoniska sällskapets orkester, den förnämsta i Berlin, spelade under ledning af kapellmästar Rebicek.
- Mielck gave a concert last night at the Berlin Singing Academy. According to information received by us, the concert was very successful and the delight was general, and the young composer was warmly praised, especially by those present in the field of music. The program included Mr. Mielck's Sago Symphony, Dramatic Overture, and the newly composed piano concerto, in which the composer himself performed the piano part. The Berlin Philharmonic, the foremost in Berlin, played under the direction of conductor Rebicek.
- Uti Berlinerbladet Lokal-Anzeiger för söndagen den 4 dennes skrifves: Den ungdomlige komponisten Ernst Mielck, hvilken i går debyterade i sångakademin med tre stora symfoniska värk---en dramatisk ouverture op. 6, en klaverkonsert i E-moll op. 9 och en symfoni i F-moll op. 4---måste räknas till de beaktansvärda företeelserna. Hans idevärld är visserligen ännu påvärkad af de nordiske tonskalderna Gade och Hartmann, å andra sidan äfven af den själsbefryndade Mendelssohn, så att hans förmåga, hvilken icke vill göra det ringaste medgifvande åt någon modern riktning, kvarlämnar ett tämligen färglöst intryck, hvartill den med korta afbrott nästan genomgående förhersskande svårmodiga mollstämningen och en snart uttröttande homofoni bidraga. Trots detta, och oaktadt all benägenhet för söndring, som hr Mielck ofta visar i sin satsbyggnad, äger han dock en sund medfödd talang, som han borde vidare utveckla hos våra modärna mästare.
- Af de tre värken visade sig svagast och mest utan fysionomi klaverkonserten, som för öfrigt bar sitt namn med orätt. De få finska themata, som komponisten använde, äro i och för sig vackra och goda, men han viste icke att göra mycket af dem. Bättre är redan symfonin, som mycket intresserar i sista satsen, icke minst genom den i Meyerbeer-stil hållna glänsande instrumenteringen. Andantet går åter fullkomligt upp i Mendelssohnsk melodik. Det mest mogna värket var oaktadt sin Ossian-anklang, den dramatiska ouverturen i d-moll, hvilken kvarlämnade ett altigenom gynnsamt intryck. I hvarje fall har man att af den unge kompositören, hvilken icke illa själf föredrog sin klaverkonsert, vänta ännu mycket godt.
- In the Berliner Lokal-Anzeiger for Sunday the 4th he writes: The youthful composer Ernst Mielck, who yesterday debuted in the singing academy with three major symphonic works --- a dramatic ouverture op. 6, a piano concerto in E minor op. 9 and a symphony in F minor op. 4 --- must be counted among the notable phenomena. His world of ideas is admittedly still influenced by the Nordic tunes Gade and Hartmann, on the other hand also by the soul-liberated Mendelssohn, so that his ability, which does not want to make the slightest concession to any modern direction, leaves a rather colorless impression, to which it with short interruptions almost consistently prevailing melancholy minor mood and a soon-to-weary homophony contribute. Despite this, and notwithstanding all the propensity for division, as Mr. Mielck often shows in his sentence structure, he possesses a healthy innate talent, which he should further develop in our modern masters.
- Of the three ailments, the piano concerto was the weakest and most without physiognomy, which, incidentally, bore its name incorrectly. The few Finnish themes used by the composer are beautiful and good in themselves, but he did not know how to make much of them. Better is already the symphony, which is very interesting in the last movement, not least through the Meyerbeer-style brilliant instrumentation. The spirit goes up completely again in Mendelssohn's melody. The most mature work was, notwithstanding its Ossian connotation, the dramatic overture in D minor, which left an entirely favorable impression. In any case, one has to wait very well for the young composer, who not bad himself preferred his piano concerto.
- vill jag framhålla följande enskildheter: Hr Mielck framförde en dramatisk ouverture, en sinfoni och en klaverkonsert af egen komposition och röjde däri stor talang. Han förstår att instrumentera briljant och och eger därjämte fantasi: mången öfverraskande vändning klingar från orkestern. Å andra sidan förmår han icke gifva en tillräckligt organisk gestalt åt sina skapelser samt föredrager dystra och svårmodiga stämningar, hvilka förete en viss monotoni, på samma gång instrumenteringen är för litet öfverskådlig. Den minst betydande är klaverkonserten, som med användande af finska motiv är skrifven för orkester, till hvilken pianostämman sluter sig utan särskild betydelse. Bäst anlagd och genomförd är ouverturen.
- I would like to emphasize the following details: Mr Mielck performed a dramatic overture, a symphony and a piano concerto of his own composition and revealed great talent in it. He knows how to instrument brilliantly and also possesses imagination: many surprising turns come from the orchestra. On the other hand, he is unable to give a sufficiently organic shape to his creations and prefers gloomy and elusive moods, which exhibit a certain monotony, at the same time the instrumentation is too unmanageable. The least significant is the piano concerto, which, using Finnish motifs, is written for orchestra, to which the piano part closes without special significance. The best laid out and executed is the overture.
and from Berliner Fremdenblatt:
- Berliner Fremdenblatt yttrar sig om konserten på följande sätt: En ung kompositör, presenterade sig i lördags i Sångakademin med tre störrevärk, hvilka utfördes af Filharmoniska kapellet under Rebiceks ledning.
- Mielck icke den riktning som söker sin lycka i ytterligheter, utan han håller sig fastmer inom gamla, bepröfvade råmärken och bygger på en solid grund. Visserligen hafva hans former ännu något vildt, förvirradt, törhända för att han försmår det schablonmässiga och vill gå sina egna vägar. Men det är just det som tilltalar oss, att han gifver sina tankar en form, som måste anses acceptabel. Så har han lyckats rätt väl i F-moll sinfonin för hvilken han tillerkänts pris af staten. Första satsen däri anse vi bäst.
- Än mera afrundad synes den dramatiska ouverturen. Frånsedt den något långa inledningen är arbetet af en tilltalande plastik. Skuggor och dagrar äre jämt fördelade. Orkesterklangor är visserligen en smula magen i fortet, men senare af en saftig fullhet. Minst anslogos vi af klaverkonserten i E-moll, ehuru densamma är hans sist komponerade värk af de tre som uppfördes. De finska temata, som han använde däri, äro täm ligen obetydliga, dels underhalfiga. Det af honom själf utförda klaverpartiet framträdde föga.
- I det stora hela saknar musiken icke originalitet. Dess karaktär är allvar och svårmod samt påminner något om Grieg och Gade. Kompositören, af hvilken man kan hoppas mycket, rönte stor framgång.
- Berliner Fremdenblatt comments on the concert as follows: A young composer presented himself last Saturday in the Singing Academy with three major works, which were performed by the Philharmonic Chapel under the direction of Rebicek.
- Mielck is not the direction that seeks his happiness in extremes, but he sticks more to old, proven raw marks and builds on a solid foundation. Admittedly, his forms still have something wild, confused, daring because he despises the standard and wants to go his own way. But that is precisely what appeals to us, that he gives his thoughts a form which must be considered acceptable. So he has succeeded quite well in the F minor symphony for which he has been awarded a prize by the state. The first sentence in it we consider best.
- The dramatic overture seems even more rounded. Apart from the somewhat long introduction, the work is made of an attractive plastic. Shadows and days are evenly distributed. Orchestral sounds are admittedly a bit stomachy in the fort, but later of a juicy fullness. At least we were struck by the piano concerto in E minor, although it is his last composed work of the three that was performed. The Finnish themes he used in it are rather insignificant, and in part insignificant. The piano part performed by himself did not appear much.
- On the whole, the music does not lack originality. Its character is serious and reluctant and somewhat reminiscent of Grieg and Gade. The composer, of whom one can hope a lot, was a great success.
Influence on Sibelius
edit- "Thanks to Flodin, Sibelius was brought face to face with the breakthrough of this gifted young upstart. Who else could the critic have had in mind when re reviewed Mielck's symphony?"[1]
- In December 1898, Mielck gave a composition concert in Berlin, with the Berlin Philharmonic playing a handful of his works: the F minor Symphony, as well as the recently-composed Dramatic Overture (1898) and the Concert Piece for Piano and Orchestra (1898); Mielck also served as pianist. "Suddenly, Finland's 'foremost composer' had a serious competitor".[1]
- His musical progress was astounding... barely twenty years old, Mielck burst into Finland's musical arena with a clutch of his own compositions, including a substantial—and classically structured—symphony.[1]
- About the 20 Oct concert: "Kajanus created a minor sensation when he conducted the young man's" symphony... the musicians repeated the concert 4 days later [so, 24 Oct].[1]
- Comment on Flodin's review: "Sobering thoughts for a man who wanted to be first on the musical scene. And what did Sibelius have to offer abroad? Conspicuously, Kullervo was never performed outside Finland during Sibelius's lifetime. Two of the four Lemminkäinen movements were taken off the concert circuit. Skogsrået remained in manuscript; neither it nor Vårsång interested... Belyayev enough to publish them. The Maid was left inanely yelping in her tower. With the exception of two suites of dramatic music—the jolly Karelia and the trendy King Christian II—and the tone poems Swan of Tuonela, Lemminkäinen's Return, and the sprawling En saga, Sibelius really had very little to offer on the international bazaar. And everything he had was stamped 'national'... A symphony presented a solution. Its monumentality and its currency in the hallowed Germanic musical world offered the possibility of combining the ideals of nationalism with internationalism... And if a mere twentysomething could write a successful symphony, surely an experienced composer of nearly thirty-five could manage something better. After all, there were excellent models to hand. Kajanus and his men had presented one of them, Tchaiovsky's Symphony No. 6 as recently as February 18, 1897".[2]
Scoring
editMielck's symphony is scored for the following instruments: