Pictures of the young Sibelius



Drawing of Sibelius by the famous Finnish painter Albert Edelfelt (1900)

Most photos of  Jean Sibelius (1865-1957) show him as a stern looking elderly gentleman, posing as a the "great composer" (which he of course was). But, as we know, Sibelius stopped composing when he was 60, although he lived for another three decades. And as a matter of fact, the years around the turn of the century were among the composer´s most productive years.

In order to redress the "imbalance", it may be appropriate to present some pictures showing the young Sibelius. These pictures appeared in Erik Furuhjelm´s book "Jean Sibelius", published in 1914:

Sibelius in 1877

In 1887, when this picture was taken, Sibelius composed a number of chamber music pieces, among them a piano trio in D major, the "Korpo trio"

This photo was taken 1890 in Vienna. The op.4 String quartet in b flat major and a piano quintet in G minor were among the works he composed that year.

Drawing by Axel Gallen-Kallela (1894). The Karelia suite was maybe the most wellknown work Sibelius composed that year.



Sibelius in 1896, the year he composed his only opera, The Maiden in Tower.



Sibelius in 1900, when he composed the symphonic poem for orchestra, Finlandia.