The bard

Der Barde (also “The Singer”), op. 64 is a symphonic poem for orchestra by Jean Sibelius from 1913 and lasts just under eight minutes. Sibelius does not officially refer to any literary source, but presumably does refer to a poem by Johan Ludvig Runeberg in which the life and death of a " bard " (wandering singer) is described. A solo harp is assigned the prominent Obligato role here. The extraordinarily lyrical piece is a study in musical impressionism. Otherwise there is only an almost chamber music instrumentation. The initially subdued depth of feeling only gradually gains in melodic substance, reaches a single, radiant climax and quickly ebbs back into a gloomy mood.

literature

Noël Goodwin (translation: Inge Moore) in the booklet of the Lemminkäinen Suite with the Scottish National Orchestra under Alexander Gibson from 1978, text 1992.