145-750: The New Zealand Symphony Orchestra ( NZSO ) is a symphony orchestra based in Wellington , New Zealand. The national orchestra of New Zealand, the NZSO is an autonomous Crown entity owned by the New Zealand Government , per the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra Act 2004. It is currently based in the Michael Fowler Centre and has frequently performed in the adjacent Wellington Town Hall before it
290-525: A London performance in 1933 under Basil Cameron was even advertised to the public. The only concrete evidence of the symphony's existence on paper is a 1933 bill for a fair copy of the first movement and short draft fragments first published and played in 2011. Sibelius had always been quite self-critical; he remarked to his close friends, "If I cannot write a better symphony than my Seventh, then it shall be my last." Since no manuscript survives, sources consider it likely that Sibelius destroyed most traces of
435-399: A banker and Heidi Blomstedt was a designer, wife of architect Aulis Blomstedt . Margareta married conductor Jussi Jalas , Aulis Blomstedt's brother. In 1892, Kullervo inaugurated Sibelius's focus on orchestral music. It was described by the composer Aksel Törnudd [ fi ] as "a volcanic eruption" while Juho Ranta who sang in the choir stated, "It was Finnish music." At
580-593: A conductor under the direction of their first violinist and Musical Director Donald Armstrong. They are not currently performing. Wellington Wellington is the capital city of New Zealand . It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island , between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range . Wellington is the third-largest city in New Zealand, and is the administrative centre of
725-407: A decision made by the insurer. Two of the buildings demolished were about eleven years old – the seven-storey NZDF headquarters and Statistics House at Centreport on the waterfront. The docks were closed for several weeks after the earthquake. Steep landforms shape and constrain much of Wellington city. Notable hills in and around Wellington include: Averaging 2,055 hours of sunshine per year,
870-431: A few major works during the rest of his life. Arguably the two most significant of these were the incidental music for The Tempest and the tone poem Tapiola . For most of the last thirty years of his life, Sibelius even avoided talking publicly about his music. There is substantial evidence that Sibelius worked on an eighth symphony. He promised the premiere of this symphony to Serge Koussevitzky in 1931 and 1932, and
1015-672: A few small pieces, he relied increasingly on alcohol. In May 1925, his Danish publisher Wilhelm Hansen and the Royal Danish Theatre invited him to compose incidental music for a production of Shakespeare 's The Tempest . He completed the work well in advance of its premiere in March 1926. It was well received in Copenhagen although Sibelius was not there himself. The music journalist Vesa Sirén has found evidence that Sibelius perhaps suffered from essential tremor since
1160-672: A highly successful trip to England in early 1921—conducting several concerts around the country, including the Fourth and Fifth symphonies, The Oceanides , the ever-popular Finlandia , and Valse triste . Immediately afterwards, he conducted the Second Symphony and Valse triste in Norway. He was beginning to suffer from exhaustion, but the critics remained positive. On his return to Finland in April, he presented Lemminkäinen's Return and
1305-590: A large section of the audience left the hall between the movements while in October, after a concert conducted by Carl Muck , the Boston American labelled it "a sad failure". Sibelius's first significant composition of 1913 was the tone poem The Bard , which he conducted in March to a respectful audience in Helsinki. He went on to compose Luonnotar (Daughter of Nature) for soprano and orchestra. With
1450-678: A magnitude 7 quake, but as it happens slowly, there is no damage. During July and August 2013 there were many earthquakes, mostly in Cook Strait near Seddon. The sequence started at 5:09 pm on Sunday 21 July 2013 when the magnitude 6.5 Seddon earthquake hit the city, but no tsunami report was confirmed nor any major damage. At 2:31 pm on Friday 16 August 2013 the Lake Grassmere earthquake struck, this time magnitude 6.6, but again no major damage occurred, though many buildings were evacuated. On Monday 20 January 2014 at 3:52 pm
1595-504: A major fault, the Wellington Fault , running through the centre of the city and several others nearby. Several hundred minor faults lines have been identified within the urban area. Inhabitants, particularly in high-rise buildings, typically notice several earthquakes every year. For many years after the 1855 earthquake, the majority of buildings were made entirely from wood. The 1996-restored Government Buildings near Parliament
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#17327723021811740-540: A native Swedish speaker. In 1876, he continued his education at the Finnish-language Hämeenlinna Normal Lyceum where he was a rather absent-minded pupil, though did quite well in mathematics and botany. Despite having to repeat a year, he passed the school's final examination in 1885, which allowed him to enter a university. As a boy he was known as Janne , a colloquial form of Johan. However, during his student years, he adopted
1885-520: A particularly strong interest in the instrument. Setting his heart on a career as a great violin virtuoso, he soon became an accomplished player, performing David 's Concerto in E minor in 1886 and, the following year, the last two movements of Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto in Helsinki. Despite such success as an instrumentalist, he ultimately chose to become a composer. In 1874, Sibelius attended Lucina Hagman's Finnish-speaking preparatory school as
2030-400: A population density of 1,900 people per km . The urban area had a population of 201,708 in the 2023 New Zealand census , a decrease of 84 people (−0.0%) since the 2018 census , and an increase of 11,595 people (6.1%) since the 2013 census . There were 97,143 males, 101,898 females and 2,667 people of other genders in 77,472 dwellings. 9.0% of people identified as LGBTIQ+ . The median age
2175-569: A population density of 743 people per km . This comprises 214,200 people in the Wellington urban area and 1,100 people in the surrounding rural areas. Wellington City had a population of 202,689 in the 2023 New Zealand census , a decrease of 48 people (−0.0%) since the 2018 census , and an increase of 11,733 people (6.1%) since the 2013 census . There were 97,641 males, 102,372 females and 2,673 people of other genders in 77,835 dwellings. 9.0% of people identified as LGBTIQ+ . The median age
2320-471: A population of 214,200 as of June 2024. The wider Wellington metropolitan area , including the cities of Lower Hutt , Porirua and Upper Hutt , has a population of 440,700 as of June 2024. The city has served as New Zealand's capital since 1865, a status that is not defined in legislation, but established by convention; the New Zealand Government and Parliament , the Supreme Court and most of
2465-484: A present was about to be confiscated by the bailiffs when the singer Ida Ekman paid off a large proportion of his debt after a successful fund-raising campaign. A year later, on 8 December 1916, Sibelius presented the revised version of his Fifth Symphony in Turku, combining the first two movements and simplifying the finale. When it was performed a week later in Helsinki, Katila was very favourable but Wasenius frowned on
2610-472: A result, his mother—who was again pregnant—had to sell their property and move the family into the home of Katarina Borg, her widowed mother, who also lived in Hämeenlinna. Sibelius was therefore brought up in a decidedly female environment, the only male influence coming from his uncle, Pehr Ferdinand Sibelius, who was interested in music, especially the violin. Pehr Ferdinand gave the boy a violin when he
2755-683: A revised version of his First Symphony) in thirteen cities including Stockholm, Copenhagen, Hamburg, Berlin and Paris. The critics were highly favorable, bringing the composer international recognition with their enthusiastic reports in the Berliner Börsen-Courier , the Berliner Fremdenblatt and the Berliner Lokal Anzeiger . During a trip with his family to Rapallo , Italy in 1901, Sibelius began to write his Second Symphony , partly inspired by
2900-411: A rolling 6.2 magnitude earthquake struck the lower North Island 15 km east of Eketāhuna and was felt in Wellington, but little damage was reported initially, except at Wellington Airport where one of the two giant eagle sculptures commemorating The Hobbit became detached from the ceiling. At two minutes after midnight on Monday 14 November 2016, the 7.8 magnitude Kaikōura earthquake , which
3045-409: A sanatorium, suffering from exhaustion. While she was away, Sibelius resolved to give up drinking , concentrating instead on composing his Third Symphony . He completed the work for a performance in Helsinki on 25 September. Although its more classical approach surprised the audience, Flodin commented that it was "internally new and revolutionary". Shortly afterwards Sibelius met Gustav Mahler who
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#17327723021813190-444: A short pizzicato piece Vattendroppar (Water Drops) for violin, possibly as an etude or musical exercise. The first reference he made to himself composing is in a letter from August 1883 in which he writes that he composed a trio and was working on another: "They are rather poor, but it is nice to have something to do on rainy days." In 1881, he began violin lessons with the local bandmaster, Gustaf Levander, immediately developing
3335-649: A spell in hospital. His smoking and drinking had now become life-threatening. Although he cancelled concerts in Rome, Warsaw and Berlin, he maintained an engagement in London but there too his Third Symphony failed to attract the critics. In May 1908, Sibelius's health deteriorated further. He travelled with his wife to Berlin to have a tumour removed from his throat. After the operation, he vowed to give up smoking and drinking once and for all. The impact of this brush with death has been said to have inspired works that he composed in
3480-789: A text from the Kalevala , it was first performed in Finnish in September 1913 by Aino Ackté (to whom it had been dedicated) at the music festival in Gloucester , England. In early 1914, Sibelius spent a month in Berlin where he was particularly drawn to Arnold Schoenberg . Back in Finland, he began work on The Oceanides , which the American millionaire Carl Stoeckel had commissioned for
3625-515: A time when New Zealand's population was 1.6 million. Wellington is at the south-western tip of the North Island on Cook Strait , separating the North and South Islands. On a clear day, the snowcapped Kaikōura Ranges are visible to the south across the strait. To the north stretch the golden beaches of the Kāpiti Coast . On the east, the Remutaka Range divides Wellington from the broad plains of
3770-512: A time) on the flat area at the mouth of the Hutt River . Within months that area proved swampy and flood-prone, and most of the newcomers transplanted their settlement across Wellington Harbour to Thorndon in the present-day site of Wellington city. Wellington was declared a city in 1840, and was chosen to be the capital city of New Zealand in 1865 . Wellington became the capital city in place of Auckland , which William Hobson had made
3915-474: A time, although also showing interest in the established works of Beethoven and Wagner . He enjoyed his year in Vienna, frequently partying and gambling with his new friends. It was also in Vienna that he turned to orchestral composition, composing an Overture in E major and a Scène de Ballet . While embarking on Kullervo , an orchestral work with chorus and soloists inspired by the Kalevala , he fell ill but
4060-420: A violinist: My tragedy was that I wanted to be a celebrated violinist at any price. Since the age of 15 I played my violin practically from morning to night. I hated pen and ink—unfortunately I preferred an elegant violin bow. My love for the violin lasted quite long and it was a very painful awakening when I had to admit that I had begun my training for the exacting career of a virtuoso too late. In addition to
4205-480: A young age and that he reduced the symptoms by drinking alcohol. This self-medication is common and effective but discouraged by doctors due to the risks outweighing the benefits. Sirén's research is supported by several medical experts. The tremor presumably prevented writing and impaired his social life. The year 1926 saw a sharp and lasting decline in Sibelius's output: after his Seventh Symphony, he produced only
4350-456: Is about 1280. Wellington and its environs have been occupied by various Māori groups from the 12th century. The legendary Polynesian explorer Kupe, a chief from Hawaiki (the homeland of Polynesian explorers, of unconfirmed geographical location, not to be confused with Hawaii ), was said to have stayed in the harbour from c. 925 . A later Māori explorer, Whatonga, named the harbour Te Whanganui-a-Tara after his son Tara. Before
4495-614: Is available between its harbour and the surrounding hills. It has very few open areas in which to expand, and this has brought about the development of the suburban towns. Because of its location in the Roaring Forties and its exposure to the winds blowing through Cook Strait , Wellington is the world's windiest city, with an average wind speed of 27 km/h (17 mph). Wellington's scenic natural harbour and green hillsides adorned with tiered suburbs of colonial villas are popular with tourists. The central business district (CBD)
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4640-687: Is chiefly served by Wellington International Airport in Rongotai , the country's third-busiest airport . Wellington's transport network includes train and bus lines which reach as far as the Kāpiti Coast and the Wairarapa , and ferries connect the city to the South Island . Often referred to as New Zealand's cultural capital, the culture of Wellington is a diverse and often youth-driven one which has wielded influence across Oceania . One of
4785-501: Is close to Lambton Harbour, an arm of Wellington Harbour , which lies along an active geological fault , clearly evident on its straight western shore. The land to the west of this rises abruptly, meaning that many suburbs sit high above the centre of the city. There is a network of bush walks and reserves maintained by the Wellington City Council and local volunteers. These include Otari-Wilton's Bush , dedicated to
4930-466: Is notorious for its southerly blasts in winter, which may make the temperature feel much colder. It is generally very windy all year round with high rainfall; average annual rainfall is 1,250 mm (49 in), June and July being the wettest months. Frosts are quite common in the hill suburbs and the Hutt Valley between May and September. Snow is very rare at low altitudes, although snow fell on
5075-401: Is now part of the central business district. For this reason, the street named Lambton Quay is 100 to 200 metres (325 to 650 ft) from the harbour – plaques set into the footpath mark the shoreline in 1840 , indicating the extent of reclamation. The 1942 Wairarapa earthquakes caused considerable damage in Wellington. The area has high seismic activity even by New Zealand standards, with
5220-471: Is the largest wooden building in the Southern Hemisphere. While masonry and structural steel have subsequently been used in building construction, especially for office buildings, timber framing remains the primary structural component of almost all residential construction. Residents place their confidence in good building regulations , which became more stringent in the 20th century. Since
5365-418: Is widely regarded as his country's greatest composer, and his music is often credited with having helped Finland develop a stronger national identity when the country was struggling from several attempts at Russification in the late 19th century. The core of his oeuvre is his set of seven symphonies , which, like his other major works, are regularly performed and recorded in Finland and countries around
5510-645: The Asia-Pacific region, being ranked 46th in the world by the Global Financial Centres Index for 2024. The global city has grown from a bustling Māori settlement, to a colonial outpost, and from there to an Australasian capital that has experienced a "remarkable creative resurgence". Wellington takes its name from Arthur Wellesley , the first Duke of Wellington and victor of the Battle of Waterloo (1815): his title comes from
5655-855: The BBC Proms , the Snape Maltings , the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam and the World Expo at Aichi in Japan . Franz-Paul Decker was the last NZSO conductor to have the title of chief conductor, and had the title of Conductor Laureate until his death in May 2014. The first conductor to have the title of Music Director of the NZSO was James Judd , from 1999 to 2007. Judd is now the orchestra's Music Director Emeritus. In May 2007, Pietari Inkinen
5800-665: The Chatham Islands . The Waitangi Tribunal has found that at the time of the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, Te Ātiawa, Taranaki, Ngāti Ruanui, Ngāti Tama, and Ngāti Toa held mana whenua interests in the area, through conquest and occupation. Steps towards European settlement in the area began in 1839, when Colonel William Wakefield arrived to purchase land for the New Zealand Company to sell to prospective British settlers. Prior to this time,
5945-552: The City Gallery , and the former Post and Telegraph Building ; and the curves and vibrant colours of post-modern architecture in the CBD. Jean Sibelius Jean Sibelius ( / s ɪ ˈ b eɪ l i ə s / ; Finland Swedish: [siˈbeːliʉs] ; born Johan Julius Christian Sibelius ; 8 December 1865 – 20 September 1957) was a Finnish composer of the late Romantic and early modern periods. He
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6090-842: The Helsinki City Orchestra with soloist Anja Ignatius originated a broadcast of Sibelius compositions to 14 countries in coordination with the International Broadcasting Union . The program included the tone poem The Oceanides , followed by his Fifth Symphony , and the Violin Concerto. In 1935 The New York Philharmonic surveyed the preferences of music listeners around the United States. When asked who their favourite composer was, Sibelius came first among all of them, living or dead. This degree of recognition during his own lifetime
6235-593: The Karelia Suite . Their home, Ainola , was completed near Lake Tuusula , Järvenpää, in 1904. During the years at Ainola, they had six daughters: Eva, Ruth, Kirsti (who died aged one from typhoid ), Katarina, Margareta and Heidi. Eva married an industrial heir, Arvi Paloheimo, and later became the CEO of the Paloheimo Corporation. Ruth Snellman (fi) was a prominent actress, Katarina Ilves married
6380-678: The Musket Wars led to them being overwhelmed by northern iwi such as Te Āti Awa by the early 19th century. Wellington's current form was originally designed by Captain William Mein Smith , the first Surveyor General for Edward Wakefield 's New Zealand Company , in 1840. Smith's plan included a series of interconnected grid plans , expanding along valleys and lower hill slopes. The Wellington urban area , which only includes urbanised areas within Wellington City, has
6525-698: The National Archives , the National Library , New Zealand's national museum, Te Papa and numerous theatres. It plays host to many artistic and cultural organisations, including the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra and Royal New Zealand Ballet . Its architectural attractions include the Old Government Buildings – one of the largest wooden buildings in the world – as well as the iconic Beehive ,
6670-632: The Norfolk Music Festival . After first composing the work in D-flat major, Sibelius undertook substantive revisions, presenting a D major version in Norfolk, which was well received, as were Finlandia and the Valse triste . Henry Krehbiel considered The Oceanides one of the most beautiful pieces of sea music ever composed, while The New York Times commented that Sibelius's music was
6815-462: The Wairarapa , a wine region of national notability. With a latitude of 41° 17' South, Wellington is the southernmost capital city in the world . Wellington ties with Canberra , Australia, as the most remote capital city, 2,326 km (1,445 mi) apart from each other. Wellington is more densely populated than most other cities in New Zealand due to the restricted amount of land that
6960-529: The Wairarapa Fault to the north and east of Wellington. It was probably the most powerful earthquake in recorded New Zealand history, with an estimated magnitude of at least 8.2 on the Moment magnitude scale . It caused vertical movements of two to three metres over a large area, including raising land out of the harbour and turning it into a tidal swamp. Much of this land was subsequently reclaimed and
7105-472: The Wellington Region . It is the world's southernmost capital of a sovereign state . Wellington features a temperate maritime climate, and is the world's windiest city by average wind speed . Māori oral tradition tells that Kupe discovered and explored the region in about the 10th century. The area was initially settled by Māori iwi such as Rangitāne and Muaūpoko . The disruptions of
7250-416: The world's most liveable cities , the 2021 Global Livability Ranking tied Wellington with Tokyo as fourth in the world. From 2017 to 2018, Deutsche Bank ranked it first in the world for both livability and non-pollution. Cultural precincts such as Cuba Street and Newtown are renowned for creative innovation, " op shops ", historic character, and food . Wellington is a leading financial centre in
7395-432: The "silence of Järvenpää " (the location of his home). Although he is reputed to have stopped composing, he attempted to continue writing, including abortive efforts on an eighth symphony . In later life, he wrote Masonic music and re-edited some earlier works, while retaining an active but not always favourable interest in new developments in music. Although this 'silence' has often perplexed scholars, in reality, Sibelius
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#17327723021817540-632: The 1820s, most of the inhabitants of the Wellington region were Whatonga's descendants. At about 1820, the people living there were Ngāti Ira and other groups who traced their descent from the explorer Whatonga, including Rangitāne and Muaūpoko . However, these groups were eventually forced out of Te Whanganui-a-Tara by a series of migrations by other iwi (Māori tribes) from the north. The migrating groups were Ngāti Toa , which came from Kāwhia , Ngāti Rangatahi, from near Taumarunui , and Te Ātiawa , Ngāti Tama , Ngāti Mutunga , Taranaki and Ngāti Ruanui from Taranaki . Ngāti Mutunga later moved on to
7685-502: The 1894–95 season, works such as En saga , Karelia and Vårsång (composed in 1894) were included in at least 16 concerts in the capital, not to mention those in Turku . When performed in a revised version on 17 April 1895, the composer Oskar Merikanto welcomed Vårsång (Spring Song) as "the fairest flower among Sibelius's orchestral pieces". For a considerable period, Sibelius worked on an opera, Veneen luominen (The Building of
7830-491: The Boat), again based on the Kalevala . To some extent, he had come under the influence of Wagner, but subsequently turned to Liszt 's tone poems as a source of compositional inspiration. Adapted from material for the opera, which he never completed, his Lemminkäinen Suite consisted of four legends in the form of tone poems. They were premiered in Helsinki on 13 April 1896 to a full house. In contrast to Merikanto's enthusiasm for
7975-568: The Canterbury earthquakes of 2010 and 2011 , earthquake readiness has become even more of an issue, with buildings declared by Wellington City Council to be earthquake-prone, and the costs of meeting new standards. Every five years, a year-long slow quake occurs beneath Wellington, stretching from Kapiti to the Marlborough Sounds . It was first measured in 2003, and reappeared in 2008 and 2013. It releases as much energy as
8120-630: The Fifth Symphony at the Nordic Music Days. Early in 1922, after suffering from headaches Sibelius decided to acquire spectacles although he never wore them for photographs. In July, he was saddened by the death of his brother Christian. In August, he joined the Finnish Freemasons and composed ritual music for them. In February 1923, he premiered his Sixth Symphony . Evert Katila highly praised it as "pure idyll." Before
8265-916: The Finnish capital. Sibelius was born on 8 December 1865 in Hämeenlinna ( Swedish : Tavastehus ) in the Grand Duchy of Finland , an autonomous state within the Russian Empire . He was the son of the Swedish-speaking medical doctor Christian Gustaf Sibelius and Maria Charlotta Sibelius (née Borg). The family name stems from the Sibbe estate in Eastern Uusimaa , which his paternal great-grandfather owned. Sibelius's father died of typhoid in July 1868, leaving substantial debts. As
8410-411: The Finnish composer Robert Kajanus conducting the Berlin Philharmonic in a program that included his symphonic poem Aino , a patriotic piece that may have inspired Sibelius's later interest in using the epic poem Kalevala as a basis for his own compositions. While in Vienna, he became particularly interested in the music of Anton Bruckner whom he regarded as "the greatest living composer" for
8555-522: The Finnish quality of the work, the critic Karl Flodin found the cor anglais solo in The Swan of Tuonela "stupendously long and boring", although he considered the first legend, Lemminkäinen and the Maidens of the Island , as representing the peak of Sibelius's achievement to date. To pay his way, from 1892 Sibelius had taken on teaching assignments at the Music Institute and at Kajanus's conducting school but this left him insufficient time for composing. The situation improved considerably when in 1898 he
8700-482: The First Symphony and Finlandia , writing to Aino that the concert had been a great success and widely acclaimed. In 1906, after a short, rather uneventful stay in Paris at the beginning of the year, Sibelius spent several months composing in Ainola, his major work of the period being Pohjola's Daughter , yet another piece based on the Kalevala . Later in the year he composed incidental music for Belshazzar's Feast , also adapting it as an orchestral suite. He ended
8845-426: The French form Jean , inspired by the business card of his deceased seafaring uncle. Thereafter he became known as Jean Sibelius. After graduating from high school in 1885, Sibelius began to study law at the Imperial Alexander University in Finland but, showing far more interest in music, soon moved to the Helsinki Music Institute (now the Sibelius Academy ) where he studied from 1885 to 1889. One of his teachers
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#17327723021818990-455: The Mercer worldwide Cost of Living Survey. In 2019, Mercer ranked cities on personal safety, including internal stability, crime levels, law enforcement, limitations on personal freedom, relationships with other countries and freedom of the press. Wellington shared ninth place internationally with Auckland. In addition to governmental institutions, Wellington accommodates several of the nation's largest and oldest cultural institutions, such as
9135-465: The Māori inhabitants had had contact with Pākehā whalers and traders. European settlement began with the arrival of an advance party of the New Zealand Company on the ship Tory on 20 September 1839, followed by 150 settlers on the Aurora on 22 January 1840. Thus, the Wellington settlement preceded the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi (on 6 February 1840). The 1840 settlers constructed their first homes at Petone (which they called Britannia for
9280-608: The NZSO collaborated with composer Claire Cowan to produce a recording of the music from the original ballet " Hansel and Gretel ", which had been commissioned by The Royal New Zealand Ballet the preceding year. The album won the 2021 Aotearoa Music Award for Best Classical Album. The NZSO National Youth Orchestra was founded by John Hopkins in 1959. It auditions afresh each year and, after an intensive rehearsal schedule, performs one programme, in 2007 to be repeated in Auckland , Wellington and Christchurch . The NYO celebrated its 50th Anniversary Celebratory Season in 2009, under
9425-582: The New Zealand Symphony Orchestra. In 1988, the orchestra became fully independent of Radio New Zealand, and began operating as an independent Crown-owned company. Even after the formal separation of the orchestra from Radio New Zealand, NZSO performances continue to be recorded, broadcast and archived by Radio New Zealand Concert. Auckland Town Hall , Wellington Town Hall and Michael Fowler Centre performances are broadcast live-to-air and streamed online, and performances in other centres or overseas cities are usually recorded and broadcast at later dates. In 2022
9570-443: The Red Guard commander-in-chief Eero Haapalainen , who guaranteed Sibelius a safe journey from Ainola to the capital. On 20 February, a group of Red Guard fighters escorted the family to Helsinki. Finally, from 12 to 13 April, the German troops occupied the city and the Red period was over. A week later, the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra gave a concert in homage to the German commander Rüdiger von der Goltz . Sibelius finished off
9715-403: The Senate's declaration of independence from Russia in December 1917. The Jäger March , first played on 19 January 1918, delighted the Helsinki elite for a short time until the start of the Finnish Civil War on 27 January. Sibelius naturally supported the Whites , but as a Tolstoyan , Aino Sibelius had some sympathies for the Reds too. In February, his house (Ainola) was searched twice by
9860-479: The South . The NZSO recorded part of Howard Shore 's score for The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring , notably the "Mines of Moria" sequence, as well as an alternate version of the cue "The Breaking of the Fellowship". The NZSO also performed and recorded Howard Shore's score for The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug and The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies . An NZSO recording of works by Pulitzer Prize-winning Chinese composer Zhou Long and
10005-400: The Symphony ‘Humen 1839’, written in collaboration with compatriot Chen Yi , was nominated for Best Orchestral Performance at the 58th Annual Grammy Awards in February 2016. Singaporean Darrell Ang conducted the recording, which was recorded in Wellington's Michael Fowler Centre in June 2013 and released on the Naxos label in May 2015. It was the first Grammy nomination for the NZSO. In 2020
10150-428: The aftermath of World War II as the "National Orchestra of the New Zealand Broadcasting Service" (by Oswald Cheesman and others); the inaugural concert took place on 6 March 1947. It was managed as a department of the New Zealand Broadcasting Corporation , which later became Radio New Zealand , as the NZBC National Orchestra. The orchestra was renamed the NZBC Symphony Orchestra in 1963, and in 1975 renamed again to
10295-502: The audience. By the end of the year, he was already working on the Sixth. In 1920, despite a growing tremor in his hands, Sibelius composed the Hymn of the Earth to a text by the poet Eino Leino for the Suomen Laulu Choir and orchestrated his Valse lyrique , helped along by drinking wine. On his birthday in December 1920, Sibelius received a donation of 63,000 marks, a substantial sum the tenor Wäinö Sola [ fi ] had raised from Finnish businesses. Although he used some of
10440-467: The baton of Paul Daniel , with John Chen as soloist and Ben Morrison as Concertmaster. Their programme was Mahler 's 7th Symphony , Ravel 's Left-Hand piano concerto and an original composition by Natalie Hunt, Only to the Highest Mountain . The 2009 season also saw the return of John Hopkins to join in the celebrations. National Youth Orchestra Composer-in-Residence scheme In 2005
10585-531: The birth of Sibelius's first child Eva, in April the premiere of his choral work Väinämöinen's Boat Ride was a considerable success, receiving the support of the press. On 13 November 1893, the full version of Karelia was premiered at a student association gala at the Seurahuone in Viipuri with the collaboration of the artist Axel Gallén and the sculptor Emil Wikström who had been brought in to design
10730-566: The building was empty. The capital city is also the location of the highest court, the Supreme Court of New Zealand , and the historic former High Court building (opened 1881) has been enlarged and restored for its use. The Governor-General's residence, Government House (the current building completed in 1910) is situated in Newtown , opposite the Basin Reserve . Premier House (built in 1843 for Wellington's first mayor, George Hunter ),
10875-656: The capital in 1841 . The New Zealand Parliament had first met in Wellington on 7 July 1862, on a temporary basis; in November 1863, the Prime Minister of New Zealand , Alfred Domett , placed a resolution before Parliament in Auckland that "... it has become necessary that the seat of government ... should be transferred to some suitable locality in Cook Strait [region]." There had been some concerns that
11020-425: The cello. ( Christian Sibelius was to become an eminent psychiatrist , still remembered for his contributions to modern psychiatry in Finland.) Sibelius soon began playing in quartets with neighboring families, furthering his experience performing chamber music. Fragments survive of his early compositions of the period, a trio, a piano quartet and a Suite in D Minor for violin and piano. Around 1881, he transcribed
11165-425: The census question. Of those at least 15 years old, 62,259 (36.0%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 66,273 (38.4%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 24,219 (14.0%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $ 55,400, compared with $ 41,500 nationally. 40,632 people (23.5%) earned over $ 100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15
11310-425: The census question. Of those at least 15 years old, 62,484 (36.0%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 66,657 (38.4%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 24,339 (14.0%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $ 55,500, compared with $ 41,500 nationally. 40,872 people (23.6%) earned over $ 100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15
11455-468: The changes, leading the composer to rewrite it once again. From the beginning of 1917, Sibelius started drinking again, triggering arguments with Aino. Their relationship improved with the excitement resulting from the start of the Russian Revolution . By the end of the year, Sibelius had composed his Jäger March . The piece proved particularly popular after the Finnish parliament accepted
11600-651: The city and many other parts of the Wellington region during separate events on 25 July 2011 and 15 August 2011. Snow at higher altitudes is more common, with light flurries recorded in higher suburbs every few years. On 29 January 2019, the suburb of Kelburn (instruments near the old Metservice building in the Wellington Botanic Garden ) reached 30.3 °C (87 °F), the highest temperature since records began in 1927. Wellington City covers 289.91 km (111.93 sq mi) and had an estimated population of 215,300 as of June 2024, with
11745-421: The climate of Wellington is temperate marine , ( Köppen : Cfb , Trewartha : Cflk ), generally moderate all year round with mild summers and cool to mild winters, and rarely sees temperatures above 26 °C (79 °F) or below 4 °C (39 °F). The hottest recorded temperature in the city is 31.1 °C (88 °F) recorded on 20 February 1896 , while −1.9 °C (29 °F) is the coldest. The city
11890-540: The concert itself was successful, it received mixed reviews, some very positive while those in the Allgemeine Zeitung and the Berliner Tageblatt were less enthusiastic. Back in Finland, he rewrote the increasingly popular Pelléas and Mélisande as an orchestral suite. In November, visiting Britain for the first time, he went to Liverpool where he met Henry Wood . On 2 December, he conducted
12035-572: The construction costs, he gave concerts in Helsinki, Turku and Vaasa in early 1904 as well as in Tallinn, Estonia, and in Latvia during the summer. The family were finally able to move into the new property on 24 September 1904, making friends with the local artistic community, including the painters Eero Järnefelt and Pekka Halonen and the novelist Juhani Aho . In January 1905, Sibelius returned to Berlin where he conducted his Second Symphony. While
12180-559: The end of that year the composer's grandmother, Katarina Borg died. Sibelius went to her funeral, visiting his Hämeenlinna home one last time before the house was sold. On 16 February 1893, the first (extended) version of En saga was presented in Helsinki although it was not too well received, the critics suggesting that superfluous sections should be eliminated (as they were in Sibelius's 1902 version). Even less successful were three more performances of Kullervo in March, which one critic found incomprehensible and lacking in vitality. Following
12325-463: The event by conducting the Jäger March . In early 1919, Sibelius enthusiastically decided to change his image, shaving off what remained of his thinning hair. In June, together with Aino, he visited Copenhagen on his first trip outside Finland since 1915, successfully presenting his Second Symphony. In November he conducted the final version of his Fifth Symphony, receiving repeated ovations from
12470-657: The executive wing of Parliament Buildings as well as internationally renowned Futuna Chapel . The city's art scene includes many art galleries, including the national art collection at Toi Art at Te Papa. Wellington also has many events such as CubaDupa , Wellington On a Plate , the Newtown Festival , Diwali Festival of Lights and Gardens Magic at the Botanical Gardens. Wellington's urban area covers 112.71 km (43.52 sq mi) and had an estimated population of 214,200 as of June 2024, with
12615-542: The family home. There he met and immediately fell in love with Aino , the 17-year-old daughter of General Alexander Järnefelt , the governor of Vaasa , and Elisabeth Clodt von Jürgensburg , a Baltic aristocrat. The wedding was held on 10 June 1892 at Maxmo . They spent their honeymoon in Karelia , the home of the Kalevala . It served as an inspiration for Sibelius's tone poem En saga , the Lemminkäinen legends and
12760-547: The fate of Don Juan in Mozart's Don Giovanni . It was completed in early 1902 with its premiere in Helsinki on 8 March. The work was received with tremendous enthusiasm by the Finns. Merikanto felt it exceeded "even the boldest expectations," while Evert Katila qualified it as "an absolute masterpiece". Flodin, too, wrote of a symphonic composition "the likes of which we have never had occasion to listen to before". Sibelius spent
12905-484: The fighting, his royalties from abroad were interrupted. To make ends meet, he composed smaller works for publication in Finland. In March 1915, he was able to travel to Gothenburg in Sweden, where his work The Oceanides was widely appreciated. While working on his Fifth Symphony in April, he saw 16 swans flying by, inspiring him to write the finale. "One of the great experiences of my life!" he commented. Although there
13050-496: The finale after returning to Järvenpää. Sibelius conducted his first concerts in Sweden in early 1911 when even his Third Symphony was welcomed by the critics. He completed the Fourth Symphony in April but, as he expected, with its introspective style it was not very warmly received when first performed in Helsinki with mixed reviews. Apart from a trip to Paris where he enjoyed a performance of Richard Strauss's Salome ,
13195-502: The first time on 26 July 1865. At that time, the population of Wellington was just 4,900. The Government Buildings were constructed at Lambton Quay in 1876. The site housed the original government departments in New Zealand . The public service rapidly expanded beyond the capacity of the building, with the first department leaving shortly after it was opened; by 1975 only the Education Department remained, and by 1990
13340-528: The following years, including Luonnotar and the Fourth Symphony . In 1909, the successful throat operation resulted in renewed happiness between Sibelius and Aino in the family home. In Britain too, his condition was well received as he conducted En saga , Finlandia , Valse Triste and Spring Song to enthusiastic audiences. A meeting with Claude Debussy produced further support. After another uneventful trip to Paris, he went to Berlin where he
13485-463: The founders of the settlement, Edward Jerningham Wakefield , reported that the settlers "took up the views of the directors with great cordiality and the new name was at once adopted". In the Māori language , Wellington has three names: The legendary Māori explorer Kupe , a chief from Hawaiki (the homeland of Polynesian explorers, of unconfirmed geographical location, not to be confused with Hawaii ),
13630-497: The harbour is to the east of the Miramar Peninsula, and contains the dangerous shallows of Barrett Reef , where many ships have been wrecked (notably the inter-island ferry TEV Wahine in 1968 ). The harbour has three islands: Matiu/Somes Island , Makaro/Ward Island and Mokopuna Island . Only Matiu/Somes Island is large enough for habitation. It has been used as a quarantine station for people and animals, and
13775-399: The harbour. Wellington's status as the capital is a result of constitutional convention rather than statute. Wellington is New Zealand's political centre, housing the nation's major government institutions. The New Zealand Parliament relocated to the new capital city, having spent the first ten years of its existence in Auckland. A session of parliament officially met in the capital for
13920-523: The last decade it has sold 500,000 CDs. It records at least one CD of New Zealand music each year. It has made a number of recordings on the American Koch label and now (2007) records regularly with Naxos. The latest recordings are two CDs of music by Jean Sibelius and one CD of music by Einojuhani Rautavaara . In 2012, the NZSO collaborated with Booktrack and Salman Rushdie to create music for an enhanced edition of Rusdhie's short story In
14065-455: The local Red Guard looking for weapons. During the first weeks of the war, some of his acquaintances were killed in the violence, and his brother, the psychiatrist Christian Sibelius, was arrested because he refused to reserve beds for the Red soldiers who had suffered shell shock at the front. Sibelius's friends in Helsinki were now worried about his safety. The composer Robert Kajanus negotiated with
14210-539: The long periods he spent studying in Vienna and Berlin, in 1900 he travelled to Italy, where he spent a year with his family. He composed, conducted and socialized actively in the Scandinavian countries, Britain, France and Germany and later travelled to the United States. While Sibelius was studying music in Helsinki in the autumn of 1888, Armas Järnefelt, a friend from the Music Institute, invited him to
14355-695: The money to reduce his debts, he also spent a week celebrating to excess in Helsinki. At this time, Sibelius held detailed negotiations with George Eastman , inventor of the Kodak camera and founder of the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York. Eastman offered $ 20,000 salary to teach for a single year, and before Sibelius declined, negotiations were so firm that the New York Times published Sibelius's arrival as fact. Sibelius enjoyed
14500-469: The more populous South Island (where the goldfields were located) would choose to form a separate colony in the British Empire . Several commissioners (delegates) invited from Australia, chosen for their neutral status, declared that the city was a suitable location because of its central location in New Zealand and its good harbour ; it was believed that the whole Royal Navy fleet could fit into
14645-641: The most notable contribution to the music festival. While in America, Sibelius received an honorary doctorate from Yale University and, almost simultaneously, one from the University of Helsinki where he was represented by Aino. While travelling back from the United States, Sibelius heard about the events in Sarajevo that led to the beginning of the First World War . Although he was far away from
14790-433: The mouth of the narrow Cook Strait leaves it vulnerable to strong gales, leading to the nickname of "Windy Wellington". Legends recount that Kupe discovered and explored the region in about the 10th century. Before European colonisation, the area in which the city of Wellington would eventually be founded was seasonally inhabited by indigenous Māori . The earliest date with hard evidence for human activity in New Zealand
14935-597: The official residence of the prime minister , is in Thorndon on Tinakori Road. Over six months in 1939 and 1940, Wellington hosted the New Zealand Centennial Exhibition , celebrating a century since the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi . Held on 55 acres of land at Rongotai, it featured three exhibition courts, grand Art Deco-style edifices and a hugely popular three-acre amusement park. Wellington attracted more than 2.5 million visitors at
15080-478: The one-act opera The Maiden in the Tower ; chamber music , piano music, Masonic ritual music, and 21 publications of choral music . Sibelius composed prolifically until the mid-1920s, but after completing his Seventh Symphony (1924), the incidental music for The Tempest (1926), and the tone poem Tapiola (1926), he stopped producing major works in his last 30 years—a retirement commonly referred to as
15225-535: The orchestra inaugurated its Composer-in-Residence scheme appointing Robin Toan as first recipient of the award. List of recipients The New Zealand Chamber Orchestra was founded in 1987 by NZSO violinist Stephen Managh, its first leader, and comprises members of the NZSO. Later renamed the NZSO Chamber Orchestra, they toured and recorded extensively for 13 years. They generally performed without
15370-563: The orchestra performed a special 75th anniversary concert, conducted by Gemma New. The NZSO has always had a heavy touring schedule within New Zealand. It performed in Christchurch as early as 1947. It performs its core series of 12 programmes in Wellington and Auckland , about half of those in Hamilton , Christchurch and Dunedin , and visits several provincial cities each year. It has several times toured overseas, notably in 2005 to
15515-613: The protection and propagation of native plants. The Wellington region has 500 square kilometres (190 sq mi) of regional parks and forests. In the east is the Miramar Peninsula , connected to the rest of the city by a low-lying isthmus at Rongotai , the site of Wellington International Airport . Industry has developed mainly in the Hutt Valley, where there are food-processing plants, engineering industries, vehicle assembly and oil refineries. The narrow entrance to
15660-469: The public service are based in the city. Wellington's economy is primarily service -based, with an emphasis on finance, business services, government, and the film industry. It is the centre of New Zealand's film and special effects industries, and increasingly a hub for information technology and innovation, with two public research universities. Wellington is one of New Zealand's chief seaports and serves both domestic and international shipping. The city
15805-513: The rest of the year was fairly uneventful. In 1912, he completed his short orchestral work Scènes historiques II . It was first performed in March together with the Fourth Symphony. The concert was repeated twice to enthusiastic audiences and critics including Robert Kajanus. The Fourth Symphony was also well received in Birmingham in September. In March 1913, it was performed in New York but
15950-520: The restaurants. But he continued to compose, one of his major successes being Valse triste , one of six pieces of incidental music he composed for his brother-in-law Arvid Järnefelt 's play Kuolema (Death). Short of money, he sold the piece at a low price but it quickly gained considerable popularity not only in Finland but internationally. During his long stays in Helsinki, Sibelius's wife Aino frequently wrote to him, imploring him to return home but to no avail. Even after their fourth daughter, Katarina,
16095-461: The score, probably in 1945, during which year he certainly consigned a great many papers to the flames. His wife Aino recalled, In the 1940s there was a great auto da fé at Ainola. My husband collected a number of the manuscripts in a laundry basket and burned them on the open fire in the dining room. Parts of the Karelia Suite were destroyed – I later saw remains of the pages which had been torn out – and many other things. I did not have
16240-511: The staff of the Päivälehti newspaper, which had been suspended for a period after editorially criticizing Russian rule. The last tableau, Finland Awakens , was particularly popular; after minor revisions, it became the well-known Finlandia . In February 1900, the Sibelius' youngest daughter, Kirsti, died. Nevertheless, in the summer Sibelius went on an international tour with Kajanus and his orchestra, presenting his recent works (including
16385-480: The stage sets. While the first performance was difficult to appreciate over the background noise of the talkative audience, a second performance on 18 November was more successful. Furthermore, on the 19th and 23rd Sibelius presented an extended suite of the work in Helsinki, conducting the orchestra of the Philharmonic Society. Sibelius's music was increasingly presented in Helsinki's concert halls. In
16530-497: The strength to be present and left the room. I therefore do not know what he threw on to the fire. But after this my husband became calmer and gradually lighter in mood. Despite his withdrawing from the public eye, Sibelius's work gained substantial attention in the late 1920s and throughout the 1930s thanks to the newly established Finnish broadcaster YLE . Broadcasting on AM wavebands , YLE's signals brought Sibelius's music to listeners beyond Finland's borders, too. In 1933, YLE and
16675-682: The summer in Tvärminne near Hanko , where he worked on the song Var det en dröm (Was it a Dream) as well as on a new version of En saga . When it was performed in Berlin with the Berlin Philharmonic in November 1902, it served to firmly establish the composer's reputation in Germany, leading shortly afterwards to the publication of his First Symphony. In 1903, Sibelius spent much of his time in Helsinki where he indulged excessively in wining and dining, running up considerable bills in
16820-596: The tempi seem to be right. I think this is the first time that I have managed to make something complete." The work was also performed in Stockholm and Leipzig. In January 1899, Sibelius embarked on his First Symphony at a time when his patriotic feelings were being enhanced by the Russian emperor Nicholas II 's attempt to restrict the powers of the Grand Duchy of Finland . The symphony was well received when it
16965-595: The title of Fantasia sinfonica it received its first public performance in Stockholm where it was a success. It was even more highly appreciated at a series of concerts in Copenhagen in late September. Sibelius was honoured with the Knight Commander's Cross of the Order of the Dannebrog . He spent most of the rest of the year resting as his recent spate of activity was straining his heart and nerves. Composing
17110-506: The town of Wellington in the English county of Somerset . It was named in November 1840 by the original settlers of the New Zealand Company on the suggestion of the directors of the same, in recognition of the Duke's strong support for the company's principles of colonisation and his "strenuous and successful defence against its enemies of the measure for colonising South Australia". One of
17255-671: The world. His other best-known compositions are Finlandia , the Karelia Suite , Valse triste , the Violin Concerto , the choral symphony Kullervo , and The Swan of Tuonela (from the Lemminkäinen Suite ). His other works include pieces inspired by nature, Nordic mythology, and the Finnish national epic , the Kalevala ; over a hundred songs for voice and piano; incidental music for numerous plays;
17400-536: The year conducting a series of concerts, the most successful being the first public performance of Pohjola's Daughter at the Mariinsky Theatre in St Petersburg. From the beginning of 1907, Sibelius again indulged in excessive wining and dining in Helsinki, spending exorbitant amounts on champagne and lobster. His lifestyle had a disastrous effect on the health of Aino who was driven to retire to
17545-408: The year ended he had also conducted concerts in Stockholm and Rome, the first to considerable acclaim, the second to mixed reviews. He then proceeded to Gothenburg where he enjoyed an ecstatic reception despite arriving at the concert hall suffering from over-indulgence in food and drink. Despite continuing to drink, to Aino's dismay, Sibelius managed to complete his Seventh Symphony in March 1924. Under
17690-510: Was 34.9 years (compared with 38.1 years nationally). There were 28,986 people (14.4%) aged under 15 years, 54,912 (27.2%) aged 15 to 29, 94,272 (46.7%) aged 30 to 64, and 23,541 (11.7%) aged 65 or older. People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 72.0% European ( Pākehā ); 9.8% Māori ; 5.7% Pasifika ; 20.5% Asian ; 3.6% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders (MELAA); and 2.1% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English
17835-510: Was 34.9 years (compared with 38.1 years nationally). There were 29,142 people (14.4%) aged under 15 years, 55,080 (27.2%) aged 15 to 29, 94,806 (46.8%) aged 30 to 64, and 23,664 (11.7%) aged 65 or older. People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 72.1% European ( Pākehā ); 9.8% Māori ; 5.7% Pasifika ; 20.4% Asian ; 3.6% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders (MELAA); and 2.1% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English
17980-572: Was an internment camp during World War I and World War II. It is a conservation island, providing refuge for endangered species , much like Kapiti Island farther up the coast. There is access during daylight hours by the Dominion Post Ferry. Wellington is primarily surrounded by water, but some of the nearby locations are listed below. Wellington suffered serious damage in a series of earthquakes in 1848 and from another earthquake in 1855. The 1855 Wairarapa earthquake occurred on
18125-461: Was appointed NZSO Principal Conductor in Residence from January 2020. Gemma New was appointed the orchestra's artistic director and principal conductor in 2022, the first woman to hold the position. The orchestra's affiliated conductors to date include: The NZSO has recorded several LPs and many CDs, several with internationally known soloists such as Alessandra Marc and Donald McIntyre . In
18270-479: Was awarded a substantial annual grant, initially for ten years and later extended for life. He was able to complete the music for Adolf Paul's play King Christian II . Performed on 24 February 1898, its catchy tunes appealed to the public. The scores of four popular pieces from the play were published in Germany and sold well in Finland. When the orchestral suite was successfully performed in Helsinki in November 1898, Sibelius commented: "The music sounded excellent and
18415-406: Was born, he continued to work away from home. Early in 1904, he finished his Violin Concerto but its first public performance on 8 February was not a success. It led to a revised, condensed version that was performed in Berlin the following year. In November 1903, Sibelius began to build his new home Ainola (Aino's Place) near Lake Tuusula some 45 km (30 miles) north of Helsinki. To cover
18560-545: Was centred between Culverden and Kaikōura in the South Island, caused the Wellington CBD, Victoria University of Wellington , and the Wellington suburban rail network to be largely closed for the day to allow inspections. The earthquake damaged a considerable number of buildings, with 65% of the damage being in Wellington. Subsequently, a number of recent buildings were demolished rather than being rebuilt, often
18705-519: Was clear: he felt he had written enough. The Finnish 100 mark note featured his image until 2002, when the euro was adopted. Since 2011, Finland has celebrated a flag flying day on 8 December, the composer's birthday, also known as the Day of Finnish Music. In 2015, in celebration of the 150th anniversary of Sibelius's birth, a number of special concerts and events were held, especially in Helsinki ,
18850-551: Was closed in 2013. It also performs in Auckland , Christchurch and Dunedin . A national orchestra for New Zealand was first proposed with the founding of the Radio Broadcasting Company in 1925, and broadcasting studio orchestras operated in major cities from the late 1920s. A national orchestra was formed in 1939 for New Zealand's Centennial Exhibition in 1940. The orchestra became permanent in 1946 in
18995-529: Was in Helsinki. The two agreed that with each new symphony, they lost those who had been attracted to their earlier works. This was demonstrated above all in St Petersburg where the Third Symphony was performed in November 1907 to dismissive reviews. Its reception in Moscow was rather more positive. In 1907, Sibelius underwent a serious operation for suspected throat cancer. Early in 1908, he had to spend
19140-640: Was its founder, Martin Wegelius, who did much to support the development of education in Finland. Wegelius gave the self-taught Sibelius his first formal lessons in composition. Another important influence was his teacher Ferruccio Busoni , a pianist-composer with whom he enjoyed a lifelong friendship. His close circle of friends included the pianist and writer Adolf Paul and the conductor-to-be Armas Järnefelt (who introduced him to his influential family including his sister Aino who would become Sibelius's wife). The most remarkable of his works during this period
19285-532: Was little progress on the symphony during the summer, he was able to complete it by his 50th birthday on 8 December. On the evening of his birthday, Sibelius conducted the premiere of the Fifth Symphony in the hall of the Helsinki Stock Exchange . Despite high praise from Kajanus, the composer was not satisfied with his work and soon began to revise it. Around this time, Sibelius was running ever deeper into debt. The grand piano he had received as
19430-527: Was named the NZSO's second Music Director, and he formally took up the post in January 2008. Inkinen concluded his NZSO tenure in 2015 and subsequently took the title of honorary conductor. In June 2015, the NZSO announced the appointment of Edo de Waart as its next music director, with his first concerts in March 2016. De Waart's last concert as Music Director was in November 2019. In 2020 he became NZSO Conductor Laureate. NZSO Associate Conductor Hamish McKeich
19575-565: Was premiered in Helsinki on 26 April 1899. But the program also premiered the even more compelling, blatantly patriotic Song of the Athenians for boys' and men's choirs. The song immediately brought Sibelius the status of a national hero. Another patriotic work followed on 4 November in the form of eight tableaux depicting episodes from Finnish history known as the Press Celebration Music . It had been written in support of
19720-558: Was relieved to learn that his throat operation had been entirely successful. Sibelius started work on his Fourth Symphony in early 1910 but his dwindling funds also required him to write a number of smaller pieces and songs. In October, he conducted concerts in Kristiania (now Oslo) where The Dryad and In Memoriam were first performed. His Valse triste and Second Symphony were particularly well received. He then travelled to Berlin to continue work on his Fourth Symphony, writing
19865-520: Was restored to good health after gallstone-excision surgery. Shortly after returning to Helsinki, Sibelius conducted his Overture and the Scène de Ballet at a popular concert. He was also able to continue working on Kullervo , now that he was increasingly developing an interest in all things Finnish. Premiered in Helsinki on 28 April 1892, the work was an enormous success. It was around this time that Sibelius finally abandoned his cherished aspirations as
20010-477: Was said to have stayed in the harbour prior to 1000 CE. Here, it is said he had a notable impact on the area, with local mythology stating he named the two islands in the harbour after his daughters, Matiu (Somes Island) , and Mākaro (Ward Island) . In New Zealand Sign Language , the name is signed by raising the index, middle, and ring fingers of one hand, palm forward, to form a "W", and shaking it slightly from side to side twice. The city's location close to
20155-557: Was spoken by 96.3%, Māori language by 2.7%, Samoan by 1.7% and other languages by 23.4%. No language could be spoken by 1.6% (e.g. too young to talk). New Zealand Sign Language was known by 0.6%. The percentage of people born overseas was 34.4, compared with 28.8% nationally. Religious affiliations were 26.9% Christian , 3.8% Hindu , 1.8% Islam , 0.4% Māori religious beliefs , 1.7% Buddhist , 0.5% New Age , 0.3% Jewish , and 1.9% other religions. People who answered that they had no religion were 57.7%, and 5.2% of people did not answer
20300-557: Was spoken by 96.3%, Māori language by 2.7%, Samoan by 1.8% and other languages by 23.5%. No language could be spoken by 1.7% (e.g. too young to talk). New Zealand Sign Language was known by 0.6%. The percentage of people born overseas was 34.4, compared with 28.8% nationally. Religious affiliations were 26.9% Christian , 3.8% Hindu , 1.8% Islam , 0.4% Māori religious beliefs , 1.7% Buddhist , 0.5% New Age , 0.3% Jewish , and 1.9% other religions. People who answered that they had no religion were 57.6%, and 5.2% of people did not answer
20445-436: Was ten years old and later encouraged him to maintain his interest in composition. For Sibelius, Uncle Pehr not only took the place of a father but acted as a musical adviser. From an early age, Sibelius showed a strong interest in nature, frequently walking around the countryside when the family moved to Loviisa on the coast for the summer months. In his own words: "For me, Loviisa represented sun and happiness. Hämeenlinna
20590-745: Was that 101,892 (59.0%) people were employed full-time, 24,063 (13.9%) were part-time, and 5,268 (3.0%) were unemployed. Wellington showcases a variety of architectural styles from the past 150 years – 19th-century wooden cottages, such as the Italianate Katherine Mansfield Birthplace in Thorndon; streamlined Art Deco structures such as the old Wellington Free Ambulance headquarters, the Central Fire Station, Fountain Court Apartments,
20735-515: Was that 102,369 (59.0%) people were employed full-time, 24,201 (13.9%) were part-time, and 5,283 (3.0%) were unemployed. Wellington ranks 12th in the world for quality of living, according to a 2023 study by consulting company Mercer. Of cities in the Asia–Pacific region, Wellington ranked third behind Auckland and Sydney. In 2024, Wellington was ranked as a highly affordable city in terms of cost of living , coming in at 145th out of 226 cities in
20880-602: Was the Violin Sonata in F, rather reminiscent of Grieg . Sibelius continued his studies in Berlin (from 1889 to 1890) with Albert Becker , and in Vienna (from 1890 to 1891) with Robert Fuchs and Hungarian-Jewish composer Karl Goldmark . In Berlin, he had the opportunity to widen his musical experience by going to a variety of concerts and operas, including the premiere of Richard Strauss 's Don Juan . He also heard
21025-469: Was where I went to school; Loviisa was freedom." In Hämeenlinna, when he was seven, Sibelius' aunt Julia was brought in to give him piano lessons on the family's upright instrument, rapping him on the knuckles whenever he played a wrong note. He progressed by improvising on his own, but still learned to read music. He later turned to the violin, which he preferred. He participated in trios with his elder sister Linda on piano, and his younger brother Christian on
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