Swanwhite (Sibelius)
Swanwhite (""), JS 189, is incidental music for orchestra by Jean Sibelius for a play of the same name by August Strindberg. It consists of a horn call and thirteen other movements. Sibelius completed it in 1908 and conducted the first performance at Helsinki's Swedish Theatre on 8 April 1908. In 1909, Sibelius drew from it a suite in seven movements, Op. 54. Background. Swedish actress Harriet Bosse had been impressed by one of Sibelius' earlier works, incidental music for the play "Pelléas and Mélisande", after having played the role of Mélisande in 1906. Thus, Bosse suggested to  Strindberg for Sibelius to score music to his play, Swanwhite. The play "Swanwhite" was written in 1902. It follows the tale of a princess, Swanwhite (that lives with her father, the Duke, and her evil stepmother), who is set to be married to a neighbouring king, but instead falls in love with his messenger, a prince. Although their relationship is approved by their late mothers, represented by swans, Swanwhite's stepmother works to sabotage it. Structure. Original score. Fourteen movements accompany the play. Act 1 Act 2 Act 3 Suite. In the 1909 suite, adapted from the incidental music, Sibelius  condensed and removed material into seven movements. Additionally, the suite was adapted to accommodate a larger wind section, as well as a harp, although the organ part in the original score was removed. Discography. The sortable table below lists all commercially available recordings of the complete incidental music to "Swanwhite" (JS 189): The sortable table below lists commercially available recordings of the "Swanwhite" suite: