Overture in E major and Ballet Scene
The Overture in E major and Ballet Scene, respectively JS 145 and 163, are two single-movement works for orchestra written in 1891 by the Finnish composer Jean Sibelius while he was a postgraduate student studying in Vienna. The Overture received its premiere on 23 April 1891 in Helsinki with the Finnish conductor Robert Kajanus conducting the Helsinki Orchestral Association; five days later, Kajanus and his orchestra premiered Ballet Scene. Sibelius, who remained overseas, was unable to attend either concert.
The Overture and Ballet Scene are notable for two reasons. First, they are Sibelius's earliest compositions for orchestra, which eventually became his chosen medium of artistic expression. Second, Sibelius had conceived of the two pieces as Movements I and II in a first symphony, although he abandoned this ambition in April 1891 and converted them into stand-alone concert items. The Overture and Ballet Scene thus demonstrate that, already in Vienna, Sibelius was thinking symphonically, and indeed, a year later in 1892, he premiered the five-movement choral symphony Kullervo. The Symphony No. 1 in E minor arrived in 1899.
Instrumentation
The Overture in E major is scored for the following instruments, organized by family :- 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, and 2 bassoons
- 4 horns, 2 trumpets, 2 trombones, and tuba
- timpani, cymbals, and triangle
- violins, violas, cellos, and double basses