Two Serious Melodies


The Two Serious Melodies, Op. 77, are concertante compositions for violin and orchestra written from 1914 to 1915 by the Finnish composer Jean Sibelius. They are:
  • Cantique, Op. 77/1 ; subtitled "Laetare anima mea". Moderato assai
  • Devotion, Op. 77/2 ; subtitled "Ab imo pectore". Tempo molto moderato
Sibelius originally called No. 1 Lofsången. In 1915, he made transcriptions of each piece for violin and piano. In 1916, he arranged both pieces for cello and orchestra and transcribed them, too, for cello and piano.
Each piece is dedicated to the Finnish cellist.

Instrumentation

Cantique is scored for the following instruments:
Devotion is scored for the following instruments:
  • Soloist: violin
  • Woodwinds: 2 flutes, 2 clarinets, and 2 bassoons
  • Brass: 4 horns and 3 trombones
  • Strings: violins, violas, cellos, and double basses

    Recordings

The sortable table below lists commercially available recordings of the Two Serious Melodies:
ConductorOrchestraSoloistTimeRecording venueLabel
1Philharmonia Orchestra 19797:23Kingsway HallDecca
2Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra 19809:31Jesus-Christus-Kirche, BerlinSchwann, Koch
3Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra 19808:24Jesus-Christus-Kirche, BerlinParnass
4Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra 19898:28Gothenburg Concert HallBIS
5Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra Finlandia
6Monte-Carlo Philharmonic OrchestraArion Music
7Danish National Symphony Orchestra 2002Danish Radio Concert Hall Virgin Classics
8Lahti Symphony Orchestra 2004Sibelius HallBIS
9Turku Philharmonic Orchestra 201410:17Turku Concert HallNaxos
10Orquestra Vigo 430 20149:15Martín Códax Auditorium, Vigo Conservatory of Music
11Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra 20238:03Grieg HallChandos