Overture in A minor

The Overture in A minor, JS 144, is a single-movement work for orchestra written in 1902 by the Finnish composer Jean Sibelius. The piece premiered in Helsinki on 8 March 1902, the with Sibelius conducting the Helsinki Philharmonic Society. The overture led a program that evening also included two other first performances: the Second Symphony (Op. 43) and the Impromptu for female choir and orchestra (Op. 19; revised in 1910).

Instrumentation The Overture in A minor is scored for the following instruments, organized by family (woodwinds, brass, percussion, and strings):

2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, and 2 bassoons 4 horns, 4 trumpets, 2 trombones, and 1 tuba Timpani Violins (I and II), violas, cellos, and double basses

Discography The Estonian-American conductor Neeme Järvi and the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra made the world premiere studio recording of the Overture in A minor (then still in manuscript) in 1987 for BIS. The table below lists this and other commercially available recordings: ConductorEnsembleTimeRecording venueLabel1Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra19876:26Gothenburg Concert HallBIS219987:01Finlandia3Lahti Symphony Orchestra20029:13Sibelius HallBIS4Turku Philharmonic Orchestra20146:58Turku Concert HallNaxos

Notes, references, and sources