Anyone know this interesting music for the stage.

Sibelius completed Scaramouche in 1913 to a scenario of Poul Knudsen. It was not published until 1918 and was only premiered in 1922. Sibelius has begun to regret excepting the commision from Hansen but in the event he produced some highly attracive music. The ballet-pantomime is a tale of jealousy, attempted abduction and murder but Sibelius produced both sensuous and charming music. I was reminded in places of Richard Strauss and Sibelius makes effective use of the tambourin. The score contains a most engaging Waltz that once heard is difficult to escape from, this is 'Light' music at its best. Jussi Jalas made a concert reduction of the score which originally ran to an hour in performance. Scaramouche is Sibelius's only score for the theatre that is a continuous accompaniment to the action and dialogue of the play. All of his other music for the Theatre contain incidental music.

I have enjoyed listening to Jalas's paired down account of Scaramouche with the Hungarian State S.O. and I would love to hear the complete score.--kp

You've not heard Järvi's complete one on BIS-CD-502 (or Box 5, Complete Edition)?

Osmo Vänskä did the complete score at one of the Lahti Sibelius Festivals a couple of years ago. The less - shall we say - 'committed' members of the audience found it hard going (certainly there are long passages that sag without the stage action), but those of us in the know enjoyed it tremendously.

Thanks Andrew, to be honest I had not played my LP for a number of years [Jalas] and I had quite forgotten just what an interesting score Scaramouche is. Its perhaps significant that Sibelius never drew up a concert Suite though I believe that he thought about this in 1921. I will seek out Jarvi.--kp

I, too have, Jalas's continuious 'suite' fo music from Scaramouche. I've listened to it a few times, though I must admit, I do not remember too much. Doesn't seem like one of the maestro's most inspired scores. I'll have to give it another go to see if I will need to update my opinion.

Funny you mention this, by the way. Just the other night I was doing karaoke at a local bar...the Camel's Breath Inn. (Great name!) Right before I was up to sing my next tune from the Rocky Horror Picture Show, some guy did Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen. I didn't realize before, but Scaramouche is mentioned in those lyrics. Immediately I thought of Sibelius. Then I was wondering if I could karaoke Luonnotar, but the host didn;t have it in his music database...

Scaramouche, 17th century etching

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I'm sure that the music would be much more popular today if he had made a suite. There are certainly plenty of good tunes in it. Actually I'm also surprised that Jalas chose to make a continuous (if much shorter) score rather than separate movements… but of course then he would have had to invent tops and tails for the various sections…

People tend to think of Sibelius as essentally 'The voice of the far North' but he wrote a great many pieces that are far removed from that ethos and Scaramouche is a good example. As I mentioned earlier Richard Srauss of 'Der Rosenkavalier' came to mind at times and that Waltz in Scaramouche is as evocative as anything in a Katchaturian ballet score--pure magic.--kp