Jean Sibelius

Lyric Pieces op. 74

The Lyric Pieces for Piano op. 74 were written at the suggestion of the publishing house Breitkopf & Härtel, for which Jean Sibelius was to compose five piano pieces. Sibelius was allowed to send the pieces individually after completion, but by July 1914 Sibelius had only completed four pieces. Opus 74 was published without a fifth piece in December 1914.

The programmatic titles Ekloge, Sanfter Westwind, Auf dem Tanzvergnügen and Im alten Heim provide information about the character of the pieces, which depict short snapshots. Sanfter Westwind is certainly the best-known number in this collection, it was played in public by the pianist Sigrid Sundgren-Schnéevoigt during Sibelius's lifetime, among others.