For more than 40 years now, Tomi Mäkelä's book has been the most comprehensive original publication in German on the life and works of Jean Sibelius. It contains many little-known illustrations as well as iconographic material found nowhere else. An extensive depiction of the most important currents in the Sibelius reception of the 20th century as well as a chronology of Sibelius's life close the lengthy volume. "Poesie in der Luft" is an attempt to grasp Sibelius and his compositional legacy from the perspective of his cultivated background and his regional origins, which were far from provincial. The author sketches the highly complex psychogram of a modern artist. The composer's self-discovery can easily be compared with that of other artists of his generation. Mäkelä's results oblige us to rethink the depiction of Sibelius as a kind of exotic naïf and nature lover, and to see in a new light his creative individuality, which consciously guided itself on the Central European currents of the time. In the focus of the author's commentaries on the works are the symphonic, chamber-music and vocal genres, with which Sibelius obtained international recognition.
"Tomi Mäkelä locates Sibelius and his compositions firmly in the social and aesthetic turmoil of his time. This impressive book is not only an extremely thorough and accomplished presentation of empirical research, but also an exciting and vigorously argued critical study of a composer whose stature has been rising ever higher in recent years."
Prof. Derek Scott, School of Music, University of Leeds
