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'AINOLA' [Aino's
house] |
'Ainola'
This was the home
of Jean Sibelius
and his wife Aino
for 50 years
The visit
to this wonderful place was a privilege
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This house was the place
where he communed with nature ...
wrote his best compositions ...and
was at peace .. |
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Here he wrote Finlandia - for
which he is most famous .. |
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Jean Sibelius was
wonderfully creative and therefore moody, and his wife, Aino, for
whom he named the house, became used to this;
he had 6 ashtrays in his study
and she would check which one he was using to gauge his
particular mood before important issues were raised !!!
He would often walk in the
woods surrounding the house, and listen to the birdsong and then
return to his home
and compose at the piano in his
living room
The one that can be seen today
was presented to Jean Sibelius as a gift from his friends on his
50th birthday ...
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In these
photographs below you can see the woodland completely surrounding
the house,
the
massive ferns and cool shady walkways
and
there is the Sauna, designed by Aino herself.
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Beauty surrounds Ainola
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Sauna
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 Aino
lived on after Jean's death in
'Ainola' ...
but
they are buried together in the grounds -
Here
is the beautiful copper
memorial plaque where they lie,
engraved with both their names
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After our visit to 'Ainola' sadly
came to an end
another treat
awaited us ...
We were taken further along the
road
to
a building belonging to the
Sibelius Academy ... |
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Where we were to enjoy
some of the works of Sibelius...
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played by some
wonderful young musicians ...
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We were given a personal welcome
by our Host, given iced
water,
a talk several recitals
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... a perfect conclusion
to our
Sibelius Experience |
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When we got back to the Saga Ruby
we knew we had been part of a very moving experience .. |
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To see more website information on
the man himself, click
Sibelius
and about this wonderful place,
just click
Ainola
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Plus: click one of these flags for a
country we visited ...
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©
...Sibelius'
House
2006