Sibelius in Japan. Reception, Interpretation, and Cultural Bridges Jean Sibelius (1865–1957) is often said to hold a particular appeal for Japanese audiences. But what underlies this popularity, and how has his music been understood and interpreted in Japan? This book traces the reception of Sibelius’s music in Japan from the earliest performances and discussions of the 1910s through the 1980s, with some attention also given to developments in the 2020s. Moving beyond a conventional Eurocentric framework, the study contributes to recent efforts to decentre narratives of Western art music and to reimagine them from a global perspective. Drawing on both micro- and macrohistorical approaches, the book focuses on the images and cultural meanings associated with Sibelius in Japan, as well as on the social processes through which his status has been established. Through these processes, the study demonstrates that Sibelius emerges not only as a “Finnish” or “Western” composer, but as part of modern Japanese cultural history.

This book is included in DOAB.