Sibelius: Finlandia / Karelia Suite / Lemminkainen Suite

Description

Jean Sibelius (1865-1957) Finlandla, Op. 26 Karelia Suite, Op. 11 Lemminkainen Suite, Op. 22   The fame of Jean Sibelius rests on his orchestral works, mainly his seven symphonies and the Violin Concerto. He also wrote several symphonic poems, the most important of which are his first major work Kullervo, Op. 7, symphonic poem for soprano, baritone, male voice choir and orchestra which is enjoying a new wave of popularity today; the romantic En Saga, Op. 9, the earthy Karelia Suite, Op. 11, the Lemminkainen Suite, Op. 22, based on the Kalevala myths, Finlandia, Op. 26, which became the symbol of Finland's struggle for independence and then of Finland as a nation, and the monumental Tapiola, Op. 112, which was his last major work. The significance of Sibelius for the music not only of Finland but the whole of Europe was encapsulated by English composer Ralph Vaughan Williams, who wrote in a letter to Sibelius: 'You have lit a candle that will never go out.' With Kullervo, Sibelius single-handedly created what was perceived as a 'Finnish tone world', and En Saga confirmed his position as the leading figure in Finnish music. After the success of Kullervo, Sibelius returned to the world of the Kalevala. He began to plan an opera, The Building of the Boat, based on the epic. The project ground to a halt, however, because of difficulties with the libretto, and Sibelius abandoned it. Instead, he began to plan a new symphonic poem featuring another character from the Kalevala, Lemminkainen. In 1893, Sibelius had written what was to have been the overture of the opera. This finally became the third movement of the Lemminkainen Suite, with the title The Swan of Tuonela, one of his most popular works, along with Valse triste and, of course, Finlandia. Before starting work on the Lemminkainen Suite, Sibelius received a commission. Dramatic tableaux were a popular form of entertainment around the turn of the century. The students of Viborg University were planning to stage a series of tableaux depicting the history of Karelia, to raise funds for popular education in eastern Finland. Karelianism was an important movement at that time. Sibelius was asked to write the music for the tableaux. He was an excellent choice, since he had travelled extensively in Karelia only a year earlier. He eventually produced a suite with seven numbers, two of which were songs. The music was optimistic, easily approachable and even rustic, and it was extremely well received. Later, Sibelius pruned the suite on several occasions, eventually leaving three movements: Intermezzo, Ballade and Alla marcia. The first movement, Intermezzo, originally accompanied a tableau in which Karelian woodsmen are on their way to pay taxes to a Lithuanian prince. The second movement Ballade, features the deposed king Charles Knutsson, who has retreated to Viipuri Castle. Here he listens to a ballad. The orchestral version has a solo for English horn (originally the movement was sung). Alla