Lemminkäinen Suite
| Lemminkäinen Suite | |
|---|---|
| Cycle of tone poems by Jean Sibelius | |
The composer (c. 1895) | |
| Native name | Lemminkäis-sarja |
| Opus | 22 |
| Based on | Kalevala (No. 1: Runo XXIX; No. 2: Runo XIV; No. 3: Runo XV, No. 4: Runo XXX) |
| Composed | 1893–1895, rev. 1897 (all), 1900 (Nos. 2, 4), 1939 (Nos. 1, 3) |
| Publisher |
|
| Duration | 50 mins.[3] |
| Movements | 4 |
| Premiere | |
| Date | 13 April 1896[4] |
| Location | Helsinki, Grand Duchy of Finland |
| Conductor | Jean Sibelius |
| Performers | Helsinki Philharmonic Society |
The Lemminkäinen Suite, or more correctly Four Legends from the Kalevala, Op. 22, is a sequence of four tone poems for orchestra completed in 1896 by the Finnish composer Jean Sibelius. The work was conceived as Veneen luominen (The Building of the Boat), an opera with a mythological setting, before taking its form as a suite. There is a narrative thread: the exploits are followed of the heroic character Lemminkäinen from the Kalevala, which is a collection of folkloric, mythic, epic poetry. The second tone poem, The Swan of Tuonela, is popular as a standalone orchestral work.
History
The piece was originally conceived as a mythological opera before Sibelius abandoned the idea and made it a piece consisting of four distinct movements.[5] The first two though were withdrawn by the composer soon after its premiere and were neither performed, nor added to the published score of the suite until 1935. Sibelius changed the order of the movements when he made his final revisions in 1939, placing The Swan of Tuonela second, and Lemminkäinen in Tuonela third.[6][7]
Sibelius revised the score in 1897 and 1939.
Movements
- Lemminkäinen and the Maidens of the Island is based on Canto 29 ("Conquests"[8].) of the Kalevala, where Lemminkäinen travels to an island and seduces many of the women there, before fleeing the rage of the men on the island. The movement is also known as Lemminkäinen and the Maidens of Saari, Saari being the Finnish word for island.
- The Swan of Tuonela is the most popular of the four tone poems and often is featured alone from the suite in orchestral programs. It has a prominent cor anglais solo. The music paints a gossamer, transcendental image of a mystical swan swimming around Tuonela, the island of the dead.
- Lemminkäinen in Tuonela is based on Canto 14 ("Elk, horse, swan"[9]) and 15 ("Resurrection"[10]). Lemminkäinen is in Tuonela, the land of the dead, to shoot the Swan of Tuonela to be able to claim the daughter of Louhi, mistress of the Pohjola or Northland, in marriage. However, the blind man of the Northland shoots and kills Lemminkäinen with a poisoned arrow, whose body is then tossed in the river and dismembered. Lemminkäinen's mother learns of his death, travels to Tuonela, recovers his body parts, reassembles him and restores him to life.
- Lemminkäinen's Return: The storyline in the score roughly parallels the end of Canto 30 ("Pakkanen"[11]), where after his adventures in battle, Lemminkäinen journeys home.
Instrumentation
Lemminkäinen and the Maidens of the Island is scored as follows:[12]
- 2 flutes (each doubling piccolo), 2 oboes, 2 clarinets (in B♭), and 2 bassoons
- 4 horns (in F), 3 trumpets (in F), and 3 trombones
- Timpani, bass drum, cymbals, and triangle
- Violins (I and II), violas, cellos, and double basses
The Swan of Tuonela is scored as follows:[13]
- Soloist: cor anglais
- 1 oboe, 1 bass clarinet (in B♭), and 2 bassoons
- 4 horns (in F) and 3 trombones
- Timpani and bass drum
- Violins (I and II), violas, cellos, double basses, and harp
Lemminkäinen in Tuonela is scored as follows:[14]
- 2 flutes (each doubling piccolo), 1 oboe, 1 cor anglais, 1 clarinet (in A), 1 bass clarinet (in B♭) and 2 bassoons
- 4 horns (in E♭ and F), 3 trumpets (in E♭ and F), and 3 trombones
- Timpani, bass drum, cymbals, triangle, and tambourine
- Violins (I and II), violas, cellos, and double basses
Lemminkäinen's Return is scored as follows:[15]
- 2 piccolos, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets (in B♭), and 2 bassoons
- 4 horns (in F), 3 trumpets (in F), 3 trombones, and tuba
- Timpani, bass drum, cymbals, triangle, tambourine, and glockenspiel
- Violins (I and II), violas, cellos, and double basses
Discography
The sortable table below contains commercially available recordings of the complete Lemminkäinen Suite:
† = This recording utilizes Sibelius's original ordering of the suite, with The Swan of Tuonela played third and Lemminkäinen in Tuonela played second.
Where a conductor or orchestra has recorded the suite more than once, a number has been added (in brackets) to help distinguish the recordings and clarify the results of sorting the list.
The original versions of Lemminkäinen and the Maidens of the Island and Lemminkäinen's Return have been recorded by Osmo Vänskä and the Lahti Symphony Orchestra (BIS CD-1015).
Notes, references, and sources
Notes
- ^ Refers to the year in which the performers recorded the work; this may not be the same as the year in which the recording was first released to the general public.
- ^ E. Ormandy–Sony Classical (19439757482) 2021
- ^ S. Ehrling—Metronome (CLP 519) 1953
- ^ T. Jensen—Decca (478 7946) 2015
- ^ E. Ormandy–Archipel () yyyy
- ^ T. Hannikainen–Melodiya (D–04726) 1958
- ^ L. Foss—Nonesuch (H–71203) 1968
- ^ J. Jalas—Decca (482 3311) 2015
- ^ C. Groves–EMI Classics (7243 5 85532 2 2) 2003
- ^ O. Kamu—DG (480 3297) 2010
- ^ E. Ormandy–EMI Classics (0946 3 88679 2 0) 2007
- ^ A. Gibson—Chandos (CHAN 8394) 1985
- ^ H. Stein–Decca (482 3922) 2015
- ^ N. Järvi—BIS (CD–294) 1985
- ^ A. Gibson—Collins (30132) 1992
- ^ J. Saraste–RCA (19439704812) 2020
- ^ E. Salonen–Sony Classical (SK 48 067) 1992
- ^ V. Sinaisky–Brilliant Classics (BC9212) 2010
- ^ P. Bartholomée—Auvidis (V 4746) 1995
- ^ L. Segerstam–Ondine (ODE 852–2) 1996
- ^ P. Järvi—Virgin Classics (7243 5 45213 2 4) 1996
- ^ N. Järvi–DG (477 6654) 2007
- ^ P. Sakari—Naxos (8.554265) 1999
- ^ J. Saraste—Classica (CL 138)1999
- ^ J. Saraste–Finlandia (3984–27890–2) 2000
- ^ O. Vänskä—BIS (CD–1015) 1999
- ^ U. Mund—Arte Nova (74321 72120 2) 2000
- ^ M. Franck—Ondine (ODE 953–2) 2000
- ^ C. Davis–RCA Red Seal (82876–55706–2) 2003
- ^ O. Vänskä—BIS (SACD–1745) 2014
- ^ E. Salonen–Sibelius-Akatemia (SACD24) 2008
- ^ H. Lintu–Ondine (ODE 1262–5) 2015
- ^ S. Oramo–Chandos (CHAN 20136) 2019
- ^ S. Mälkki—BIS (SACD–2638) 2023
References
- ^ Dahlström 2003, pp. 89, 91.
- ^ Dahlström 2003, pp. 88, 90.
- ^ Dahlström 2003, pp. 87, 89–91.
- ^ Dahlström 2003, p. 85.
- ^ "Lemminkäinen". www.sibelius.fi. Archived from the original on 2015-12-15. Retrieved 2022-09-11.
- ^ Barnett, Andrew, Sibelius (2007), p.341. ISBN 978-0-300-11159-0.
- ^ Grimley 2011, p. 56.
- ^ Lönnrot 1989, pp. 401–417.
- ^ Lönnrot 1989, pp. 155–167.
- ^ Lönnrot 1989, pp. pp.168–186.
- ^ Lönnrot 1989, p. 431.
- ^ PB 5582 – Sibelius, Lemminkäinen und die Mädchen auf der Insel op. 22/1. breitkopf. 6 November 2019. Retrieved 9 November 2025 – via issuu.com.
- ^ PB 5583 – Sibelius, Tuonelan Joutsen. breitkopf. 7 November 2019. Retrieved 9 November 2025 – via issuu.com.
- ^ PB 5584 – Sibelius, Lemminkäinen in Tuonela op. 22/3. breitkopf. 7 November 2019. Retrieved 9 November 2025 – via issuu.com.
- ^ PB 5585 – Sibelius, Lemminkäinen zieht heimwärts op. 22/4. breitkopf. 7 November 2019. Retrieved 9 November 2025 – via issuu.com.
Sources
- Dahlström, Fabian [in Swedish] (2003). Jean Sibelius: Thematisch-bibliographisches Verzeichnis seiner Werke [Jean Sibelius: A Thematic Bibliographic Index of His Works] (in German). Wiesbaden: Breitkopf & Härtel. ISBN 3-7651-0333-0.
- Grimley, Daniel M. (2011). Jean Sibelius and His World. Princeton University Press. ISBN 978-1-4008-4020-5.
- Vernon, David (2024). Sun Forest Lake: The Symphonies & Tone Poems of Jean Sibelius. Edinburgh: Candle Row Press. ISBN 978-1739659943.
- Lönnrot, Elias (1989). The Kalevala. Translated by Bosley, Keith. Oxford University Press, Oxford World Classics edition. ISBN 978-0-19-281700-6.