Kullervo (Sibelius)

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Kullervo is a work by the Finnish composer Jean Sibelius (1865–1957), which is somewhere between symphony and symphonic poetry , and which also includes choir and vocal soloists. Despite the great success of the world premiere in Helsinki in 1892 , Sibelius soon banned further complete performances during his lifetime.

Emergence

Kullervo , Op. 7 by Jean Sibelius, was composed between 1890 and 1892 in Vienna and Helsinki . Sibelius had previously dealt intensively with the Finnish national epic Kalevala , which also includes the tragic heroic legend Kullervo ( Canto 31–36 ). Important musical key experiences for the music student Sibelius of this time were on the one hand the performance of the symphony Aino by his compatriot Robert Kajanus (also based on Kalevala motifs) in Berlin and on the other hand performances of the symphonies of Beethoven and Bruckner in Vienna.

Instrumentation

The score provides for the following scoring : 2 flutes , 2 oboes , 2 clarinets , 2 bassoons , 4 horns , 3 trumpets , 3 trombones , tuba , timpani , percussion and strings . There is also a mezzo-soprano and baritone solo and male choir.

Structure and characteristics

The performance of the five-movement work is around 70 to 75 minutes. Movements 1, 2 and 4 are purely instrumental, while in the 3rd movement there are mezzo-soprano and baritone solo and male choir, in the 5th movement again the male choir (the original language is Finnish). Formally, the work cannot be clearly assigned and moves in the transition area between (chorus) - symphony and symphonic poetry . Sibelius himself always referred to it as a "symphony".

Despite the sometimes Nordic archaic sound (and quite bold for the time the work was composed), Sibelius did not use any original motifs from Finnish folk music. In line with the tragic subject, there is a gloomy, brooding, sometimes martial mood. The characteristics of the work include the use of modal harmony and more frequent 5/4 time.

Sentence sequence (the Finnish original name in brackets):

  1. Introduction ( Johdanto ), Allegro moderato. - Purely instrumental, basic key E minor, following the sonata form .
  2. Kullervo's youth ( Kullervon nuoruus ), Grave. - Purely instrumental, rondo-like , harmoniously emphasized triad mixtures in B major / B minor
  3. Kullervo and his sister ( Kullervo ja hänen sisarensa ), Allegro vivace. - Most extensive movement, with male choir (almost always in unison, but sometimes performed several times with octaves ) and both vocal soloists. Partially operatic, mostly in 5/4 time.
  4. Kullervo goes into battle ( Kullervon sotaanlähtö ), Alla marcia. - Purely instrumental, basic key C major, with features of a scherzo .
  5. Kullervo's death ( Kullervon kuolema ), Andante. - Lamentation with male choir and orchestra. The coda goes back to the 1st theme of the 1st movement.

World premiere and reception

The world premiere of Kullervo took place on April 28, 1892 in Helsinki with the Helsinki Orchestra Association and the soloists Emmy Achté and Abraham Ojanperä under the direction of the composer. It was met with great enthusiasm and was even celebrated as the "hour of birth of Finnish music". Sibelius conducted Kullervo four more times until 1893, when the criticism suddenly turned into mockery and he, shocked, forbade further complete performances during his lifetime. Apart from isolated performances of the 3rd and 4th movements, Kullervo was not heard again until 1958, a year after Sibelius' death (under the direction of Jussi Jalas'Sibelius' son-in-law). In the meantime several recordings have been made, mainly among Finnish conductors.

literature

  • Tomi Mäkelä: “Poetry in the Air”. Jean Sibelius. Studies of life and work . Breitkopf & Härtel, Wiesbaden a. a. 2007, ISBN 978-3-7651-0363-6 , pp. 198ff.
  • Rudolf Kloiber : Handbook of Symphonic Poetry. 3. Edition. Breitkopf & Härtel, Wiesbaden 1990, ISBN 3-7651-0018-8 , pp. 195-197.
  • Jochem Wolff: Kullervo, symphony for soprano, baritone, male choir and orchestra op. 7. In: Wulf Konold (Hrsg.): Lexicon Orchestermusik Romantik. SZ . Piper / Schott, Mainz 1989, ISBN 3-7957-8228-7 , pp. 807-809.
  • Teresa Pieschacón Raphael: CD supplement Naxos 8.553756 (J. Sibelius: Kullervo, Turku Philh. Orchestra et al., Conducted by Jorma Panula), 1996.

sources

  1. ^ Jean Sibelius: Kullervo; for soprano, baritone solo, male choir and orchestra, op. 7 . Urtext of the complete edition, Series I (orchestral works), vol. 1. Ed .: Glenda Down Goss. Breitkopf & Härtel, Wiesbaden 2005, foreword, p. III .
  2. ↑ Kullervo . In: sibelius.fi online information page . Archived from the original on August 9, 2017.

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