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Kalevala Suite

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Kalevala Suite
Tone pictures by Uuno Klami
The composer (c. 1930)
Native nameKalevala-sarja
Catalogue23
Based onKalevala (Runos I–II, X, XV)
Composed1930 (1930)–1933, rev. 1934, 1943
PublisherFazer Music [fi] (1951)
Duration30 minutes
Movements5 (originally 4)
Premiere
Date10 February 1933 (1933-02-10)
LocationHelsinki, Finland
ConductorGeorg Schnéevoigt
PerformersHelsinki Philharmonic Orchestra

The Kalevala Suite (in Finnish: Kalevala-sarja), Op. 23, is a five-movement concert suite for orchestra written from 1930 to 1933 by the Finnish composer Uuno Klami and based upon Runos I–II, X, and XV of the Kalevala, Finland's national epic. The original version of the suite, which was in four movements, dissatisfied the composer because its lack of central scherzo made the work seem imbalanced. His first attempt at revision came in 1934 with Lemminkäinen's Island Adventures (Lemminkäisen seikkailut saaressa; based on Runo XXIX) as Movement III, but its considerable length presented a new problem, causing Klami to withdraw it from the suite and make it an independent work.[1][2] In 1943, he again revised the Kalevala Suite, adding Terhenniemi as the new scherzo.

Klami sought to approach the Kalevala from a perspective that would differ that of Jean Sibelius, his predecessor, whom he thought had "reigned supreme in the domain";[3] Sibelius's notable Kalevala-themed works include the tone poems The Swan of Tuonela, Pohjola's Daughter, and Tapiola.

Structure

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The Kalevala Suite is in five movements, of which Nos. I–II and IV–V were written completed by 1933; No. III was added in 1943:

  1. The Creation of the Earth (Maan synty). Agitato e misterioso
  2. The Spout of Spring (Kevään oras). Andante, molto tranquillo
  3. Terhenniemi. Allegro, leggiero e scherzando
  4. Cradle Song for Lemminkäinen (Kehtolaulu Lemminkäiselle). Andante mosso
  5. The Forging of the Sampo (Sammon taonta). Allegro moderato

Movement II is played attacca.

Instrumentation

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The Kalevala Suite is scored for the following instruments, organized by family (woodwinds, brass, percussion, and strings):

Discography

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The sortable table below contains commercially available recordings of the complete Kalevala Suite: The table below lists commercially available recordings:

No. Conductor Ensemble Rec.[a] Runtime[b] Recording venue Label Ref.
Total I II III IV V
1 Nils-Eric Fougstedt Finlandia Orchestra c. 1957 ? ? ? ? ? ? ? Fennica [fi]
[c]
2 Jorma Panula (1) Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra (1) 1973 30:09
12:03[d]
 6:18 4:46 6:54 Kulttuuritalo Finnlevy [fi]
[e]
3 Leif Segerstam Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra 1987 31:32 6:59 4:34 6:34 6:25 7:00 Kulttuuritalo Finlandia
[f]
4 Petri Sakari [fi] Iceland Symphony Orchestra 1993 32:49 7:33 5:22 6:38 5:43 7:29 Háskólabíó [is] Chandos
[g]
5 Osmo Vänskä Lahti Symphony Orchestra (1) 1994 29:43 6:43 4:48 6:16 4:51 6:50 Ristinkirkko BIS
[h]
6 Jorma Panula (2) Turku Philharmonic Orchestra 1996 29:56 6:41 4:33 6:29 4:17 7:00 Turku Concert Hall Naxos
[i]
7 John Storgårds Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra (2) 2009 32:56 7:16 5:09 7:06 5:49 7:25 Finlandia Hall Ondine
[j]
8 Dima Slobodeniouk Lahti Symphony Orchestra (2) 2017 29:15 6:38 4:34 6:42 5:15 5:50 Sibelius Hall BIS
[k]

Notes, references, and sources

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Notes
  1. ^ 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.
  2. ^ All runtimes are official, as printed on CD or LP liner notes.
  3. ^ N. Fougstedt—Fennica (SS 5) 1957
  4. ^ Given that No. 2 is played attacca, this recording combines the runtime for Nos.1–2.
  5. ^ J. Panula—Finnlevy (SFX 4) 1973
  6. ^ L. Segerstam—Finlandia (FACD 356) 1987
  7. ^ P. Sakari—Chandos (CHAN 10427 X) 2007
  8. ^ O. Vänskä—BIS (CD–676) 1994
  9. ^ J. Panula—Naxos (8.553757) 1998
  10. ^ J. Storgårds—Ondine (ODE 1143–2) 2010
  11. ^ D. Slobodeniouk—BIS (BIS–2371) 2021
References
  1. ^ Poroila 2012, p. 12.
  2. ^ Salmenhaara 1994, p. 5.
  3. ^ Tyrväinen 2010, p. 4.
Sources
  • Poroila, Heikki (2012). Yhtenäistetty Uuno Klami (List of Works by Uuno Klami). Helsinki: Suomen musiikkikirjastoyhdistys (Finnish Music Library Association). ISBN 978-952-5363-30-2.
  • Salmenhaara, Erkki (1994). Uuno Klami: Whirls, Ballet: Suites 1 & 2 / Lemminkäinen's Island Adventures / Song of Lake Kuujärvi (CD booklet). Osmo Vänskä & Lahti Symphony Orchestra. BIS. CD–656.
  • Tyrväinen, Helena (2010). Uuno Klami: Northern Lights / Cheremissian Fantasy / Kalevala Suite (CD booklet). Translated by Mäntyjärvi, Jaakko [in Finnish]. John Storgårds & Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra. Ondine. ODE 1143–2.
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