The Ostrobothnians
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The Ostrobothnians
''The Ostrobothnians'' (in Finnish: ; occasionally translated to English as ''The Bothnians''), Op. 45, is a opera in three acts written from 1917 to 1924 by the Finnish composer Leevi Madetoja. The story, variously comedic and tragic, takes place around 1850 in the historical Finnish province of Ostrobothnia and features as its central conflict the deteriorating relationship between the farm community and its oppressive sheriff. On 25 October 1924, the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra premiered the opera at the Finnish National Opera under the baton of Tauno Hannikainen. The enthusiasm of critics and the public quickly elevated the work to the (informal) status of the country's "national opera". Working in its favor was Madetoja's use of well-known folk melodies and the libretto's focus on freedom from oppression and self-determination, the allegorical qualities of which were particularly salient to a country that had won recently its independence from Russia. This ina ...
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Leevi Madetoja
Leevi Antti Madetoja (; 17 February 1887 – 6 October 1947) was a Finnish composer, music critic, conductor, and teacher of the late-Romantic and early-modern periods. He is widely recognized as one of the most significant Finnish contemporaries of Jean Sibelius, under whom he studied privately from 1908 to 1910. The core of Madetoja's ''oeuvre'' consists of a set of three symphonies (1916, 1918, and 1926), arguably the finest early-twentieth century additions to the symphonic canon of any Finnish composer, Sibelius excepted. As central to Madetoja's legacy is ''Pohjalaisia'' (''The Ostrobothnians'', 1923), proclaimed Finland's "national opera" following its successful 1924 premiere and, even today, a stalwart of the country's repertoire. Other notable works include an ''Elegia'' for strings (1909); ''Kuoleman puutarha'' (''The Garden of Death'', 1918–21), a three-movement suite for solo piano; the ''Japanisme'' ballet-pantomime, '' Okon Fuoko'' (1927); an ...
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Literary Realism
Literary realism is a literary genre, part of the broader realism in arts, that attempts to represent subject-matter truthfully, avoiding speculative fiction and supernatural elements. It originated with the realist art movement that began with mid- nineteenth-century French literature (Stendhal) and Russian literature (Alexander Pushkin). Literary realism attempts to represent familiar things as they are. Realist authors chose to depict everyday and banal activities and experiences. Background Broadly defined as "the representation of reality", realism in the arts is the attempt to represent subject matter truthfully, without artificiality and avoiding artistic conventions, as well as implausible, exotic and supernatural elements. Realism has been prevalent in the arts at many periods, and is in large part a matter of technique and training, and the avoidance of stylization. In the visual arts, illusionistic realism is the accurate depiction of lifeforms, perspective, and the ...
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Kullervo (Launis)
Kullervo () is an ill-fated character in the ''Kalevala'', the Finnish national epic compiled by Elias Lönnrot. Growing up in the aftermath of the massacre of his entire tribe, he comes to realise that the same people who had brought him up, the tribe of Untamo, were also the ones who had slain his family. As a child, he is sold into slavery and mocked and tormented further. When he finally runs away from his masters, he discovers surviving members of his family, only to lose them again. He seduces a girl who turns out to be his own sister, having thought his sister dead. When she finds out it was her own brother who seduced her, she commits suicide. Kullervo becomes mad with rage, returns to Untamo and his tribe, destroys them using his magical powers, and commits suicide. At the end of the poem the old sage Väinämöinen warns all parents against treating their children too harshly. Story The story of Kullervo is laid out in runes (chapters) 31 through 36 of the Kalevala ...
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Seven Brothers (Launis)
7 is a number, numeral, and glyph. 7 or seven may also refer to: * AD 7, the seventh year of the AD era * 7 BC, the seventh year before the AD era * The month of July Music Artists * Seven (Swiss singer) (born 1978), a Swiss recording artist * Seven (Korean singer) (born 1984), a South Korean recording artist * Se7en (American singer) (born 1986), the former stage name of Sevyn Streeter * Mick Thomson or #7, an American recording artist * Seven (band), a British AOR band * The Seven (band) a late 1960s rock band from Syracuse, New York * Seven (record producer) (born 1980), an American producer * S Club 7, a British pop band * SVN, a British pop band featuring Aimie Atkinson and Jarnéia Richard-Noel from the cast of ''SIX'' * Sevendust, a hard rock band from Atlanta, Georgia Albums * ''7'' (Apoptygma Berzerk album), 1996 * ''7'' (Beach House album), 2018 * ''7'' (Bushido album), 2007 * ''7'' (Con Funk Shun album), 1981 * ''7'' (David Guetta album), 2018 * ''7'' (David ...
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Armas Launis
Armas Launis (April 22, 1884 – August 7, 1959), was a Finnish composer as well as an ethnomusicologist, a professor, a writer and a journalist. He was born in Hämeenlinna. Composer Armas Launis was mainly an opera composer. He wrote ten operas (both libretto and music). Several were performed: *In Finland: "The Seven Brothers" (1913), the first Finnish opera comique, and "Kullervo" (1917), both in full stage performance, and a concert performance of "Aslak Hetta" in 2004 at Finlandia Hall, Helsinki, directed by Sakari Oramo. *In France: stage performance of Kullervo (1940, Nice, Palais de la Méditerranée) with radio broadcasts on Paris-Inter and Radio Monte-Carlo (1938–1940). A short version of "Jehudith" was also broadcast in 1954 (Paris-Inter) Armas Launis also wrote chamber music pieces, cantatas, choruses, suites for orchestra, and the music of the first Finnish ethnographic film "A Wedding in Karelia, the Land of Poetry" (1921). Ethnomusicologist Launis was one of ...
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Daniel Hjort
Daniel is a masculine given name and a surname of Hebrew origin. It means "God is my judge"Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 68. (cf. Gabriel—"God is my strength"), and derives from two early biblical figures, primary among them Daniel from the Book of Daniel. It is a common given name for males, and is also used as a surname. It is also the basis for various derived given names and surnames. Background The name evolved into over 100 different spellings in countries around the world. Nicknames (Dan, Danny) are common in both English and Hebrew; "Dan" may also be a complete given name rather than a nickname. The name "Daniil" (Даниил) is common in Russia. Feminine versions (Danielle, Danièle, Daniela, Daniella, Dani, Danitza) are prevalent as well. It has been particularly well-used in Ireland. The Dutch names "Daan" and "Daniël" are also variations of Daniel. A related surname develo ...
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Selim Palmgren
Selim Gustaf Adolf Palmgren (16 February 1878 – 13 December 1951) was a Finnish composer, pianist, and conductor. Palmgren was born in Pori, Finland, February 16, 1878. He studied at the Conservatory in Helsinki from 1895 to 1899, then continued his piano studies in Berlin with Ansorge, Berger and Busoni. He conducted choral and orchestral societies in his own country and made several very successful concert tours as a pianist in the principal cities of Finland and Scandinavia, appearing also as a visiting conductor. In 1921, he went to the United States, where he taught composition at the Eastman School of Music, later returning to Finland, where he died in Helsinki, aged 73. Palmgren was married to the opera singer Maikki Järnefelt. Works listed by opus number An incomplete works list (elaborated by Joel Valkila): *Op. 1 - Prelude, Illusion, & Etude and Valse-Caprice for Piano (1898?' Illusion later arranged for orchestra) *Op. 2(a) - ''Two Songs (reference: T. Tom ...
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Aino (opera)
''Aino'' is an opera by Erkki Melartin, composed in 1912 to a libretto by Jalmari Finne. The opera is based on the ''Kalevala'', more specifically on the character of Aino. Its music shows the influence of Richard Wagner. Synopsis Väinö, a godly figure and the son of Luonnotar, wants to taste the pleasures of mortals. He does so with Aino who personifies nature. Väinö meets Aino and they agree to marry. Aino's brother Jouko opposes the match and challenges Väinö to a singing match which he loses. The second act traces the preparations for the wedding and the ceremony itself. Väinö fashions a kantele A kantele () or kannel () is a traditional Finnish and Karelian plucked string instrument (chordophone) belonging to the south east Baltic box zither family known as the Baltic psaltery along with Estonian kannel, Latvian kokles, Lithuania ..., a musical instrument, from a birch tree. Aino disappears and in the final ecstatic monologue dives into the sea against ...
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Erkki Melartin
Erkki Gustaf Melartin (7 February 1875, Käkisalmi – 14 February 1937, Helsinki) was a Finnish composer, conductor, and teacher of the late-Romantic and early-modern periods. Melartin is generally considered to be one of Finland's most significant national Romantic composers, although his music—then and now—largely has been overshadowed by that of his exact contemporary, Jean Sibelius, the country's most famous composer. The core of Melartin's consists of a set of six (completed) symphonies, as well as is his opera, ''Aino'', based on a story from the ''Kalevala'', Finland's national epic, but nevertheless in the style of Richard Wagner. Melartin's other notable works include the popular wedding tune, ''Festive March'' (1904; from the incidental music to the play, ''Sleeping Beauty''); the symphonic poem, ''Traumgesicht'' (1910); the Violin Concerto in D minor (1913); the Kalevalic symphonic poem for soprano and orchestra, ''Marjatta'' (1914); ''The Blue Pearl'', Finlan ...
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The Maiden Of The North
''The Maiden of the North'' (in Finnish: ) is an opera in three acts written in 1898 by the Finnish composer Oskar Merikanto. The piece was a collaboration with the Finnish author , the Finnish-language libretto of whom was based on a script by the Finnish opera singer Lorenz Nikolai Achté. The opera tells a story from ''The Kalevala'', Finland's national epic, in which the old wizard Väinämöinen and the blacksmith Ilmarinen, as rival suitors, vie for the hand of the beautiful Maiden of Pohjola; she is the daughter of Louhi, the villainous Queen of the Northland. Although rarely performed, ''The Maiden of the North'' retains a degree of historical significance as the first Finnish-language opera. Composition Merikanto wrote ''The Maiden of the North'' in response to an 1898 advertisement by the Finnish Literature Society, which was holding a contest for a Finnish-language opera about Finnish mythology or history. (A first competition launched in 1891 had received no submi ...
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Oskar Merikanto
Oskar Merikanto (; born Frans Oskar Ala-Kanto; 5 August 1868, Helsinki17 February 1924, Hausjärvi-Oitti) was a Finnish composer, music critic, pianist, and organist. As a composer, Merikanto was primarily a miniaturist, and includes songs and piano pieces (he wrote over 100 of each). Of the latter, he is best remembered for: ''Summer Evening Waltz'' (, Op. 1), ''Romance'' (, Op. 12), ''Summer Evening Idyll'' (, Op. 16/2), (Op. 33), and ''Idyll'' (Op. 73/1). Merikanto also wrote three operas: ''The Maiden of the North'' (, 1898), which retains a degree of historical significance as the first opera composed to a Finnish libretto; ''The Death of Elina'' (, 1910); and ''Regina von Emmeritz'' (1920). However, Merikanto's operas have entered neither the domestic nor the international repertoires. As a music critic, Merikanto was associated with the Finnish-language, liberal, nationalist newspaper ''Päivälehti''. Biography He was the son of Frans Ferdina ...
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Kung Karls Jakt
Kung Karls jakt (English: ''King Charles' Hunt''; Finnish: ''Kaarle-kuninkaan metsästys'') is an opera with music by Fredrik Pacius and a libretto by Zacharias Topelius. It was the first opera to be composed in Finland. ''Kung Karls jakt'' was first performed in Helsinki on 24 March 1852. Although the text is in Swedish (Swedish and Finnish are both official languages in Finland) it concerns an event from Finnish history when Finland was a province of Sweden in the 17th century. The work takes the form of a Singspiel with spoken dialogue between the musical numbers (the king himself does not sing). The music is heavily influenced by contemporary German and Italian opera, with a few Finnish elements such as the use of a ''kantele'' in one scene. Roles Synopsis The plot concerns the visit of the young King Charles XI to Åland to go hunting. Leonora, the daughter of a local fisherman, learns of a plot against the king's life and saves him. In return, the king spares the life of ...
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