''Die Kalewainen in Pochjola: Finnische Mythe in 4 Bildern frei nach dem Finnischen National-Epos Kalewala'' (German: “The men of Kaleva in the Northland: Finnish myths in four scenes freely from the Finnish national epic Kalevala”) is an 1890

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

- Finnish

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librett ...

in four acts composed by the German Karl Müller-Berghaus (1829–1907) to a libretto by Fritz W. O. Spengler, freely based upon

Kalevala The ''Kalevala'' ( fi, Kalevala, ) is a 19th-century work of epic poetry compiled by Elias Lönnrot from Karelian and Finnish oral folklore and mythology, telling an epic story about the Creation of the Earth, describing the controversies and r ...

. Although using motifs and characters from a Finnish epic, the libretto is in

German language German ( ) is a West Germanic languages, West Germanic language mainly spoken in Central Europe. It is the most widely spoken and Official language, official or co-official language in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and the Ita ...

. The style of the opera represents early

Richard Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, polemicist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most op ...

and the romantic German opera in general.Die Kalewainen in Pochjola: 127 vuotta kadoksissa ollut ooppera ensi-iltaan Turussa Suomi 100 -juhlavuonna.
City of Turku, 29 February 2016. The opera was composed in

Turku Turku ( ; ; sv, Åbo, ) is a city and former capital on the southwest coast of Finland at the mouth of the Aura River, in the region of Finland Proper (''Varsinais-Suomi'') and the former Turku and Pori Province (''Turun ja Porin lääni''; ...

, Grand Duchy of Finland, when Müller-Berghaus was working as an orchestral conductor for the Music Society of Turku. During the 19th and 20th century, the opera was never performed ''in toto''; only the second act was given as a concert performance in Turku on 17 February 1890. The score is written for a relatively large orchestra, a chorus and seven lead roles, and there were no practical venues in that time for a full-scale performance. The première was planned at

Hamburg State Opera The Hamburg State Opera (in German: Staatsoper Hamburg) is a German opera company based in Hamburg. Its theatre is near the square of Gänsemarkt. Since 2015, the current ''Intendant'' of the company is Georges Delnon, and the current ''General ...

in 1892 but because of an epidemic of

cholera Cholera is an infection of the small intestine by some strains of the bacterium ''Vibrio cholerae''. Symptoms may range from none, to mild, to severe. The classic symptom is large amounts of watery diarrhea that lasts a few days. Vomiting and ...

it never realized. The orchestral score and the piano score of the opera were published in

Stuttgart Stuttgart (; Swabian: ; ) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It is located on the Neckar river in a fertile valley known as the ''Stuttgarter Kessel'' (Stuttgart Cauldron) and lies an hour from the ...

circa 1892, but ''Die Kalewainen in Pochjola'' fell slowly into oblivion. A copy of the score was discovered in Turku in 2013 and it was decided to première the opera in February 2017. The opera has four acts: # ''Die Brautwerbung'' (The proposal to the bride) # ''Der Sampo'' ( The Sampo) # ''Achtis Wiederbelebung'' (Resurrecting Ahti) # ''Der Kampf um’s Glück'' (The fight for luck). The leading roles are Wäinämöinen,

Ilmarinen Ilmarinen (), the Eternal Hammerer, blacksmith and inventor in the ''Kalevala'', is a god and archetypal artificer from Finnish mythology. He is immortal and capable of creating practically anything, but is portrayed as being unlucky in love. He i ...

, Achti alias

Lemminkäinen Lemminkäinen () or Lemminki () is a prominent figure in Finnish mythology. He is one of the heroes of the ''Kalevala'', where his character is a composite of several separate heroes of oral poetry. He is usually depicted as young and good-loo ...

Luonnotar In the ''Kalevala'', the Finnish national epic, Ilmatar () was a virgin spirit and goddess of the air. Origins The name Ilmatar is derived from the Finnish word ''ilma'', meaning "air," and the female suffix ''-tar'', corresponding to English " ...

, Louchi, Ismo and a Magician (''Zauberer''). When analyzing the score in 1933, the composer Sulho Ranta thought that the libretto was weak and the music was impersonal and derivative.Ranta, Sulho: “Ensimmäinen Kalevala-aiheinen ooppera: Karl Müller-Berghaus: ’Die Kalewainen in Pochjola’ (Kalevalaiset Pohjolassa).” ''Kalevalaseuran vuosikirja'' 13, pp. 202–231. Porvoo: WSOY, 1933.

References

External links

Website for the opera.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kalewainen in Pochjola, Die 1890 operas German-language operas Operas Operas set in Finland Operas based on the Kalevala