''Jaakko Ilkka'' is a folk

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 ...

Finnish Finnish may refer to: * Something or someone from, or related to Finland * Culture of Finland * Finnish people or Finns, the primary ethnic group in Finland * Finnish language, the national language of the Finnish people * Finnish cuisine See also ...

composer

Jorma Panula Jorma Juhani Panula (born 10 August 1930) is a Finnish conductor, composer, and teacher of conducting. He has mentored many Finnish conductors, such as Esa-Pekka Salonen, Mikko Franck, Sakari Oramo, Jukka-Pekka Saraste, Osmo Vänskä and Klaus M� ...

composed in 1977-1978 which deals with the

eponym An eponym is a person, a place, or a thing after whom or which someone or something is, or is believed to be, named. The adjectives which are derived from the word eponym include ''eponymous'' and ''eponymic''. Usage of the word The term ''epon ...

ous peasant leader of the

Cudgel War The Cudgel War (also Club War, fi, Nuijasota, links=no, sv, Klubbekriget, links=no) was a 1596–1597 peasant uprising in Finland, which was then part of the Kingdom of Sweden. The name of the uprising derives from the fact that the peasants ar ...

of 1596. The opera uses material from Finnish folk and fiddle music and premiered at the

Ilmajoki Ilmajoki (; sv, Ilmola) is a municipality of Finland. Ilmajoki is a town and municipality situated in Finland's South Ostrobothnia region, founded in 1865. Ilmajoki has a population of 12,165 (28. February 2017)and covers an area of 579.79 ...

Music Festival in 1978. The

libretto A libretto (Italian for "booklet") is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or Musical theatre, musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to the t ...

was written by Aarni Krohn. It tells the story of Jaako Ilkka, a wealthy landowner from Ilmajoki who becomes the leader of the peasant uprising against

Klaus Fleming Baron Klaus Eriksson Fleming ( sv, Clas Eriksson Fleming; 1535 in Pargas – 13 April 1597 in Pohja) was a Finnish-born member of the Swedish nobility and admiral, who played an important role in Finnish and Swedish history during the rise of S ...

. The opera culminates with Ilkka’s defeat after having been turned on by his own troops. Jaakko Ilkka was performed at the Ilmajoki Music Festival during the summers of 1978–1981 under the direction of

Edvin Laine Edvin Laine (13 July 1905 – 18 November 1989) was a Finnish film director. Laine was born Bovellán. Laine directed a comedy '' Aaltoska orkaniseeraa'' and family film ''Sleeping Beauty'', both in 1949. '' The Unknown Soldier'', a film La ...

, featuring Tuomo Häkkilä as Jaako Ilkka. The role of Katariina was played by

soprano A soprano () is a type of classical female singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hz to "high A" (A5) = 880&n ...

Ritva Auvinen with

baritone A baritone is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the bass and the tenor voice-types. The term originates from the Greek (), meaning "heavy sounding". Composers typically write music for this voice in the r ...

Jorma Falck as Klaus Flemings and

bass baritone A bass-baritone is a high-lying bass or low-lying "classical" baritone voice type which shares certain qualities with the true baritone voice. The term arose in the late 19th century to describe the particular type of voice required to sing thr ...

Eero Piirto Kylmä-Jyrää. Other performers included Jorma Hynninen,

Jaakko Ryhänen Jaakko Ryhänen (born 2 December 1946) is a Finnish opera singer ( bass) and voice pedagog. Ryhänen initially trained as a primary school teacher. He later studied singing at the Sibelius Academy under Matti Lehtinen and Jolanda di Maria Pet ...

and Jaakko Hietikko. The performances featured the Finnish National Opera Orchestra and the Ilmajoki Opera Choir under the direction of composer Jorma Panula. Costumes were designed by costumer and fashion artist Kirsti Maunula. The opera was again performed at the Ilmajoki Music Festival in 1996–1997, featuring Jyrki Anttila as Jaakko Ilkka alongside performers Kaisa Hannula, Tommi Hakala, and Juha Uusitalo.

References

Finnish-language operas Operas 1978 operas Operas by Jorma Panula Operas set in the 16th century Operas set in Finland Ilkka Ilkka Folk opera {{opera-stub