Kung Karls jakt (English: ''King Charles' Hunt''; Finnish: ''Kaarle-kuninkaan metsästys'') is an

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 libr ...

with music by

Fredrik Pacius Fredrik Pacius (; born Friedrich Pacius; 19 March 1809 – 8 January 1891) was a German-Finnish composer and conductor who lived most of his life in Finland. He has been called the "Father of Finnish music". Pacius was born in Hamburg. He was ap ...

and a libretto by

Zacharias Topelius Zachris Topelius (, ; 14 January 181812 March 1898) was a Finnish author, poet, journalist, historian, and rector of the University of Helsinki who wrote novels related to Finnish history. Given name Zacharias is his baptismal name, and this ...

. It was the first opera to be composed in

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...

. ''Kung Karls jakt'' was first performed in

Helsinki Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the capital, primate, and most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of Uusimaa in southern Finland, and has a population of . The city ...

on 24 March 1852. Although the text is in

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

(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 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 ...

'' in one scene.

Roles

Synopsis

The plot concerns the visit of the young King Charles XI to

Åland Åland ( fi, Ahvenanmaa: ; ; ) is an autonomous and demilitarised region of Finland since 1920 by a decision of the League of Nations. It is the smallest region of Finland by area and population, with a size of 1,580 km2, and a populat ...

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 her fiancé Jonathan, who has been condemned to death for killing one of the royal elks.

Recordings

*''Kung Karls Jakt'' Soloists, Jubilate Choir, Finnish National Opera Orchestra, conducted by

Ulf Söderblom Ulf Arne Söderblom (5 February 1930 – 4 February 2016) was a Finnish conductor and music professor. He was the principal conductor of the Finnish National Opera from 1973 to 1993 and was a key figure in the revival of the Savonlinna Opera Festiv ...

(Finlandia, 1991) *''The Hunt of King Charles'' (sung in Finnish translation) ('' Kaarle-Kuninkaan Metsästys'', in Finnish language) Soloists, Pori Opera Choir, Pori Sinfonietta, conducted by Ari Rasilainen (Marco Polo, 2007)

Sources

*Ruth-Esther Hillila and Barbara Blanchard Hong: ''Historical Dictionary of the Music and Musicians of Finland'' (Greenwood, 1997) p. 293 *Donald Jay Grout ''A Short History of Opera'' (Columbia University Press, 2003 ed.) p. 547 *''Penguin Guide to Opera on Compact Discs'' (1993) pp. 282–283 {{Authority control Operas 1852 operas Swedish-language operas Operas by Fredrik Pacius