WIKIPEDIA
VIDEO: "Lemminkäinen suite Op.22 No.2 : Tuonelan joutsen [The Swan of Tuonela]" by Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, Sir Andrew Davis
Synopsis of some of the most popular classical music compositions prepared for Internet radio's "a MUSIClassical Concert" at www.theClassicStation.com and www.ClassicalMusic.network
Sibelius, The Swan of Tuonela
photo by RON COHEN
At My Window.com
The Swan of Tuonela (Tuonelan joutsen) is an 1895 tone poem by the Finnish composer Jean Sibelius. It is part of the Lemminkäinen Suite (Four Legends from the Kalevala), Op. 22, based on the Kalevala epic of Finnish mythology.
The tone poem is scored for a small orchestra of cor anglais, oboe, bass clarinet, two bassoons, four horns, three trombones, timpani, bass drum, harp, and divided strings. The cor anglais is the voice of the swan, and its solo is perhaps the best known cor anglais solo in the orchestral literature. The music paints a gossamer, transcendental image of a mystical swan swimming around Tuonela, the island of the dead. Lemminkäinen, the hero of the epic, has been tasked with killing the sacred swan; but on the way, he is shot with a poisoned arrow and dies. In the next part of the story he is restored to life.
WIKIPEDIA
VIDEO: "Lemminkäinen suite Op.22 No.2 : Tuonelan joutsen [The Swan of Tuonela]" by Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, Sir Andrew Davis
WIKIPEDIA
VIDEO: "Lemminkäinen suite Op.22 No.2 : Tuonelan joutsen [The Swan of Tuonela]" by Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, Sir Andrew Davis
Popular Posts
-
William Boyce (baptised 11 September 1711 – d. 7 February 1779) was an English composer and organist. Boyce is known for his set of eight... -
The Waltz in D-flat major, Op. 64, No. 1, Valse du petit chien, popularly known as the Minute Waltz, is a piano waltz composed by Frédéric... -
Piano Concerto No. 2 in F major, Op. 102, by Dmitri Shostakovich was composed in 1957 for his son Maxim's 19th birthday. Maxim pr... -
William Baines (26 March 1899 - 6 November 1922) was an English pianist and composer. He wrote more than 150 works for solo piano and ... -
Mikhail Mikhailovich Ippolitov-Ivanov (Russian: Михаи́л Миха́йлович Ипполи́тов-Ива́нов; 19 November [O.S. 7 November] 1859 – 28 January ... -
William Alwyn CBE, born William Alwyn Smith (7 November 1905 – 11 September 1985), was an English composer, conductor, and music teacher... -
Brahms, Johaness SelectedWorks Johannes Brahms (7 May 1833 – 3 April 1897), was a German composer and pianist, and one of the leading musi... -
Irish composer John Field was born in 1782 and died in 1837. He was the grandson of an Irish organist and the son of a violinist. His piano... -
William Alwyn CBE, born William Alwyn Smith (7 November 1905 – 11 September 1985), was an English composer, conductor, and music teache... -
The Symphony No. 7 in A-flat major by Arnold Bax was completed in 1939 and dedicated to "The People of America". The work receiv...