The “Lemminkäinen Suite” is a symphonic poem in four movements by the celebrated Finnish composer Jean Sibelius, based on the Finnish national epic of the “Kalevala”. The symphonic suite was originally intended to be an opera called “The Building of the Boat” (the composition sank due to Sibelius losing interest in the Wagnerian operatic style), before being recycled into an orchestral work. The suite was revised multiple times over the course of Sibelius’s life, and was only published in its complete form in 1954.


Lemminkäinen and the Maidens of the Island: The first movement takes after Canto 29 in the “Kalevala” and details the dalliances of the titular character while he stays on an island. Lemminkäinen seduces as many women (all except one, who became bitter and resentful toward him) as he can find, and easily achieves his goals thanks to his youth, confidence, handsomeness, and charm. The menfolk of the island grow outraged as he DonJohns their wives and daughters. Those men then grab their weapons and chase him away. The movement corresponds to the sonata-allegro, and begins with an opening horn call, and a misty reception. A playful theme, befitting a lustful trickster, runs and springs about once a chain of block chords finishes.

The Swan of Tuonela: Previously, before the episode of the encounters with the maidens on Saari occurred, Lemminkäinen was tasked by Louhi, the witch-queen of the land of Pohjola and whose daughter’s hand Lemminkäinen seeks, to hunt a black swan floating on a lake in the underworld. After closely watching the swan, Lemminkäinen takes aim with his crossbow. Suddenly, an arrow, fired by a resentful animal-herder from Pohjola named Märkähattu (whom Lemminkäinen contemptuously excludes from blessing in a yet earlier episode), pierces him and he falls down dead. His corpse is butchered into pieces and cast into the water. The second movement has no textual basis other than that it takes its time to focus on the swan and its dark and eerie environment. The piece, being the most famous within the suite, exudes a serene and mysterious atmosphere, and maintains the trappings of a sonata’s slow movement.

Lemminkäinen in Tuonela: The third movement is based on Canti 14-15. Lemminkäinen’s mother ventures to Pohjola, and forces Louhi to tell her the whereabouts of Lemminkäinen. She asks a smith named Ilmarinen to fashion a giant rake, and she uses the rake to fish Lemminkäinen’s corpse out of the waters of Tuonela. She takes the various dismembered parts of her son and reassembles them into a man. With the help of some honey brought by a bee, LemminkäinenTron-2000 is successfully reactivated. The movement corresponds to a scherzo, and is full of tremoli, and sustains a tense mood of sheer anxiety like that experienced by a surgeon in the midst of surgery. Indeed, the pieces of a corpse are desperately gathered by a grieving mother from a river, and something very similar to surgery does ensue.

Lemminkäinen's Return: The fourth movement is based on Canto 30. Lemminkäinen returns home and finds his land destroyed by the warriors of Pohjola. He duly prepares for war. He brings his friend Tiera with him along with a sizable host, and sets sail up a river to Pohjola. Louhi sends in Pakkanen, the god of frost, to sabotage the expedition. This movement, having the features of a rondo or finale, is rapid but not as tense as the third movement. Instead, the feeling of aggression takes over. War cries are yelled, horns are blown, and men wave their goodbyes to their families and leave. The army has no other goal but to obtain vengeance and spill Pohjolan blood.


Date: 1893-1895
Catalogue: Op. 22

Order:
No. 1 - Lemminkäinen and the Maidens of the Island: 0:08
No. 2 - The Swan of Tuonela: 15:25
No. 3 - Lemminkäinen in Tuonela: 24:26
No. 4 - Lemminkäinen's Return: 39:37

Performers:
Jukka-Pekka Saraste as conductor
Toronto Symphony Orchestra


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Original video for “Lemminkäinen and the Maidens of the Island”: [ Ссылка ]
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Original video for “Lemminkäinen's Return”: [ Ссылка ]

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