Find music by

Sign up for our newsletter




Scenes from the Kalevala

Composers
Genres
Orchestras / Ensembles
Periods
Conductors
Label
Catalogue numberBIS-2371 SACD
Release date2021-11-05
Discs1
Orig. sample rate96000Hz
Total time70:43

The Kalevala is a compilation of mostly original folk poetry, arranged into fifty extensive runos (‘poems’) by the Finnish physician and folklorist Elias Lönnrot. Beginning with the creation of the world, it develops into a series of separate episodes which nevertheless form a rich whole, introducing epic characters such as Väinämöinen, Lemminkäinen and Kullervo. The collection first appeared in 1835, with a final, extended version being published in 1849, and was soon hailed as Finland’s ‘national epos’ – a sensitive matter given that the country had been subjected to Russian rule since 1809. It came to play a major part in Finland’s national awakening and had a massive influence on Finnish art in the late 19th century, but its role in the national consciousness remains important even today.

The present album, from the Lahti Symphony Orchestra and Dima Slobodeniouk, brings together Kalevala-related works spanning the period between 1897 and 1943. No such collection could overlook Sibelius, who composed several works inspired by the epos. Included here is a rarity – the first recording of the 1897 version of Lemminkäinen in Tuonela, from the Lemminkäinen Suite. Finnish composers from later generations all had to find a way out from under Sibelius’s shadow – especially so when composing works based on the Kalevala. The portraits of Kullervo which bookend the disc, by Leevi Madetoja and Tauno Pylkkänen, are both compact works in contrast to Sibelius’s large-scale ‘choral symphony’ on the same theme, and when Uuno Klami used bold and primitive colours in his five-movement Kalevala Suite, he was looking towards Stravinsky rather than his countryman.
 
  • STUDIO QUALITY
    File formats included in STUDIO QUALITY
    • FLAC 24-bit Stereo
    • FLAC 24-bit Surround 5.0
    • FLAC 16-bit Stereo
    • MP3 Stereo
  • CD QUALITY | MP3
    File formats included in CD QUALITY | MP3
    • FLAC 16-bit Stereo
    • MP3 Stereo
$ 16.96
 
Extra material for download
 
 
  Composer: Madetoja, Leevi
01 Kullervo, Op. 15 14:01 $ 3.42 USD
 
 
  Composer: Klami, Uuno
  Kalevala Suite, Op. 23 28:59
02 I. Maan synty (The Creation of the Earth) 06:38 $ 1.60 USD
03 II. Kevään oras (The Sprout of Spring) 04:34 $ 1.11 USD
04 III. Terhenniemi 06:42 $ 1.62 USD
05 IV. Kehtolaulu Lemminkäiselle (Cradle Song for
Lemminkäinen)
05:15 $ 1.28 USD
06 V. Sammon taonta (The Forging of the Sampo) 05:50 $ 1.46 USD
 
 
  Composer: Sibelius, Jean
07 Lemminkäinen Tuonelassa, Op. 22 No. 2 15:57 $ 3.86 USD
 
 
  Composer: Pylkkänen, Tauno
08 Kullervon sotaanlähtö 10:24 $ 2.62 USD
 
  Album total 70:43
ComposerKlami, Uuno
Madetoja, Leevi
Pylkkänen, Tauno
Sibelius, Jean
OrchestraLahti Symphony Orchestra
ConductorSlobodeniouk, Dima

Daily Deal
Top downloads
eClassical.com is a completely virtual record label and a secure online store open 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Customers and visitors can download classical music in high quality FLAC or MP3 and find out more about classical music.

Start page    24 Bit FAQ    Assistance    About eClassical    Classical News