The Swan of Tuonela

The Swan of Tuonela
Tone poem by Jean Sibelius
The composer (c. 1895)
Native nameTuonelan joutsen
Opus22/2 (orig. No. 3)[1]
Based onKalevala (Runo XIV)
Composed1893 (1893)–1895, rev. 1897, 1900
PublisherWasenius (1901)[2]
Duration9 mins.[2]
Premiere
Date13 April 1896 (1896-04-13)[3]
LocationHelsinki, Grand Duchy of Finland
ConductorJean Sibelius
PerformersHelsinki Philharmonic Society
An 12 April 1896 advertisement from Uusi Suometar (in Finnish) promoting the premiere of Sibelius's Lemminkäinen Suite. Note that The Swan of Tuonela is listed in its original position of No. 3.
Akseli Gallen-Kallela's 1897 Lemminkäisen äiti (Lemminkäinen's Mother), showing the mother with her slain son from the Swan of Tuonela story.

The Swan of Tuonela (in Finnish: Tuonelan joutsen),[4] Op. 22/2 (originally Op. 22/3),[1] is a single-movement tone poem for cor anglais solo and orchestra written from 1893 to 1895 by the Finnish composer Jean Sibelius. It is part of the Lemminkäinen Suite, a collection of four tone poems based on legends from the Kalevala, Finland's national epic.[5]

The Swan of Tuonela was originally composed in 1893 as the prelude to a projected opera called The Building of the Boat. Sibelius revised it two years later, making it the second section of his Lemminkäinen Suite of four tone poems, which was premiered in 1896. He twice further revised the piece, in 1897 and 1900. Sibelius left posterity no personal account of his writing of the tone poem, and its original manuscript no longer exists (the date of its disappearance is unknown). The work was first published by K. F. Wasenius in Helsingfors (Helsinki), Finland, in April 1901. The German firm Breitkopf & Härtel also published it in Leipzig, also in 1901.[5] The work was recorded for the first time by Leopold Stokowski and the Philadelphia Orchestra in May 1929.

Instrumentation

The Swan of Tuonela is scored for the following instruments,[2] organized by family (woodwinds, brass, percussion, and strings):

The cor anglais is the voice of the swan, and its solo is one of the best known solos in the orchestral literature for that instrument. The string section is divided.

Structure

The music paints a gossamer, transcendental image of a mystical swan floating through Tuonela, the realm 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.

The piece has the tempo marking of Andante molto sostenuto and is in 9
4 time. It is in the key of A minor.

{\new PianoStaff {<< \new Staff \relative c'{\set Staff.midiInstrument=#"english horn" \time 9/4 \set Score.tempoHideNote = ##t \tempo "Andante molto sostenuto" 4=80 \autoBeamOff \clef treble \key e \minor ^\markup {Cor anglais solo} | d'1. \f \> ( \tuplet 3/2 {c8[ d8 c8]} f,!4 \! g4 \<|aes1.~aes2|bes4) \!|\p c1.~c2.~|c1. r2 r4|} \new Staff \relative c'{\set Staff.midiInstrument=#"viola" \time 9/4 \set Score.tempoHideNote = ##t \tempo "Andante molto sostenuto" 4=80 \autoBeamOff \clef alto \key a \minor ^\markup {Viola solo} |r1*9/4|r1*9/4|r1*9/4|r2 a4 \mf \< (~a4 bes4 des4 \tuplet 4/3 {f4 a4 bes4 des4}) \!|} \new Staff \relative c' {\set Staff.midiInstrument=#"cello" \time 9/4 \set Score.tempoHideNote = ##t \tempo "Andante molto sostenuto" 4=80 \autoBeamOff \clef bass \key a \minor ^\markup {Cello solo} |r1*9/4|r1*9/4| f,,2. \p \< ( a2.~a4 bes4 des|f2 a4~a4 bes4 des4 f4) \! r4 r4|}>>}}
Measures 5–9

Discography

The British conductor Leopold Stokowski and the Philadelphia Orchestra made the world premiere studio recording of The Swan of Tuonela in 1929 for His Master's Voice.[2]

No. Conductor Orchestra Cor anglais Rec.[a] Time Recording venue Label Ref.
1 Leopold Stokowski (1) Philadelphia Orchestra (1) Marcel Tabuteau 1929 8:33 [Unknown venue] Guild Historical
[b]
2 Frederick Stock Chicago Symphony Orchestra [uncredited] c. 1940 ? ? Columbia Masterworks
[c]
3 Eugene Ormandy (1) Philadelphia Orchestra (2) [uncredited] 1940 8:21 Academy of Music, Philadelphia RCA Red Seal
[d]
4 Arturo Toscanini (1) NBC Symphony Orchestra (1) [uncredited] 1940 9:54 Rockefeller Center Naxos Historical
[e]
5 Arturo Toscanini (2) NBC Symphony Orchestra (2) [uncredited] 1944 9:19 Studio 8H, New York RCA Red Seal
[f]
6 Arturo Toscanini (3) New York Philharmonic (1) [uncredited] 1945 9:47 Carnegie Hall Guild Historical
[g]
7 Eugene Ormandy (2) Philadelphia Orchestra (3) John Minsker 1950† 9:44 Academy of Music, Philadelphia Sony Classical
[h]
8 Sixten Ehrling Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra ? 1952† 6:57 ? Metronome
[i]
9 Thomas Jensen Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra Tofte Hansen 1953† 7:38 Danish Radio Concert Hall (old) Decca
[j]
10 Hans Rosbaud Berlin Philharmonic (1) Gerhard Stempnik (1) 1954 7:46 Jesus-Christus-Kirche, Berlin Deutsche Grammophon
[k]
11 Sir John Barbirolli (1) Hallé Orchestra (1) Roger Winfield 1955 8:30 Free Trade Hall Warner Classics
[l]
12 Sir Adrian Boult London Philharmonic Orchestra (1) [uncredited] 1956 9:45 Walthamstow Assembly Hall Omega Classics
[m]
13 Anatole Fistoulari London Symphony Orchestra (1) [uncredited] c. 1956 ? ? MGM
[n]
14 Leopold Stokowski (2) Leopold Stokowski Orchestra Robert Bloom 1957 7:55 Riverside Plaza Hotel EMI Classics
[o]
15 Sir Anthony Collins Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (1) Leonard Brain 1957 8:24 Walthamstow Assembly Hall Beulah
[p]
16 Eugene Ormandy (3) Philadelphia Orchestra (4) Louis Rosenblatt (1) 1960 9:50 Broadwood Hotel, Philadelphia Sony Classical
[q]
17 Sir Malcolm Sargent Vienna Philharmonic Günter Lorenz 1961 9:00 Musikverein EMI Classics
[r]
18 Morton Gould Morton Gould Orchestra Albert Goltzer 1962 8:33 Manhattan Center RCA Red Seal
[s]
19 Herbert von Karajan (1) Berlin Philharmonic (2) Gerhard Stempnik (2) 1965 7:42 Jesus-Christus-Kirche, Berlin Deutsche Grammophon
[t]
20 Yevgeny Mravinsky Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra [uncredited] 1965 9:33 Grand Hall, Moscow Conservatory Scribendum
[u]
21 Sir John Barbirolli (2) Hallé Orchestra (2) Eric Fletcher 1966 7:51 Abbey Road Studio No. 1 EMI Classics
[v]
22 Lukas Foss Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra (1) Florence Meyers 1968† 8:41 Kleinhans Music Hall Nonesuch
[w]
23 Paavo Berglund (1) Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra Jeffrey Brown 1972 8:46 Southampton Guildhall EMI Classics
[x]
24 Eugene Ormandy (4) Philadelphia Orchestra (5) Louis Rosenblatt (2) 1973 9:48 Scottish Rite Cathedral, Philadelphia RCA Victor Silver Seal
[y]
25 Leonard Bernstein New York Philharmonic (2) Thomas Stacy 1973 9:55 CBS 30th Street Studio Sony Classical
[z]
26 Jussi Jalas Hungarian State Symphony Orchestra [uncredited] 1973† 8:09 Budapest Recording Studios Decca
[aa]
27 Sir Charles Groves Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra Margaret Moore 1974† 7:43 Liverpool Philharmonic Hall EMI Classics
[ab]
28 Okko Kamu Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra (1) Leo Lótjonen 1975† 8:23 Finlandia Hall Deutsche Grammophon
[ac]
29 Leopold Stokowski (3) National Philharmonic Orchestra Michael Winfield 1976 8:14 West Ham Central Mission Sony Classical
[ad]
30 Sir Colin Davis (1) Boston Symphony Orchestra Laurence Thorstenberg 1976 9:19 Symphony Hall, Boston Decca Records
[ae]
31 Herbert von Karajan (2) Berlin Philharmonic (3) Gerhard Stempnik (3) 1976 8:27 Berlin Philharmonie EMI Classics
[af]
32 Eugene Ormandy (5) Philadelphia Orchestra (6) Louis Rosenblatt (3) 1978† 9:03 The Old Met, Philadelphia EMI Classics
[ag]
33 Sir Alexander Gibson (1) Scottish National Orchestra Susan Tyte 1978† 8:16 Usher Hall Chandos
[ah]
34 Horst Stein L'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande [uncredited] 1980† 7:24 Victoria Hall Decca
[ai]
35 Paavo Berglund (2) Philharmonia Orchestra Christine Pendrill (1) 1982 9:40 St. John's, Smith Square EMI
[aj]
36 Paavo Berglund (3) Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra Manfred Baier 1983 9:02 Christuskirche, Berlin Brilliant Classics
[ak]
37 Herbert von Karajan (3) Berlin Philharmonic (4) Gerhard Stempnik (4) 1984 7:50 Berlin Philharmonie Deutsche Grammophon
[al]
38 Sir Neville Marriner Academy of St Martin in the Fields Barry Davis 1984 8:17 [Unknown venue], London Philips
[am]
39 Neeme Järvi (1) Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra (1) Björn Bohlin (1) 1985† 8:49 Gothenburg Concert Hall BIS
[an]
40 Kenneth Schermerhorn Czechoslovak Radio Symphony Orchestra [uncredited] 1988 7:49 Czechoslovak Radio Concert Hall Naxos
[ao]
41 Sir Charles Mackerras London Symphony Orchestra (2) Christine Pendrill (2) 1988 9:47 Abbey Road Studio No. 1 Regis
[ap]
42 Sir Alexander Gibson (2) Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (2) [uncredited] 1989† 9:15 St John's, Smith Square Collins Classics
[aq]
43 Jukka-Pekka Saraste (1) Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra (2) [uncredited] 1989† 8:53 Kulttuuritalo RCA Red Seal
[ar]
44 Esa-Pekka Salonen Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra Carolyn Hove 1991† 9:27 Royce Hall Sony Classical
[as]
45 Vassily Sinaisky Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra Elizaveta Zuyeva 1991† 7:58 Mosfilm Studios Brilliant Classics
[at]
46 Yoel Levi Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Patrick McFarland 1992 8:17 Woodruff Arts Center Telarc
[au]
47 Mariss Jansons Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra Håvard Norang 1992 8:35 Oslo Concert Hall EMI Classics
[av]
48 Pierre Bartholomée Orchestre Philharmonique de Liège Alain Lovenberg 1995† 7:13 Royal Conservatory of Liège Auvidis
[aw]
49 Jorma Panula Turku Philharmonic Orchestra [uncredited] 1995 8:37 Turku Concert Hall Naxos
[ax]
50 Leif Segerstam Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra (1) Sanna Niemikunnas 1995† 9:56 Järvenpää Hall Ondine
[ay]
51 Paavo Järvi Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra (1) Jesper Harryson 1996† 9:49 Stockholm Concert Hall Virgin Classics
[az]
52 Sir Andrew Davis (1) Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra (2) [uncredited] 1996 8:17 Stockholm Concert Hall Finlandia
[ba]
53 Neeme Järvi (2) Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra (2) Björn Bohlin (2) 1996† 7:37 Gothenburg Concert Hall Deutsche Grammophon
[bb]
54 Ole Schmidt Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (3) Geoffrey Browne 1996 8:18 CTS Studios, Wembley Intersound
[bc]
55 Petri Sakari Iceland Symphony Orchestra Daði Kolbeinsson 1997† 9:07 University Hall, Reykjavík Naxos
[bd]
56 Jukka-Pekka Saraste (2) Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra (3) Päivi Kärkäs 1998† 8:26 Konzerthaus, Vienna Classica
[be]
57 Jukka-Pekka Saraste (3) Toronto Symphony Orchestra [uncredited] 1998† 9:02 Massey Hall Finlandia
[bf]
58 Osmo Vänskä (1) Lahti Symphony Orchestra (1) Jukka Hirvikangas (1) 1999† 9:27 Ristinkirkko BIS
[bg]
59 Mikko Franck Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra Bo Eriksson 1999† 10:11 Berwald Hall Ondine
[bh]
60 Sir Colin Davis (2) London Symphony Orchestra (3) [uncredited] 2000† 10:53 Watford Colosseum RCA Red Seal
[bi]
61 Anu Tali Estonian-Finnish Symphony Orchestra Pirjo Leppänen 2001 9:02 Estonia Concert Hall Finlandia
[bj]
62 Eiji Oue Minnesota Orchestra Marni Hougham 2002 9:30 Orchestral Hall, Minneapolis Reference Recordings
[bk]
63 Esa Heikkilä Potentia Sinfonica Saara Kemppi 2004 8:27 Ristinkirkko Potentia Sinfonica
[bl]
64 Paavo Berglund (4) London Philharmonic Orchestra (2) Sue Böhling 2006 9:12 Queen Elizabeth Hall LPO
[bm]
65 Vladimir Ashkenazy Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra (3) Andreas Lemke 2007 8:45 Stockholm Concert Hall Exton
[bn]
66 Osmo Vänskä (2) Lahti Symphony Orchestra (2) Jukka Hirvikangas (2) 2007† 9:10 Sibelius Hall BIS
[bo]
67 John Storgårds BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra James Horan 2009 8:45 Glasgow City Halls BBC Music Magazine
[bp]
68 Sir Andrew Davis (2) Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra Hege Sellevåg 2013 8:16 Grieg Hall Chandos
[bq]
69 Hannu Lintu Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra (4) [uncredited] 2014† 9:07 Helsinki Music Centre Ondine
[br]
70 JoAnn Falletta Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra (2) Anna Matrix 2014 10:14 Kleinhans Music Hall Beau Fleuve
[bs]
71 Sir Simon Rattle Berlin Philharmonic (5) Dominik Wollenweber 2014 8:57 Great Hall, Berliner Philharmonie Supraphon
[bt]
72 Sakari Oramo BBC Symphony Orchestra Alison Teale 2018† 8:52 Watford Colosseum Chandos
[bu]
73 Thomas Søndergård BBC National Orchestra of Wales Sarah-Jayne Porsmoguer 2018 9:12 BBC Hoddinott Hall Linn
[bv]
74 Susanna Mälkki Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra (2) Paula Malmivaara 2023† 9:43 Helsinki Music Centre BIS
[bw]

† = Part of a recording of the entire Lemminkäinen Suite

Notes

  1. ^ Refers to the year in which the performers recorded the work; this may not be the same as the year in which the recording was first released to the general public.
  2. ^ L. Stokowski–Guild Historical (GHCD 2428) 2015
  3. ^ F. Stock—Columbia Masterworks (11388–D) 1940
  4. ^ E. Ormandy–RCA Red Seal (19658771062) 2025
  5. ^ A. Toscanini–Naxos Historical (8.110810) 1998
  6. ^ A. Toscanini–RCA Red Seal (88697916312) 2012
  7. ^ A. Toscanini–Guild Historical (GHCD 2368) 2010
  8. ^ E. Ormandy–Sony Classical (19439757482) 2021
  9. ^ S. Ehrling—Metronome (CLP 519) 1953
  10. ^ T. Jensen—Decca (478 7946) 2015
  11. ^ H. Rosbaud–DG (447 453–2) 1996
  12. ^ J. Barbirolli–Warner Classics (0190295386085) 2020
  13. ^ A. Boult–Omega Classics (OCD 1027) 1998
  14. ^ A. Fistoulari—MGM (E3332) 1956
  15. ^ L. Stokowski–EMI Classics (50999 6 98555 2 8) 2009
  16. ^ A. Collins–Beulah (5PD8) 1997
  17. ^ E. Ormandy–Sony Classical (SBK 48271) 1992
  18. ^ M. Sargent–EMI Classics (CDE 7 67787 2) 1993
  19. ^ M. Gould–RCA Red Seal (88985321742–54) 2016
  20. ^ H. Karajan–DG (457 748-2) 1999
  21. ^ Y. Mravinsky—Scribendum (SC 503) 2011
  22. ^ J. Barbirolli–EMI Classics (7243 5 67299 2 6) 2000
  23. ^ L. Foss—Nonesuch (H–71203) 1968
  24. ^ P. Berglund–EMI Classics (7243 5 69773 2 7) 1997
  25. ^ E. Ormandy–RCA Victor Silver Seal (VD 60489) 1987
  26. ^ L. Bernstein—Sony Classical (SMK 63156) 1998
  27. ^ J. Jalas—Decca (482 3311) 2015
  28. ^ C. Groves–EMI Classics (7243 5 85532 2 2) 2003
  29. ^ O. Kamu—DG (480 3297) 2010
  30. ^ L. Stokowski–Sony Classical (88691971152) 2012
  31. ^ C. Davis–Decca (478 3696) 2012
  32. ^ H. Karajan–EMI Classics (CDM 7 64331 2) 1992
  33. ^ E. Ormandy–EMI Classics (0946 3 88679 2 0) 2007
  34. ^ A. Gibson—Chandos (CHAN 8394) 1985
  35. ^ H. Stein–Decca (482 3922) 2015
  36. ^ P. Berglund–EMI Digital (CDC 7 47484 2) 1983
  37. ^ K. Sanderling–Brilliant Classics (6328/5) 2002
  38. ^ H. Karajan–DG (413 755–2) 1984
  39. ^ N. Marriner—Philips (412 727–2) 1985
  40. ^ N. Järvi—BIS (CD–294) 1985
  41. ^ K. Schermerhorn–Naxos (8.550103) 1988
  42. ^ C. Mackerras—Regis (RRC 1220) 2005
  43. ^ A. Gibson—Collins (30132) 1992
  44. ^ J. Saraste–RCA (19439704812) 2020
  45. ^ E. Salonen–Sony Classical (SK 48 067) 1992
  46. ^ V. Sinaisky–Brilliant Classics (BC9212) 2010
  47. ^ Y. Levi–Telarc (CD–80320) 1993
  48. ^ M. Jansons–EMI Classics (0777 7 54804 2 9) 1993
  49. ^ P. Bartholomée—Auvidis (V 4746) 1995
  50. ^ J. Panula—Naxos (8.551023) 1995
  51. ^ L. Segerstam–Ondine (ODE 852–2) 1996
  52. ^ P. Järvi—Virgin Classics (7243 5 45213 2 4) 1996
  53. ^ A. Davis–Finlandia (0630–15242–2) 1997
  54. ^ N. Järvi–DG (477 6654) 2007
  55. ^ O. Schmidt–Intersound (2891) 2000
  56. ^ P. Sakari—Naxos (8.554265) 1999
  57. ^ J. Saraste—Classica (CL 138)1999
  58. ^ J. Saraste–Finlandia (3984–27890–2) 2000
  59. ^ O. Vänskä—BIS (CD–1015) 1999
  60. ^ M. Franck—Ondine (ODE 953–2) 2000
  61. ^ C. Davis–RCA Red Seal (82876–55706–2) 2003
  62. ^ A. Tali—Finlandia (8573–89876–2) 2001
  63. ^ E. Oue—Reference Recordings (RR99–CD) 2002
  64. ^ E. Heikkilä—Potentia Sinfonica (PSCD–05) 2004
  65. ^ P. Berglund—LPO (LPO–0065) 2012
  66. ^ V. Ashkenazy—Exton (OVCL–00292) 2007
  67. ^ O. Vänskä—BIS (SACD–1745) 2014
  68. ^ J. Storgårds—BBC Music Magazine (BBCMM380) 2015
  69. ^ A. Davis—Chandos (CHSA 5134) 2014
  70. ^ H. Lintu–Ondine (ODE 1262–5) 2015
  71. ^ J. Falletta–Beau Fleuve (610708–094975) 2015
  72. ^ S. Rattle—Supraphon (SU 4303–2) 2021
  73. ^ S. Oramo–Chandos (CHAN 20136) 2019
  74. ^ T. Søndergård–Linn (CKD 566) 2018
  75. ^ S. Mälkki—BIS (SACD–2638) 2023

References

  1. ^ a b Dahlström 2003, pp. 84, 86, 89.
  2. ^ a b c d Dahlström 2003, p. 89.
  3. ^ Dahlström 2003, p. 85.
  4. ^ Dahlström 2003, p. 84.
  5. ^ a b Program Notes Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine by Phillip Huscher, Chicago Symphony Orchestra.
  • Dahlström, Fabian [in Swedish] (2003). Jean Sibelius: Thematisch-bibliographisches Verzeichnis seiner Werke [Jean Sibelius: A Thematic Bibliographic Index of His Works] (in German). Wiesbaden: Breitkopf & Härtel. ISBN 3-7651-0333-0.
  • Vernon, David (2024). Sun Forest Lake: The Symphonies & Tone Poems of Jean Sibelius. Edinburgh: Candle Row Press. ISBN 978-1739659943.

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