Sibelius: Maiden in the Tower (The) / Karelia Suite

Featuring

Neeme Järvi
MariAnne Häggander
Tone Kruse
Erland Hagegård
Jorma Hynninen
Göteborgs Symfoniker

Gothenburg Concert Hall Choir
Jean Sibelius

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Compositional Technique

Sibelius's opera "The Maiden in the Tower" uses a reduced wind section and limited percussion, giving a more decisive role to the strings.

Composition History

The Karelia-Suite is based on tableau music Sibelius composed in 1893 for the Viborg student nation at Helsinki University, performed at a gala to raise cultural and social levels in poor eastern Karelia.

Composer Biography

Sibelius's attitude towards opera remained enigmatic throughout his life; he even fantasized about an opera without scenery or text, with singers only vocalizing the vowel 'a'.

Composition History

Sibelius composed the one-act opera "The Maiden in the Tower" in 1896 for a lottery gala to benefit the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra.

Recording & Production

The recording of the opera has a faint hum due to a faulty earth during recording, which could not be re-made.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Sibelius initially worked on an opera based on the Finnish national epic Kalevala, but abandoned it after being overwhelmed by Wagner's Tristan and Isolde, turning instead to Liszt's symphonic poem style.

Critical Reception

Despite the success of its premiere, Sibelius repeatedly refused permission for further performances of "The Maiden in the Tower," citing a need to revise the score or the libretto.