Snöfrid

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Snöfrid
Helsinki Philharmonic Society
  • Katri Rautio [fi
    • ] (narrator)

    Snöfrid,

    Orchestra of the Helsinki Philharmonic Society, conducted by the composer.[2]

    Instrumentation

    A newspaper advertisement (in Swedish) from Hufvudstadsbladet for the premiere of Snöfrid

    Snöfrid is scored for the following instruments and voices,

    vocalists, woodwinds, brass, percussion, and strings
    ):

    History

    The poem had previously been set in full by Wilhelm Stenhammar (Op. 5) in 1891.[4] Sibelius composed the work in the fall of 1900 on a poem by Viktor Rydberg. He later noted: "I wrote Snöfrid more or less at one sitting after I came home from three days of lively celebrations."[3] The plot on which it is based is inspired by old Scandinavian balladic stories. A female protagonist appeals to her compatriots, in particular a hero, to fight for freedom as a higher goal than fortune, fame and pleasure.[5] Sibelius was inspired by several works by Rydberg, including solo songs and Skogsrået (The Wood Nymph). He liked Rydberg's free verse, expressing both erotic and political ideas.[5] The heroic element possibly appealed to his own battles "with everybody and everything".[6] Sibelius chose dramatic scenes from the poem, such as Snöfrid's "If you choose me, then you choose the tempest."[6] The instrumental prelude depicts a storm at night, with whining strings, howling brass, thundering percussion, but "dominated by melodic and harmonic elements".[6]

    The work was first performed in Helsinki on 20 October 1900, with the

    Orchestra of the Helsinki Philharmonic Society, conducted by Sibelius.[2] The occasion was a lottery to finance a tour of the orchestra to Paris.[3] An unsigned review in the newspaper Päivälehti noted:

    However, the most glorious piece of the whole evening was the last work in the programme, Sibelius's latest composition, a melodrama set to the words of Viktor Rydberg's "Snöfrid". ... This most recent of Sibelius's products marks a concrete advance in every respect, both as regards its warm, harmonious atmosphere and the use of visual arts and choir. The work as a whole makes such a warm, heart-felt impression and feels so lucid and inspired that it is indisputably one of Sibelius's masterpieces. Hopefully it will soon be performed again."[3]

    Later Sibelius composed the last movement on a different text, Volter Kilpi's Ylistys taiteelle. This version was first performed on 9 April 1902.[3]

    Discography

    The Estonian conductor Eri Klas and the Finnish National Opera Orchestra and Chorus made the world premiere studio recording of the Snöfrid in 1990 for Ondine; the narrator was the Finnish-Swedish actress Stina Rautelin.[2] The table below lists this and other commercially available recordings:

    No. Conductor Orchestra Chorus Narrator Rec.[a] Time[b] Venue Label Ref.
    1 Eri Klas
    Finnish National Opera Orchestra
    Finnish National Opera Chorus
    		 Stina Rautelin 1990 12:31 Roihuvuori Church [fi] Ondine
    [c]
    2 Osmo Vänskä Lahti Symphony Orchestra Jubilate Choir [fi] Stina Ekblad 2001 14:15 Sibelius Hall BIS
    [d]
    3 Paavo Järvi Estonian National Symphony Orchestra Estonian National Male Choir Sofia Joons [et] 2002 11:23
    Estonia Concert Hall
    		 Virgin Classics
    [e]

    A review notes that the "galloping early pages" are reminiscent of the Second Symphony and continues:

    It is an unusual piece with two turbulently majestic and sometimes idyllic choral sections framing an episode in which a female narrator speaks as the heroine Snöfrid. The orchestral fabric behind the closely-recorded voice is minimal (a soft dark breathing pulse from the brass) similar in approach to much of the instrumental underpinning in Luonnotar.[7]

    Notes, references, and sources

    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. ^ All runtimes are official, as printed on CD or LP liner notes.
    3. ^ E. Klas—Ondine (ODE 754-2) 1990
    4. ^ O. Vänskä—BIS (CD–1265) 2004
    5. ^ P. Järvi—Virgin Classics (7243 5 45589 2 4) 2003

    References

    1. ^ Dahlström 2003, p. 133.
    2. ^ a b c d e f Dahlström 2003, p. 132.
    3. ^ a b c d e "Works for choir and orchestra". Jean Sibelius. Finnish Club of Helsinki. Retrieved 2 December 2015.
    4. ISBN 9780300111590
      . Unlike Stenhammar, who had set this poem to music in 1891, Sibelius selected only extracts from the poem.
    5. ^
      ISBN 9780521624169
      .
    6. ^
      ISBN 9780571287178
      .
    7. ^ Barnett, Rob (2004). "Jean Sibelius (1865−1957)". musicweb-international.com. Retrieved 7 December 2015.

    Further reading

    External links
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