The Captive Queen
| The Captive Queen | |
|---|---|
Helsinki Philharmonic Society |
The Captive Queen (in Finnish: Vapautettu kuningatar; sometimes translated to English as The Liberated Queen; subtitled "Cantata in Celebration of Snellman's Birth"), Op. 48, is a single-movement, patriotic cantata for mixed choir and orchestra written in 1906 by the Finnish composer Jean Sibelius. The piece, which is a setting of the Finnish author Paavo Cajander's Finnish-language poem of the same name, is chronologically the fifth of Sibelius's nine orchestral cantatas.
The Captive Queen was first performed in Helsinki on 12 May 1906[a] by the Orchestra of Helsinki Philharmonic Society, conducted by the composer;[1] however, it premiered under the title "There Sings the Queen" ("Siell' laulavi kuningatar") in order to avoid the attention of the imperial censors.[3] Sibelius arranged the piece for male choir in 1910; this version was first performed on 28 November 1913 by the Choir of the Students' Union, with Heikki Klemetti conducting.[4]
Instrumentation
The Captive Queen is scored for the following instruments and voices,):
- Mixed choir (SATB) or male choir (TTBB)
- 2 flutes (one doubling piccolo), 2 oboes, 1 clarinet (in B♭), 1 bass clarinet (in B♭), and 1 bassoon
- 4 horns (in F), 2 trumpets (in F), and 3 trombones
- Timpani, bass drum, cymbals,[b] and triangle
- Violins (I and II), violas, cellos, and double basses
History
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Sibelius composed the cantata for the centennial festivities that marked the birth (12 May 1806) of Johan Vilhelm Snellman,[5] a philosopher and statesman who was an important contributor to the Fennoman cause.[a]
The Finnish composer Oskar Merikanto also contributed a new piece for the occasion, the Cantata in Memory of J. V. Snellman (Kantaatti J. V. Snellmanin muistolle, OM100; text by A. V. Koskimies). This premiered two hours before The Captive Queen, albeit at a different venue: the Finnish National Theatre.[6]
Discography
The Finnish conductor Jorma Panula and the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra made the world premiere studio recording of The Captive Queen in September 1987 for Ondine; they were joined by a mixed choir credited as the "Academic Choir of Helsinki University" ("Helsingin Yliopiston Opettajankoulutuslaitoksen Kuoro").[2] Fabian Dahlström, in his 2003 catalogue of Sibelius works, however, connects this ensemble to Akateeminen Laulu,[2] which was founded in 1953 as the mixed choir of the Student Union of the University of Helsinki. The table below lists this and other commercially available recordings:
| No. | Conductor | Orchestra | Chorus | Rec.[c] | Time[d] | Venue | Label | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jorma Panula | Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra | Akateeminen Laulu | 1987 | 11:22 | Kulttuuritalo | Ondine | |
| 2 | Osmo Vänskä (1) | Lahti Symphony Orchestra (1) | Dominante Choir | 2004 | 9:16 | Sibelius Hall | BIS | |
| 3 | Osmo Vänskä (2) | Lahti Symphony Orchestra (2) | YL Male Voice Choir | 2005 | 9:27 | Sibelius Hall | BIS | |
| 4 | Alberto Hold-Garrido | Malmö Opera Orchestra | Lunds Studentsångförening | 2011 | 10:11 | Luftkastellet | Naxos |
Notes, references, and sources
- Notes
- ^ Finnish government recommends—but does not legally require—the flag of Finlandto be flown. The day is celebrated as the 'Day of Finnish Identity' ('Suomalaisuuden päivä').
- ^ Dahlström (2003) does not list cymbals among the instruments for The Captive Queen.[1] This is clearly an accidental omission, as the score indicates "piatti" at marker L.
- ^ 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.
- ^ All runtimes are official, as printed on CD or LP liner notes.
- ^ J. Panula—Ondine (ODE 708) 1987
- ^ O. Vänskä—BIS (CD–1365) 2005
- ^ O. Vänskä—BIS (CD–1525) 2007
- ^ A. Hall-Garrido—Naxos (8.572871) 2012
- References
- ^ a b c d e Dahlström 2003, p. 224.
- ^ a b c d Dahlström 2003, p. 225.
- ^ Barnett 2005, p. 4.
- ^ Dahlström 2003.
- ^ Barnett 2007.
- ^ Uggla 1906, p. 6.
- Sources
- Books and liner notes
- Barnett, Andrew (2005). Sibelius: Song of the Earth (booklet). Osmo Vänskä, Lahti Symphony Orchestra, & Dominante Choir. BIS. BIS CD-1365. OCLC 62255940
- Barnett, Andrew (2007). Sibelius. New Haven: Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0-300-11159-0.
- ISBN 3-7651-0333-0.
- Lascar, Pierre-Yves (2003). Sibelius: Cantatas (booklet). Paavo Järvi, Estonian National Symphony Orchestra, & Estonian National Male Choir. Virgin Classics. 7243 5 45589 2 4. OCLC 52897195
- Newspapers (by date)
- "Yliopiston juhla" [The University's celebrations]. Uusi Suometar(in Finnish). No. 109. 13 May 1906. p. 3.
- A. U. [Uggla, Alarik] [in Finnish] (12 May 1906). "Två Festkantater" [Two festive cantatas]. Hufvudstadsbladet (in Swedish). No. 128. p. 6.
External links
- The Captive Queen (Vapautettu kuningatar), Op. 48: Scores at the International Music Score Library Project
