The Swan of Tuonela

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Template:One source Template:Short description Template:Infobox musical composition

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 TuonelaTemplate:Pronunciation needed (in Finnish: Template:Lang),Template:Sfn Op. 22/2 (originally Op. 22/3),Template:Sfn 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.<ref name="prognotes"/>

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 Template:Lang 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.<ref name="prognotes">Program Notes Template:Webarchive by Phillip Huscher, Chicago Symphony Orchestra.</ref> 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,Template:Sfn 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. Template:Lang, 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 Template:Music time. It is in the key of A minor.

Template:Vpad Template:Image frame</score>}}

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.Template:Sfn

Template:Abbr Conductor Orchestra Cor anglais Template:AbbrTemplate:Efn Time Recording venue Label Template:Abbr
1 Template:Sort (1) Philadelphia Orchestra (1) Template:Sort 1929 8:33 [[[:Template:Em]]] Guild Historical Template:Center
2 Template:Sort Chicago Symphony Orchestra [[[:Template:Em]]] Template:Sort ? ? Columbia Masterworks Template:Center
3 Template:Sort (1) Philadelphia Orchestra (2) [[[:Template:Em]]] 1940 8:21 Academy of Music, Philadelphia RCA Red Seal Template:Center
4 Template:Sort (1) NBC Symphony Orchestra (1) [[[:Template:Em]]] 1940 9:54 Rockefeller Center Naxos Historical Template:Center
5 Template:Sort (2) NBC Symphony Orchestra (2) [[[:Template:Em]]] 1944 9:19 Studio 8H, New York RCA Red Seal Template:Center
6 Template:Sort (3) New York Philharmonic (1) [[[:Template:Em]]] 1945 9:47 Carnegie Hall Guild Historical Template:Center
7 Template:Sort (2) Philadelphia Orchestra (3) Template:Sort 1950† 9:44 Academy of Music, Philadelphia Sony Classical Template:Center
8 Template:Sort Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra ? 1952† 6:57 ? Metronome Template:Center
9 Template:Sort Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra Template:Sort 1953† 7:38 Danish Radio Concert Hall (old) Decca Template:Center
10 Template:Sort Berlin Philharmonic (1) Template:Sort (1) 1954 7:46 Template:Ill Deutsche Grammophon Template:Center
11 Template:Sort (1) Hallé Orchestra (1) Template:Sort 1955 8:30 Free Trade Hall Warner Classics Template:Center
12 Template:Sort London Philharmonic Orchestra (1) [[[:Template:Em]]] 1956 9:45 Walthamstow Assembly Hall Omega Classics Template:Center
13 Template:Sort London Symphony Orchestra (1) [[[:Template:Em]]] Template:Sort ? ? MGM Template:Center
14 Template:Sort (2) Leopold Stokowski Orchestra Template:Sort 1957 7:55 Riverside Plaza Hotel EMI Classics Template:Center
15 Template:Sort Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (1) Template:Sort 1957 8:24 Walthamstow Assembly Hall Beulah Template:Center
16 Template:Sort (3) Philadelphia Orchestra (4) Template:Sort (1) 1960 9:50 Broadwood Hotel, Philadelphia Sony Classical Template:Center
17 Template:Sort Vienna Philharmonic Template:Sort 1961 9:00 Musikverein EMI Classics Template:Center
18 Template:Sort Morton Gould Orchestra Template:Sort 1962 8:33 Manhattan Center RCA Red Seal Template:Center
19 Template:Sort (1) Berlin Philharmonic (2) Template:Sort (2) 1965 7:42 Template:Ill Deutsche Grammophon Template:Center
20 Template:Sort Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra [[[:Template:Em]]] 1965 9:33 Grand Hall, Moscow Conservatory Scribendum Template:Center
21 Template:Sort (2) Hallé Orchestra (2) Template:Sort 1966 7:51 Abbey Road Studio No. 1 EMI Classics Template:Center
22 Template:Sort Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra (1) Template:Sort 1968† 8:41 Kleinhans Music Hall Nonesuch Template:Center
23 Template:Sort (1) Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra Template:Sort 1972 8:46 Southampton Guildhall EMI Classics Template:Center
24 Template:Sort (4) Philadelphia Orchestra (5) Template:Sort (2) 1973 9:48 Scottish Rite Cathedral, Philadelphia RCA Victor Silver Seal Template:Center
25 Template:Sort New York Philharmonic (2) Template:Sort 1973 9:55 CBS 30th Street Studio Sony Classical Template:Center
26 Template:Sort Hungarian State Symphony Orchestra [[[:Template:Em]]] 1973† 8:09 Budapest Recording Studios Decca Template:Center
27 Template:Sort Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra Template:Sort 1974† 7:43 Liverpool Philharmonic Hall EMI Classics Template:Center
28 Template:Sort Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra (1) Template:Sort 1975† 8:23 Finlandia Hall Deutsche Grammophon Template:Center
29 Template:Sort (3) National Philharmonic Orchestra Template:Sort 1976 8:14 West Ham Central Mission Sony Classical Template:Center
30 Template:Sort (1) Boston Symphony Orchestra Template:Sort 1976 9:19 Symphony Hall, Boston Decca Records Template:Center
31 Template:Sort (2) Berlin Philharmonic (3) Template:Sort (3) 1976 8:27 Berlin Philharmonie EMI Classics Template:Center
32 Template:Sort (5) Philadelphia Orchestra (6) Template:Sort (3) 1978† 9:03 The Old Met, Philadelphia EMI Classics Template:Center
33 Template:Sort (1) Scottish National Orchestra Template:Sort 1978† 8:16 Usher Hall Chandos Template:Center
34 Template:Sort L'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande [[[:Template:Em]]] 1980† 7:24 Victoria Hall Decca Template:Center
35 Template:Sort (2) Philharmonia Orchestra Template:Sort (1) 1982 9:40 St. John's, Smith Square EMI Template:Center
36 Template:Sort (3) Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra Template:Sort 1983 9:02 Template:Ill Brilliant Classics Template:Center
37 Template:Sort (3) Berlin Philharmonic (4) Template:Sort (4) 1984 7:50 Berlin Philharmonie Deutsche Grammophon Template:Center
38 Template:Sort Academy of St Martin in the Fields Template:Sort 1984 8:17 [[[:Template:Em]]], London Philips Template:Center
39 Template:Sort (1) Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra (1) Template:Sort (1) 1985† 8:49 Gothenburg Concert Hall BIS Template:Center
40 Template:Sort Czechoslovak Radio Symphony Orchestra [[[:Template:Em]]] 1988 7:49 Czechoslovak Radio Concert Hall Naxos Template:Center
41 Template:Sort London Symphony Orchestra (2) Template:Sort (2) 1988 9:47 Abbey Road Studio No. 1 Regis Template:Center
42 Template:Sort (2) Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (2) [[[:Template:Em]]] 1989† 9:15 St John's, Smith Square Collins Classics Template:Center
43 Template:Sort (1) Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra (2) [[[:Template:Em]]] 1989† 8:53 Kulttuuritalo RCA Red Seal Template:Center
44 Template:Sort Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra Template:Sort 1991† 9:27 Royce Hall Sony Classical Template:Center
45 Template:Sort Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra Template:Sort 1991† 7:58 Mosfilm Studios Brilliant Classics Template:Center
46 Template:Sort Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Template:Sort 1992 8:17 Woodruff Arts Center Telarc Template:Center
47 Template:Sort Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra Template:Sort 1992 8:35 Oslo Concert Hall EMI Classics Template:Center
48 Template:Sort Orchestre Philharmonique de Liège Template:Sort 1995† 7:13 Royal Conservatory of Liège Auvidis Template:Center
49 Template:Sort Turku Philharmonic Orchestra [[[:Template:Em]]] 1995 8:37 Turku Concert Hall Naxos Template:Center
50 Template:Sort Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra (1) Template:Sort 1995† 9:56 Template:Ill Ondine Template:Center
51 Template:Sort Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra (1) Template:Sort 1996† 9:49 Stockholm Concert Hall Virgin Classics Template:Center
52 Template:Sort (1) Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra (2) [[[:Template:Em]]] 1996 8:17 Stockholm Concert Hall Finlandia Template:Center
53 Template:Sort (2) Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra (2) Template:Sort (2) 1996† 7:37 Gothenburg Concert Hall Deutsche Grammophon Template:Center
54 Template:Sort Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (3) Template:Sort 1996 8:18 CTS Studios, Wembley Intersound Template:Center
55 Template:Sort Iceland Symphony Orchestra Template:Sort 1997† 9:07 University Hall, Reykjavik Naxos Template:Center
56 Template:Sort (2) Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra (3) Template:Sort 1998† 8:26 Konzerthaus, Vienna Classica Template:Center
57 Template:Sort (3) Toronto Symphony Orchestra [[[:Template:Em]]] 1998† 9:02 Massey Hall Finlandia Template:Center
58 Template:Sort (1) Lahti Symphony Orchestra (1) Template:Sort (1) 1999† 9:27 Ristinkirkko BIS Template:Center
59 Template:Sort Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra Template:Sort 1999† 10:11 Berwald Hall Ondine Template:Center
60 Template:Sort (2) London Symphony Orchestra (3) [[[:Template:Em]]] 2000† 10:53 Watford Colosseum RCA Red Seal Template:Center
61 Template:Sort Estonian-Finnish Symphony Orchestra Template:Sort 2001 9:02 Estonia Concert Hall Finlandia Template:Center
62 Template:Sort Minnesota Orchestra Template:Sort 2002 9:30 Orchestral Hall, Minneapolis Reference Recordings Template:Center
63 Template:Sort Template:Ill Template:Sort 2004 8:27 Ristinkirkko Potentia Sinfonica Template:Center
64 Template:Sort (4) London Philharmonic Orchestra (2) Template:Sort 2006 9:12 Queen Elizabeth Hall LPO Template:Center
65 Template:Sort Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra (3) Template:Sort 2007 8:45 Stockholm Concert Hall Template:Ill Template:Center
66 Template:Sort (2) Lahti Symphony Orchestra (2) Template:Sort (2) 2007† 9:10 Sibelius Hall BIS Template:Center
67 Template:Sort BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra Template:Sort 2009 8:45 Glasgow City Halls BBC Music Magazine Template:Center
68 Template:Sort (2) Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra Template:Sort 2013 8:16 Grieg Hall Chandos Template:Center
69 Template:Sort Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra (4) [[[:Template:Em]]] 2014† 9:07 Helsinki Music Centre Ondine Template:Center
70 Template:Sort Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra (2) Template:Sort 2014 10:14 Kleinhans Music Hall Beau Fleuve Template:Center
71 Template:Sort Berlin Philharmonic (5) Template:Sort 2014 8:57 Great Hall, Berliner Philharmonie Supraphon Template:Center
72 Template:Sort BBC Symphony Orchestra Template:Sort 2018† 8:52 Watford Colosseum Chandos Template:Center
73 Template:Sort BBC National Orchestra of Wales Template:Sort 2018 9:12 BBC Hoddinott Hall Linn Template:Center
74 Template:Sort Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra (2) Template:Sort 2023† 9:43 Helsinki Music Centre BIS Template:Center

† = Part of a recording of the entire Lemminkäinen Suite

Notes

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References

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Template:Italic title Template:Jean Sibelius Template:Portalbar Template:Authority control

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