Jungfrun i tornet

Jungfrun i tornet (The Maiden in the Tower) JS 101, is the only completed opera by the Finnish composer Jean Sibelius. Its Swedish libretto is by Rafael Hertzberg.

Jungfrun i tornet
Opera by Jean Sibelius
The composer in 1892, by Eero Jaernefelt
LibrettistRafael Hertzberg
LanguageSwedish

History

The Maiden in the Tower was first performed in a concert version during a fund-raising evening for the Helsinki Philharmonic Society on 7 November 1896. It received three further performances before Sibelius withdrew it, claiming he wanted to revise the score. He never did and the opera remained unheard until it was broadcast on Finnish radio in 1981. The work's lack of success has been blamed on the weakness of the libretto, described by Stephen Walsh as "a lifeless concoction."[1] Some of the music shows the influence of Richard Wagner. The opera is in a single act, divided into eight scenes, and lasts about 35–40 minutes.

Roles
Cast Voice type Premiere cast[2]
Maiden soprano Ida Flodin
Bailiff baritone Abraham Ojanperä
Lover tenor E. Eklund[3]
Chatelaine mezzo-soprano Emmy Achté

Synopsis

The story is set in the Middle Ages. After the Maiden rejects the advances of the Bailiff, he kidnaps her and imprisons her in his castle. She manages to tell the Lover of her predicament and he is preparing to fight a duel to free her when the Chatelaine arrives and arrests the Bailiff. The Maiden and the Lover are reunited and the opera ends with general rejoicing.

The 1900 Overture

In the late 2010s, the music scholar Tuomas Hannikainen examined the hand-written orchestral score by the composer and discovered the meaning of certain additional markings among the notes. Another orchestral work, consisting of selections from the opera, is “hidden” within the operatic score. This derivative orchestral piece constitutes the so-called The Maiden in the Tower Overture which was allegedly premièred on 7 April 1900 in Turku, conducted by the composer.

The duration of this piece is 11–12 minutes, and it is not known to be performed after the year 1900. The Maiden in the Tower Overture is not to be confused with the overture section of the opera proper which lasts circa 3 minutes.[4]

Recordings
  • The Complete Orchestral Music, Vol. 5. Jungfrun i tornet. Mari-Ann Häggander, Jorma Hynninen, Erland Hagegård, Tone Kruse, Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, conducted by Neeme Järvi (BIS, 1984).
  • The Maiden in the Tower. Garry Magee, Lilli Paasikivi, Solveig Kringelborn, Lars-Erik Jonsson, Estonian National Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Paavo Järvi (Virgin, 2002).
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References
  1. Viking p. 983.
  2. Tawaststjerna, Erik (1967). Jean Sibelius 2 (in Finnish). Helsinki: Otava. p. 97.
  3. Sibelius, Jean (2005). Dahlström, Fabian (ed.). Dagbok 1909–1944 (in Swedish). Helsingfors: Svenska litteratursällskapet i Finland. p. 493. ISBN 951-583-125-3. — Several sources mention an incorrect name here, “Engström.”
  4. Tiikkaja, Samuli (23 July 2019). "Sibeliukselta löytyi tuntematon teos" [An unknown work by Sibelius discovered]. Helsingin Sanomat (in Finnish). pp. B 1–2.

Sources
  • Barnett, Andrew: Sibelius, pp. 108–109. Yale University Press, 2007.
  • Holden (ed.): Viking Opera Guide. 1993.
  • Hannikainen, Tuomas (2018). Neito tornissa – Sibelius näyttämöllä (doctoral thesis). EST-julkaisusarja, 40 (in Finnish and English). Helsinki: Sibelius-Akatemia. ISBN 978-952-329-102-7. ISSN 1237-4229.
  • Penguin Guide to Opera on Compact Discs (1993)
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