Snöfrid
Melodrama by Jean Sibelius
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Snöfrid, Op. 29, is a melodrama or "improvisation for narrator, mixed choir and orchestra"[3] by Jean Sibelius. He completed it in 1900 on a text by Viktor Rydberg. It was first performed in Helsinki on 20 October 1900, with the Orchestra of the Helsinki Philharmonic Society, conducted by the composer.[2]
| Snöfrid | |
|---|---|
| Melodrama by Jean Sibelius | |
The composer (c. 1900) | |
| Opus | 29 |
| Text |
|
| Language | Swedish |
| Composed | 1900 |
| Publisher | Hansen (1929)[1] |
| Duration | 13 mins.[2] |
| Premiere | |
| Date | 20 October 1900[2] |
| Location | Helsinki, Grand Duchy of Finland |
| Conductor | Jean Sibelius |
| Performers |
|
Instrumentation
Snöfrid is scored for the following instruments and voices,[2] organized by family (vocalists, woodwinds, brass, percussion, and strings):
- Narrator and mixed choir (SATB)
- 2 flutes (one doubling piccolo), 1 oboe, 1 clarinet, 1 bass clarinet, and 1 bassoon
- 2 horns, 3 trumpets, and 1 trombone
- Timpani, glockenspiel, bass drum, and cymbals
- Violins (I and II), violas, cellos, and double basses
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 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, heartfelt 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 | Ondine | |
| 2 | Osmo Vänskä | Lahti Symphony Orchestra | Jubilate Choir | Stina Ekblad | 2001 | 14:15 | Sibelius Hall | BIS | |
| 3 | Paavo Järvi | Estonian National Symphony Orchestra | Estonian National Male Choir | Sofia Joons | 2002 | 11:23 | Estonia Concert Hall | Virgin Classics |
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]
