KULLERVO

with the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, Paavo Järvi conductor

2 October 2019

hen Jean Sibelius set the life of the legendary hero Kullervo from the Finnish national epic "Kalevala" to music in 1892, critics spoke of the birth of Finnish music. "Kullervo" will also be born in 2019 - for the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich. With this work Paavo Järvi takes up his post as the orchestra's new principal conductor.

The gentlemen of the Zurich Sing-Akademie will be on stage at this event together with those of the Estonian National Choir. Sibelius' symphonic poem in five movements tells the tragic legend of Kullervo. While the movements 1, 2 and 4 are purely instrumental, in the third movement a mezzo-soprano and baritone solo as well as the male choir are added. The 5th movement, which describes Kullervo's death, presents itself as a lament, again with a male choir.

Performers

JOHANNA RUSANEN Soprano
VILLE RUSANEN Baritone

ESTNISCHER NATIONALER MÄNNERCHOR RAM
MIKK ÜLEOJA Chorus Master
ZÜRCHER SING-AKADEMIE
FLORIAN HELGATH Chorus Master

TONHALLE-ORCHESTER ZÜRICH

PAAVO JÄRVI Leitung

Programme

JEAN SIBELIUS: KULLERVO OP. 7 für Singstimmen, Männerchor und Orchester

Ca. 75 Minuten

Fun Fact: Despite initial overwhelming success, further performances of the work suddenly met with rejection and derision, so that Sibelius prohibited further performances of the work during his lifetime. It was not until one year after his death that the work was performed in its entirety again in 1958.