Ikävyys

by Luukas Hiltunen

A song for baritone and piano to Aleksis Kivi's eponymous poem

Description

Ikävyys, a song for baritone and piano, was commissioned by the
Hämeenlinna Sibelius Society to mark the 190th Anniversary of the birth
of the writer Aleksis Kivi (1834-1872). The commission was part of a
series of commissioned solo songs by the Sibelius Society of
Hämeenlinna: 'Inspired by Sibelius' series features songs to poems that
Jean Sibelius (1865–1957) never composed, but which might have been of
interest to him. The series is based on a thought experiment: what if
the ageing master, during the silence of Ainola, had still been inspired
to compose a song? In what direction would his musical language have
evolved? The Hämeenlinna Sibelius Society has posed the question to
today's composers, and the outcome is a series of songs to poems that
might have intrigued Sibelius. The series of commissioned compositions
continues annually.

Aleksis Kivi's poem Ikävyys is an
evocative, sinister whole that delves deeply into the heart of an
individual's feelings, intertextually interweaving Shakespeare's Otello,
the playwright's poem Come away, death, and Gehenna, a biblical eponym
referring to the abyss of the inferno. Peace from anguish can only be
attained in the nothingness that the first-person storyteller in the
poem acquires upon death and the grave [abridged from the analysis of
the poem by Juhani Koivisto]. Like Kivi's poem, the overall expression
of the song is lugubrious, outright nihilistic, except for a few
momentary glimpses of light.

The song was written in just two
days, as if by dictation. The world première took place at Wanha Kutomo
[Old Weaving House] in Hämeenlinna on October the 6th, 2024, performed
by baritone Jussi Vänttinen and pianist Kristian Attila.

Instrumentation

baryt, pno

Category

Vocal and Choral Works

Language

Fi

Lyricist

Aleksis Kivi

Premiere

October the 6th, 2024, Old Weaving Mill, Hämeenlinna; Jussi Vänttinen, bar & Kristian Attila, pno

Commisioned by / dedications

Commissioned by Hämeenlinna Sibelius Society to mark Aleksis Kivi's 190th Anniversary

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More

• Listen to Ikävyys on YouTube

Archive number

MF35725

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