The Swan of Tuonela (in Finnish: ), Op. 22/2 (originally Op. 22/3), 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.
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 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.Program Notes by Phillip Huscher, Chicago Symphony Orchestra. The work was recorded for the first time by Leopold Stokowski and the Philadelphia Orchestra in May 1929.
The British premiere of the piece was on 31 August 1905 at the Promenade Concerts at Queen's Hall, conducted by Henry Wood.
Instrumentation The Swan of Tuonela is scored for the following instruments, organized by family (woodwinds, brass, percussion, and strings):
Soloist: cor anglais 1 oboes, 1 bass clarinet (in B), and 2 bassoons 4 horns (in F) and 3 trombones Timpani and bass drum Violins (I and II), violas, cellos, double basses, and harp
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. , 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 time. It is in the key of A minor.
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.
ConductorOrchestraCor anglaisTimeRecording venueLabel1 (1)Philadelphia Orchestra (1)19298:33[]Guild Historical2Chicago Symphony Orchestra[]??Columbia Masterworks3 (1)Philadelphia Orchestra (2)[]19408:21Academy of Music, PhiladelphiaRCA Red Seal4 (1)NBC Symphony Orchestra (1)[]19409:54Rockefeller CenterNaxos Historical5 (2)NBC Symphony Orchestra (2)[]19449:19Studio 8H, New YorkRCA Red Seal6 (3)New York Philharmonic (1)[]19459:47Carnegie HallGuild Historical7 (2)Philadelphia Orchestra (3)1950†9:44Academy of Music, PhiladelphiaSony Classical8Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra?1952†6:57?Metronome9Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra1953†7:38Danish Radio Concert Hall (old)Decca10Berlin Philharmonic (1) (1)19547:46Deutsche Grammophon11 (1)Hallé Orchestra (1)19558:30Free Trade HallWarner Classics12London Philharmonic Orchestra (1)[]19569:45Walthamstow Assembly HallOmega Classics13London Symphony Orchestra (1)[]??MGM14 (2)Leopold Stokowski Orchestra19577:55Riverside Plaza HotelEMI Classics15Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (1)19578:24Walthamstow Assembly HallBeulah16 (3)Philadelphia Orchestra (4) (1)19609:50Broadwood Hotel, PhiladelphiaSony Classical17Vienna Philharmonic19619:00MusikvereinEMI Classics18 Morton Gould Orchestra19628:33Manhattan CenterRCA Red Seal19 (1)Berlin Philharmonic (2) (2)19657:42Deutsche Grammophon20Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra[]19659:33Grand Hall, Moscow ConservatoryScribendum21 (2)Hallé Orchestra (2)19667:51Abbey Road Studio No. 1EMI Classics22Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra (1)1968†8:41Kleinhans Music HallNonesuch23 (1)Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra19728:46Southampton GuildhallEMI Classics24 (4)Philadelphia Orchestra (5) (2)19739:48Scottish Rite Cathedral, PhiladelphiaRCA Victor Silver Seal25New York Philharmonic (2)19739:55CBS 30th Street StudioSony Classical26Hungarian State Symphony Orchestra[]1973†8:09Budapest Recording StudiosDecca27Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra1974†7:43Liverpool Philharmonic HallEMI Classics28Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra (1)1975†8:23Finlandia HallDeutsche Grammophon29 (3)National Philharmonic Orchestra19768:14West Ham Central MissionSony Classical30 (1)Boston Symphony Orchestra19769:19Symphony Hall, BostonDecca Records31 (2)Berlin Philharmonic (3) (3)19768:27Berlin PhilharmonieEMI Classics32 (5)Philadelphia Orchestra (6) (3)1978†9:03The Old Met, PhiladelphiaEMI Classics33 (1)Scottish National Orchestra1978†8:16Usher HallChandos34 L'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande[]1980†7:24Victoria HallDecca35 (2)Philharmonia Orchestra (1)19829:40St. John's, Smith SquareEMI36 (3)Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra19839:02Brilliant Classics37 (3)Berlin Philharmonic (4) (4)19847:50Berlin PhilharmonieDeutsche Grammophon38Academy of St Martin in the Fields19848:17[], LondonPhilips39 (1)Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra (1) (1)1985†8:49Gothenburg Concert HallBIS40Czechoslovak Radio Symphony Orchestra[]19887:49Czechoslovak Radio Concert HallNaxos41London Symphony Orchestra (2) (2)19889:47Abbey Road Studio No. 1Regis42 (2)Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (2)[]1989†9:15St John's, Smith SquareCollins Classics43 (1)Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra (2)[]1989†8:53KulttuuritaloRCA Red Seal 44Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra1991†9:27Royce HallSony Classical45Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra1991†7:58Mosfilm StudiosBrilliant Classics46Atlanta Symphony Orchestra19928:17Woodruff Arts CenterTelarc47Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra19928:35Oslo Concert HallEMI Classics48Orchestre Philharmonique de Liège1995†7:13Royal Conservatory of LiègeAuvidis49Turku Philharmonic Orchestra[]19958:37Turku Concert HallNaxos50Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra (1)1995†9:56Ondine51Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra (1)1996†9:49Stockholm Concert HallVirgin Classics52 (1)Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra (2)[]19968:17Stockholm Concert HallFinlandia53 (2)Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra (2) (2)1996†7:37Gothenburg Concert HallDeutsche Grammophon54Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (3)19968:18CTS Studios, WembleyIntersound55Iceland Symphony Orchestra1997†9:07University Hall, ReykjavíkNaxos56 (2)Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra (3)1998†8:26Konzerthaus, ViennaClassica57 (3)Toronto Symphony Orchestra[]1998†9:02Massey HallFinlandia58 (1)Lahti Symphony Orchestra (1) (1)1999†9:27RistinkirkkoBIS59Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra1999†10:11Berwald HallOndine60 (2)London Symphony Orchestra (3)[]2000†10:53Watford ColosseumRCA Red Seal61Estonian-Finnish Symphony Orchestra20019:02Estonia Concert HallFinlandia62Minnesota Orchestra20029:30Orchestral Hall, MinneapolisReference Recordings6320048:27RistinkirkkoPotentia Sinfonica64 (4)London Philharmonic Orchestra (2)20069:12Queen Elizabeth HallLPO 65Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra (3)20078:45Stockholm Concert Hall66 (2)Lahti Symphony Orchestra (2) (2)2007†9:10Sibelius HallBIS67BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra20098:45Glasgow City HallsBBC Music Magazine68 (2)Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra20138:16Grieg HallChandos69Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra (4)[]2014†9:07Helsinki Music CentreOndine70Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra (2)201410:14Kleinhans Music HallBeau Fleuve71Berlin Philharmonic (5)20148:57Great Hall, Berliner PhilharmonieSupraphon72BBC Symphony Orchestra2018†8:52Watford ColosseumChandos73BBC National Orchestra of Wales20189:12BBC Hoddinott HallLinn74Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra (2)2023†9:43Helsinki Music CentreBIS
† = Part of a recording of the entire Lemminkäinen Suite
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