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''Kullervo'' is an opera in two acts, Op. 61 composed by Aulis Sallinen to his own libretto based on the story of Kullervo in the Finnish epic, ''Kalevala''. The opera premiered on 25 February 1992 at the Los Angeles Music Center.〔Arni E. Kullervo. In: ''The New Grove Dictionary of Opera.'' Macmillan, London and New York, 1997.〕 ==Background== The opera was commissioned by the Finnish National Opera and composed between 1986 and 1988. It was intended for the opening of a new national opera house in Helsinki but building construction delays meant that the work was presented in Los Angeles as part of the celebrations of the 75th anniversary of Finnish independence.〔 ''Kullervo'' was first performed on 25 February 1992 at the Los Angeles Music Center with the soloists, chorus and stage production from Finnish National Opera and the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra.〔Milnes, Rodney. 'Kullervo' - a child of our time. ''Opera'', June 1992, Vol 42, No 6, pp 652–655.〕 It was recorded by the original cast and issued on CD by Ondine Records. The work did open the new Helsinki opera house in 1993, and from its premiere to 2014 had been seen in six countries, in three languages, and had over 70 performances.〔Albrecht, Elke. Review of Kullervo at Savonlinna. ''Opera'', October 2014, Vol 65, No 10, pp 1258–9.〕 The scenario of Sallinen's fifth opera, between ''The King Goes Forth to France'' (Savonlinna, 1984) and ''The Palace'' (Savonlinna, 1995) is based on the Kalevala epic and from the 1864 play by Aleksis Kivi.〔 In a later interview, the composer, reflecting on ''King Lear'' (on which he was then working) and ''Kullervo'' stated that the earlier opera "is a very black story – it's the most Shakespearean story ever to exist in Finland".〔Anderson, Martin. Strong and Simple. Interview with Aulis Sallinen. ''Finnish Music Quarterly magazine'', 2/1999.〕 One reviewer has commented "To call ''Kullervo'' dark and brutal does not do full justice to the opera", citing the love of Kullervo's mother, friendship with Kimmo, even humour from the hunter.〔 However, another, describing the premiere, wrote "not every new opera packs so immediate a punch, or leaves one feeling - as with the works of Janáček – at once depressed at so bleak a view of the world () yet inspired and even elated by the dispassionate passion with which that view has been expressed".〔 The music has "a strong tonal basis" and "colourful effects enhanced by some imaginative instrumentation".〔 Another critic noted that there "is not a superfluous quaver in ''Kullervo''" and admired the "sinuously coiled melodies () quirky ostinato figures, long-held pedal-points, sardonically percussive setting of arioso dialogue".〔 Sallinen was not the first Finnish composer to turn to the story of Kullervo for musical inspiration; Robert Kajanus wrote a 'Kullervo's Funeral March', Op. 3 (1880), Jean Sibelius wrote a five-movement tone poem Kullervo, Op. 7 (1892) for soprano, baritone, male choir and orchestra (subsequently withdrawn by the composer and sometimes referred to as his 'Kullervo Symphony'), and Leevi Madetoja composed a symphonic poem, 'Kullervo', Op. 15 (1913). == Roles == ==Orchestration== The opera is scored for a large variety of instruments, including triple woodwind, four horns, three trumpets, three trombones and tuba, strings and a synthesizer.〔(Music Finland/Composers and Repertoire: Sallinen – Kullervo. ) accessed 1 February 2015.〕 ==Synopsis== ===Act 1=== The act begins with a choral prologue recounting the feud between Kalervo and his brother Unto, leaders of opposing clans. Unto had burnt down Kalervos's house and believes that the entire family has been killed in the fire apart from Kalervo's young son Kullervo whom Unto has taken as a slave. Kullervo proves to be a disturbed and unruly youth consumed with rage, some of which he turns against his childhood friend Kimmo. Unto's wife urges him to kill Kullervo, but wracked by guilt at what he had done to his brother's family, Unto sells Kullervo on to the blacksmith instead who puts him to work tending cattle. After an episode in the fields where Kullervo discovers that the blacksmith's wife has baked stones into his bread, he kills all the cattle and returns to the smith's house. A violent quarrel between Kullervo and the blacksmith's wife ensues. He kills her with the broken knife that had belonged to his father and flees. Meanwhile, Kimmo finds Kullervo's mother and father who had survived the fire and hopes to reunite the family. Kullervo's father recounts what had happened to them after the fire while his mother mourns the disappearance of Kullervo's sister Ainikki. By chance, Kullervo arrives at his parents' house. At first he and his parents do not recognise each other, but with the arrival of Kimmo the truth is revealed. Kullervo's father is horrified that his son has become a murderer and wants him to leave while his mother pleads for him to stay. Kimmo blames himself for what has happened. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Kullervo (Sallinen)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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