Jean Sibelius
The Captive Queen
The Captive Queen (in Finnish: ; sometimes translated to English as The Liberated Queen; subtitled "Cantata in Celebration of Snellman's Birth"), Op. 48, is a single-movement, patriotic cantata for
Instrumentation#
The Captive Queen is scored for the following instruments and voices, organized by family (vocalists, woodwinds, brass, percussion, and strings): *Mixed choir () or male choir () *2 flutes (one doubling piccolo), 2 oboes, 1 clarinet (in B), 1 bass clarinet (in B), and 1 bassoon *4 horns (in F), 2 trumpets (in F), and 3 trombones *Timpani, bass drum, cymbals, and triangle *Violins (I and II), violas, cellos, and double basses
History#
Sibelius composed the cantata for the centennial festivities that marked the birth (12 May 1806) of Johan Vilhelm Snellman, a philosopher and statesman who was an important contributor to the Fennoman cause. The Finnish composer Oskar Merikanto also contributed a new piece for the occasion, the Cantata in Memory of J. V. Snellman (, OM100; text by A. V. Koskimies). This premiered two hours before The Captive Queen, albeit at a different venue: the Finnish National Theatre.
Discography#
The Finnish conductor Jorma Panula and the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra made the world premiere studio recording of The Captive Queen in September 1987 for Ondine; they were joined by a mixed choir credited as the “Academic Choir of Helsinki University” (""). , in his 2003 catalogue of Sibelius works, however, connects this ensemble to , which was founded in 1953 as the mixed choir of the Student Union of the University of Helsinki. The table below lists this and other commercially available recordings:
Notes, references, and sources#
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- Composer
- Jean Sibelius