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Kalevala Suite Pehr Henrik Nordgren The Lights of Heaven Vesa Matteo Piludu, 2011 Department of Philosophy, History, Culture and Arts Musicology University of Helsinki Slide 2 The Lighs of Heaven Per Nordgren lifes work Ingrian melodies Slide 3 Pehr Henrik Nordgren (1944-2008) Taivaanvalot / The Lights of Heaven (1984-5) Creation of the world and stealing of the Sun: cosmic dramas Nordgren worked on universal myths Directly inspired by the original folk songs where the Creation hero wasnt Ilamatar or Vinminen, but a bird (swallow) flying from Hiitola (Hiisis Land) Slide 4 Nordgren and Finnish Myths Taivaanvalot is not based on Kalevala But on the original variants of the folk songs collected in the collection Old Poems of the Finnish People (Suomen Kansan Vanhat Runot) Themes: Creation Freeing of the sun Comparison and collage of different variants (Lnnrots style) If Taivaanvalot is not based on the Kalevala, it is at least a tribute to Lnnrot Slide 5 Taivaanvalot according to Nordgren Commission: town of Kaustinen Premire; Kaustinen Chamber Music Orchestra Nordgren: Taivaanvalot is based on the oldest myths and beliefs in Kalevalaic Poetry, which have counterparts among Ancient people of the world over. My intention was not therefore nationalistic, or to prove the historical truth of the Kalevala Stories. The hero is not Vinminen or some other person who presumably once existed but the swallow that frees them from Hiitola. In both myths Ilmarinen, the smith who forges the celestial vault, appears as a divine being: it is to him that the bird appears in its distress and to whom it returns the celestial bodies once it has freed them. The section of the composition without a sung texts were inspired by primitive beliefs about eclipses of the the moon and the sun. Slide 6 CD: Taivaanvalot, 2009 Orchestra Mixed choir with children Solists: soprano and tenor Folk instruments (shamanic drums, flutes, goats horn, reed pipe, herdsman flute, bullroarer, percussion plaque) five 5-stringed and three 36-stringed kantele Not fascinated by technology Protest against the technicalisation of the modern world and the scholarly trends in modern music Soprano: Merja Wirkkala Tenor: Anssi Hirvonen Central Ostrobothnian Chamber Choir Kaustinen Children's Choir Folk Orchestra Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra Conductor: Juha Kangas Slide 7 Taivaanvalot: structrure and movements 6 movements The first two are united 1.Prelude: children chorus 2. The bird of night and day: soprano, shamanic drum Slide 8 Movement 2 The bird of night and day: the golden egg Pskylintu, pivlintu Ylintu, lepakkolintu Lenteli kesoiset pivt Syksyset ysyvmet Etsi maata maataksee Pesosta muunniiksee. Sai he saaren maataksee Lehtose levtksse, Pesse muunniiksee. Valo vaskinen pessen Muni kultasen munasen Swallow bird, say bird Night bird, bat bird Flew on summer days Midnight in the autumn Seeking land to rest on A nest to make her eggs She found an island to sleep on A grove in which to relax. A nest to make her eggs. By the light of the copper nest Laid a golden egg. Slide 9 Movement 2 The bird of night and day: Oh smith, dea master Tuli suuri uukon tuutsa, Meren viihkura vihrain Meren aalloit aivoin ksyt Meren kuhut kovvaisit Vieretti munat veteen Laski pesn laineheen. A huge and manly wind arose, A furious storm at the seA Waves extremely angry Hard the foaming sea Rolled the eggs into the water Dropped the nest on the wave. Ee, oh, swallow bird That cleaver bird of the air Flew off to seek a smith On wings a-whirring To the clever blacksmiths O smith, dear master Fine wielder of the hammer You hammered before and yesterday Please hammer for me today Beat out a goodly iron for me Slide 10 Movement 2 The bird of night and day: she made the moon Beat out an iron rake Make the spikes of bronze So I can gather up the lake Put all the waves in a bundle Swallow bird, day bird Night bird, bat-bird Gathered up the lake Gathered it into three sections Into eight divisions There she found half of the egg The yolk half of the egg The other half white She made the moon in the sky Made a shining moon. Slide 11 Movement 2 The bird of night and day: She made the sun in in the sky And with the white half of the egg She made the sun in in the sky To shine during the daytime. And with the rest of the crumbs The other crumbs and splinters She made a star in the sky A lookout star To light up the freezing night. Slide 12 "Sotkan muna" Slide 13 The four last movements 3. The Banishing of the Moon Swallower: instrumental, avant- garde, adventurous 4. The Forces of Evil (Hiisi) Hide the Light:s in the Dephths of the Underworld intrumental, mysterious, reprise of the Introduction, presence of Danger and Evil 5. The Freeing of the Sun, Moon and Stars: La liberazione del sole, la luna e le stelle: Children chorus, soloists Dramatic, operistic Slide 14 The Freeing of the Sun, Moon and Stars Who to seek the moon To reach up from the sun The Smith Maiden, the wise virgin Narrow shouldered, a lean lass She was seeking the moon Reaching for the sun () Rode a mile and rode another And a third one for a while Saw the castle of the Hiisi Entered the rooms of the Demon Who had three brides One cleaning the moon The third supplying water Slide 15 Ilmatar, photo by Pinja Sormunen Slide 16 Ilmatar as a boat (Viking Line) Slide 17 The Freeing of the Sun, Moon and Stars The smiths maiden, The wise virgin () Send the Hiisis women to sleep She placed the moon by her side The sun on her head And the Star on her breasts Rode a mile and rode another Took a look behind her The tree brides Were trying to catch her () She tossed the grindstone from her back: Grom a huge stone Grow a thick rock To prevent Hiisis women Not over, not under Not one, not ever! () The smiths maiden () Bringing the sun home The short man of the continent The Ingrian blacksmith himself Set the sun shining And the moon gleaming Slide 18 The Cosmic Dance of Heavenly Bodies 6. Intermezzo (1999): The Cosmic Dance of Heavenly Bodies. Harmonic singing, abstract Slide 19 The Demon Hiisi Slide 20 Amorphis: Battle For Light (2011) 1. Battle For Light http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3G Mo5nuh250 She robbed the moon from the sky Derailed the sun off its course Inside her mountain enchained the light She took the wisdom for her own The sun no longer shines on us No silver moon reflects The stars no longer give their light To help us find our path Im thrown on barren wastelands In feverish swamps Im lost I stagger through white-rimed lands I drown in diseased black mire I fight the forces, forces of dark and cold /Upon the witches I cast my spells / I strike with a sword, touch with a feather /And sing my song into the night Beyond the heaven, the highest one The god supreme smites with his sword Into the sea falls fiery star A pike of deep swallows the spark Skyforger, come to my aid The Magicsmith, by my side Daughter of creation The tiny man from the sea Ilmatar the ancient Mighty ocean-dwarf Skyforger by my side Thunder and lightning We find the hidden moon Release the mountain-bound We light the wisdom of the heart The sun dawns anew Slide 21 The Beginning of Times The Beginning of Times is the tenth studio album by Finnish metal band Amorphis, released on 25 May 2011 in Finland Concept Album, focused on Vinminen According to Old Kalevala and several variation of the Old Folk poetry, Vinminen create the world with the bird and the egg Slide 22 Vinminen and the eagle Slide 23 Vinminen creates the lighs Slide 24 Amorphis: You I Need 4. You I Need http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rs -or7As0k I was born as all the world here was born As tones, words and stories of the primeval song I need no bow, I need no sword My kingships known to gods Let their song go on I need you to be the guide The mirror to the sky and sea Portray all above and below The gate of life and death The sea of my loneliness It needs to have a sky To go with my story I also need to have your words Like a king has his moon A queen has her sun To make the song go on Make the song go on The creator of gods Make the song go on and on On and on Be my guide of life and death