The Lemminkäinen Suite (also named Four Legends or Four Legends from the Kalevala), Op. 22, is a four-movement symphonic poem for orchestra completed in 1895 by the Finnish composer Jean Sibelius. The piece was originally conceived as Veneen luominen (The Building of the Boat), an opera with a mythological setting, before the work took form as a suite. Its story is based on the heroic character Lemminkäinen from the Kalevala, a collection of Finnish folklore and mythology epic poetry. The second movement, The Swan of Tuonela, is the most popular of the four movements and is often performed on its own.
Librettist | (Kalevala) |
Date of composition | 1895 (1893-1895) |
Premiered | 1896, April 13th in Helsinki, Finland by Jean Sibelius |
First published | 1901 |
Type | Suite |
Catalogue | Op. 22 |
Approx. duration | 47 minutes |
Instruments | Orchestra |
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Autotranslations beta |
Jean Sibelius: Lemminkäinen Suite, Op. 22 "Four Legends of the Kalevala" Jean Sibelius: Lemminkäinen Suite, Op. 22 "Four Legends of the Kalevala" Jean Sibelius: Lemminkäinen Suite, Op. 22 "Four Legends of the Kalevala" |