Sibelius at 150 Years: Kullervo & Finlandia

About the Event

The strength of the mythological characters of the Finnish epic poem Kalevala is transformed into music in the hands of Jean Sibelius, a composer in love with the history, tradition and nature of his country. For its first performance in Spain, Kullervo features one of the best male choirs in the world, Helsinki Academic Male Choir. Ari Rasilainen will conduct, and the program also features Sibelius's "Finlandia."

The Kalevala, which runs to more than 20,000 verses, is full of eccentric characters, incredible situations and unusual places. One of the characters is the young man, Kullervo, who, after experiencing all the misfortunes one could imagine (being orphaned, sold into slavery, escaping, and seeking revenge) is impaled on his own magical sword. Based on this antihero, Sibelius builds a stunning, grand and utterly unique symphonic work. Until now, this work had never been performed in its entirety in Spain; so what better time than now, in commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the birth of its composer.