Väinö Raitio
Encyclopedia
Väinö Raitio was part of the small group of composer
s who appeared in the Finnish
art music scene in the 1920s with a new cosmopolitan music style, very different from the dominant conservative National Romanticism.
Raitio's career as a composer reached its peak in the 1920s when eight large symphonic poems appeared from his pen. Influenced by Alexander Scriabin
, his style was too modern for Nordic music circles, and his orchestral work Joutsenet (The Swans, Les Cygnes) of 1919 remained as his sole orchestral piece to be published (in 1938).
Raitio's profile as a composer slipped, as he concentrated on shorter works for smaller ensembles in the 1930s and 1940s. In private, however, much effort was made by the composer to write opera
tic works. Still today, his five operas are only known from the composer's hand-written manuscripts.
Reaching maturity (1919-1920s)
Back to traditional forms (1930s-40s)
Stage works
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
s who appeared in the Finnish
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
art music scene in the 1920s with a new cosmopolitan music style, very different from the dominant conservative National Romanticism.
Raitio's career as a composer reached its peak in the 1920s when eight large symphonic poems appeared from his pen. Influenced by Alexander Scriabin
Alexander Scriabin
Alexander Nikolayevich Scriabin was a Russian composer and pianist who initially developed a lyrical and idiosyncratic tonal language inspired by the music of Frédéric Chopin. Quite independent of the innovations of Arnold Schoenberg, Scriabin developed an increasingly atonal musical system,...
, his style was too modern for Nordic music circles, and his orchestral work Joutsenet (The Swans, Les Cygnes) of 1919 remained as his sole orchestral piece to be published (in 1938).
Raitio's profile as a composer slipped, as he concentrated on shorter works for smaller ensembles in the 1930s and 1940s. In private, however, much effort was made by the composer to write opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
tic works. Still today, his five operas are only known from the composer's hand-written manuscripts.
Works
Early period (-1919)- Violin Sonata in F sharp minor
- String Quartet in G minor
- Piano concerto op 6
- Poème for cello and orchestra op 7
- Symphonic Ballade op 9
- Symphony op 13
Reaching maturity (1919-1920s)
- Joutsenet op 15 ('The Swans'/'Les Cygnes')
- Piano Quintet in C sharp minor, op 16
- Nocturne op 17
- Fantasy for quintet op 19
- Fantasia estatica op 21
- Four Colour poems for piano op 22
- Antigone Trilogy op 23
- Moonlight on Jupiter op 24
- Fantasia poetica op 25
- The Pyramide for mixed choir and orchestra op 27
- The Avenue for soprano and orchestra op 29
Back to traditional forms (1930s-40s)
- Suite Summer Scenes from Häme
- Forest Idylls
- Scherzo - Felix dosmetica
- Legend for violin and orchestra
- Double concerto for violin, cello and orchestra
- The Maids on the Headlands
- Idyll
- Notturno for violin and orchestra
- Serenata for violin and orchestra
- Fantasy for cello, harp and orchestra
Stage works
- 5 Operas:
- Jeftan tytär (The Daughter of Jephtha), op. 30 (1929)
- Prinsessa Cecilia (Princess Cecilia) (1933)
- Lyydian kuningas (The King of Lydia) (1937)
- Väinämöisen kosinta (Väinämöinen’s Proposal) (1934–1936)
- Kaksi kuningatarta (The Two Queens')
- Ballet, The Waterspout ('Vesipatsas')
- Le ballet grotesque