Kung Karls jakt
Music by Fredrik Pacius · libretto by Zachris Topelius
Kung Karls jakt (English: King Charles' Hunt; Finnish: Kaarle-kuninkaan metsästys) is an opera with music by Fredrik Pacius and a libretto by Zacharias Topelius. It was the first opera to be composed in Finland and was in the style of Romantic nationalism. Kung Karls jakt was first performed in Helsinki on 24 March 1852. The text is in Swedish (Swedish and Finnish are both official languages in Finland) and concerns an event from Finnish history when Finland was a province of Sweden in the 17th century. The work takes the form of a Singspiel with spoken dialogue between the musical numbers (the king himself does not sing). The music is heavily influenced by contemporary German and Italian opera, with a few Finnish elements such as the use of a kantele in one scene.
Text from the Wikipedia article "Kung Karls jakt", licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
About the Composer
Fredrik Pacius (Finnish pronunciation: [ˈfreːdrik ˈpɑːsius], Finland Swedish: [ˈfreːdrik ˈpɑːsiʉs] ); in German and in Estonian Friedrich Pacius; 19 March 1809 – 8 January 1891) was a German composer, violinist and conductor who lived most of his life in Finland. He is regarded as the "Father of Finnish music". Pacius was born in Hamburg. He was appointed music teacher at the University of Helsinki in 1834, where he founded a musical society, the student choir Akademiska Sångföreningen and an orchestra, building up orchestral and choral life in the city. In 1848, Pacius set to music the poem "Vårt land" by Johan Ludvig Runeberg, which became Finland's national anthem. The same melody was…
Text from the Wikipedia article "Fredrik Pacius", licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.