ONLINE EVENT: Music and philosophy: Music as a reflection of society and vice versa
An exemplary army in Rykmentin tytär (La fille du régiment) (Finnish National Opera 1935-1939)
Event is streamed live on Uniarts Youtube-channel.
Gaëtano Donizetti’s opera La fille du régiment premiered at the Finnish National Opera in November of 1935. Performed in Finnish, the opera was directed by Väinö Sola (1883–1961), who also dramatised it and wrote a new Finnish libretto. Even though the opera had not been performed by the Finnish National Opera before, it was already familiar to much of the public, thanks to its popular runs at the Finnish National Theatre (1909-1913 and 1925). The Finnish National Opera production was also a hit, enjoying a run of 27 performances until the autumn of 1939, when Finland was preparing for the war against the Soviet Union. Departing from earlier productions of La fille du régiment, Sola’s Rykmentin tytär introduces an entirely new army, which uses the Nazi salute while marching to familiar marches and otherwise seeking to familiarise the contemporary German army. Sola’s production resonates with the political situation of the 1930s, which showed the conflict between the old, civilised Germany and Hitler’s new Germany. Sola’s direction aimed to resolve this mental conflict by means of art.
Performers
Anne Kauppala, lecture
Jenni Lättilä, soprano
Jenni Lappalainen, piano
Anne Kauppala (D.Mus) is a professor of music performance research at the Sibelius Academy (Uniarts) and is also the leader of the Uniarts History Forum. Her research interests include opera, music history, music semiotics and women’s music research. She is also the editor of DocMus Research Publications. In her latest research publications, she has examined the Aino Ackté’s portrayal of Salome, Cathy Berberian’s camp performances and the hidden political agendas of opera performances.
Soprano Jenni Lättilä (M.Mus) graduated from the Sibelius Academy degree programmes in Church music and Vocal arts and opera, with teachers Pekka and Outi Kähkönen. She supplemented her vocal studies abroad, for example, under professor Dorothy Irving and Mark Nicolson. She earned he doctoral degree in the spring of 2017, with her thesis work “Focus on Wagner – Richard Wagner’s music and a young dramatic soprano voice” and written thesis “Professionals of emotion – Emotional labour of an Opera singer”. Lättilä has won several national and international singing competitions, and the Finnish Wagner Society awarded her a scholarship to the Bayreuth Festival in 2009. Her dramatic soprano voice is particularly well suited to major women’s roles in Verdi and Wagner works, and she made her professional debut in 2010, singing the role of Lady Macbeth in Verdi’s Macbeth. In her debut with the Finnish National Opera, she sang three roles in Wagner’s Ring in 2011, after which she has performed regularly at the National Opera. She has been sought after as an orchestral soloist and performs as a Lied recitalist in Finland and abroad. She recorded Richard Wagner: Complete Lieder in 2016 and Yrjö Kilpinen – “Uusia” Lauluja in 2017 with her regular pianist partner, Kirill Kozlovski. She has also made a name for herself in performances and premieres of Finnish and Nordic contemporary music. In her career, Lättilä has also served as a cantor, conducts, among others, a chamber orchestras and several choirs, and works as a researcher at the Sibelius Academy DocMus doctoral school and Centre for Artistic Research (CfAR) at Uniarts Helsinki. At present, she is working as a lecturer in vocals and as head of the Vocal arts subject group at Sibelius Academy.
Pianist Jenni Lappalainen is a soloist and chamber musician. She completed her basic studies in Paris and Brussels, and is currently working on her artistic doctoral degree on Ilmari Hannikainen and Finnish impressionism at the Sibelius Academy of Uniarts Helsinki. In addition to her artistic work, Jenni teaches piano at the East Helsinki Music Institute.
Further information: Eveliina Sumelius-Lindblom
Music and philosophy lecture concert series:
What is the relationship between music and society and how does society fit in music? These questions have captivated many composers, musicians, music researchers and philosophers. The lecture concert series in the autumn of 2020 and spring of 2021 aims to explore the relationship between music and society from a variety of perspectives
The lecture concert series is part of the 30 Years of Doctorates in Music at the Sibelius Academy anniversary.
Event is streamed live on Uniarts Youtube-channel.
Gaëtano Donizetti’s opera La fille du régiment premiered at the Finnish National Opera in November of 1935. Performed in Finnish, the opera was directed by Väinö Sola (1883–1961), who also dramatised it and wrote a new Finnish libretto. Even though the opera had not been performed by the Finnish National Opera before, it was already familiar to much of the public, thanks to its popular runs at the Finnish National Theatre (1909-1913 and 1925). The Finnish National Opera production was also a hit, enjoying a run of 27 performances until the autumn of 1939, when Finland was preparing for the war against the Soviet Union. Departing from earlier productions of La fille du régiment, Sola’s Rykmentin tytär introduces an entirely new army, which uses the Nazi salute while marching to familiar marches and otherwise seeking to familiarise the contemporary German army. Sola’s production resonates with the political situation of the 1930s, which showed the conflict between the old, civilised Germany and Hitler’s new Germany. Sola’s direction aimed to resolve this mental conflict by means of art.
Performers
Anne Kauppala, lecture
Jenni Lättilä, soprano
Jenni Lappalainen, piano
Anne Kauppala (D.Mus) is a professor of music performance research at the Sibelius Academy (Uniarts) and is also the leader of the Uniarts History Forum. Her research interests include opera, music history, music semiotics and women’s music research. She is also the editor of DocMus Research Publications. In her latest research publications, she has examined the Aino Ackté’s portrayal of Salome, Cathy Berberian’s camp performances and the hidden political agendas of opera performances.
Soprano Jenni Lättilä (M.Mus) graduated from the Sibelius Academy degree programmes in Church music and Vocal arts and opera, with teachers Pekka and Outi Kähkönen. She supplemented her vocal studies abroad, for example, under professor Dorothy Irving and Mark Nicolson. She earned he doctoral degree in the spring of 2017, with her thesis work “Focus on Wagner – Richard Wagner’s music and a young dramatic soprano voice” and written thesis “Professionals of emotion – Emotional labour of an Opera singer”. Lättilä has won several national and international singing competitions, and the Finnish Wagner Society awarded her a scholarship to the Bayreuth Festival in 2009. Her dramatic soprano voice is particularly well suited to major women’s roles in Verdi and Wagner works, and she made her professional debut in 2010, singing the role of Lady Macbeth in Verdi’s Macbeth. In her debut with the Finnish National Opera, she sang three roles in Wagner’s Ring in 2011, after which she has performed regularly at the National Opera. She has been sought after as an orchestral soloist and performs as a Lied recitalist in Finland and abroad. She recorded Richard Wagner: Complete Lieder in 2016 and Yrjö Kilpinen – “Uusia” Lauluja in 2017 with her regular pianist partner, Kirill Kozlovski. She has also made a name for herself in performances and premieres of Finnish and Nordic contemporary music. In her career, Lättilä has also served as a cantor, conducts, among others, a chamber orchestras and several choirs, and works as a researcher at the Sibelius Academy DocMus doctoral school and Centre for Artistic Research (CfAR) at Uniarts Helsinki. At present, she is working as a lecturer in vocals and as head of the Vocal arts subject group at Sibelius Academy.
Pianist Jenni Lappalainen is a soloist and chamber musician. She completed her basic studies in Paris and Brussels, and is currently working on her artistic doctoral degree on Ilmari Hannikainen and Finnish impressionism at the Sibelius Academy of Uniarts Helsinki. In addition to her artistic work, Jenni teaches piano at the East Helsinki Music Institute.
Further information: Eveliina Sumelius-Lindblom
Music and philosophy lecture concert series:
What is the relationship between music and society and how does society fit in music? These questions have captivated many composers, musicians, music researchers and philosophers. The lecture concert series in the autumn of 2020 and spring of 2021 aims to explore the relationship between music and society from a variety of perspectives
The lecture concert series is part of the 30 Years of Doctorates in Music at the Sibelius Academy anniversary.