| Swanwhite | |
|---|---|
| Incidental music by Jean Sibelius | |
 The composer in 1913 | |
| Native name | Svanevit |
| Catalogue |
|
| Text | Svanevit by August Strindberg |
| Composed | 1908 (suite in 1909) |
| Duration | Approx. 26 mins. |
| Premiere | |
| Date | 8 April 1908 |
| Location | Helsinki, Grand Duchy of Finland |
| Conductor | Jean Sibelius |
Swanwhite (in Swedish: Svanevit), JS 189 (full score) and Op. 8 (concert suite), is incidental music for orchestra written in 1908 by the Finnish composer Jean Sibelius; he wrote the music in 1908 to accompany the Swedish author August Strindberg's 1901 two-act, Symbolist play (drömspel) of the same name. The story, which
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Structure and roles edit
Swanwhite is a stage drama in two acts. The play includes 17 roles, two principal—Swanwhite and the Prince—and 15 minor. The roles are:
| Roles | Appearances | Premiere cast (8 April 1908) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| in English | in Swedish | ||
| Swanwhite | Svanevit | "Fröken Håkanson" (maybe Lisa Håkansson-Taube) | |
| The Prince | Prinsen | "Herr Hjorth" | |
| The Duke | Hertigen | "Herr Winge" | |
| The Stepmother | Styvmodren | "Fru Lindh" | |
| Signe (a maiden, who is untruthful) | "Fru Erastoff" (likely Edith Erastoff) | ||
| Tova (a maiden, who is ugly) | |||
| Elsa (a maiden, who is small) | |||
| The Gardener | Trädgärdsmästaren | "Herr Peters" | |
| The Fisherman | Fiskaren | ||
| Swanwhite's Mother | Svanevits moder | "Fru Peters" | |
| The Prince's Mother | Prinsens moder | "Fru Lindfors" | |
| The Jailer | Stockeknekten | ||
| The Bailiff | Ridfogden | ||
| The Steward | Hovmästaren | ||
| The Head Gardener | Örtagärdsmästaren | ||
| Knight I | Riddaren I | ||
| Knight II | Riddaren II | ||
| The Young King | Unge kungen | "Herr Fischer" | |
Discography edit
The sortable table below lists commercially available recordings of Swanwhite:
| Conductor | Ensemble | Rec.[a] | Time | Recording venue | Label | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Complete incidental music (JS 189) | ||||||
| Osmo Vänskä | Lahti Symphony Orchestra | 1996 | 26:22 | Ristinkirkko | BIS | |
| Leif Segerstam | Turku Philharmonic Orchestra | 2014 | 29:29 | Turku Concert Hall | Naxos | |
|
Complete concert suite (Op. 54) | ||||||
| Jussi Jalas | Hungarian State Symphony Orchestra | 1975 | 23:18 | London Records | ||
| Neeme Järvi | Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra | 1986 | 25:03 | Gothenburg Concert Hall | BIS | |
| Yondani Butt | Royal Philharmonic Orchestra | 1988 | 24:38 | St Peter's Church, Morden | ASV | |
| Ari Rasilainen | Norwegian Radio Orchestra | 2001 | 24:57 | NRK Broadcasting Hall | Finlandia | |
| Pekka Kuusisto | Tapiola Sinfonietta | 2006 | 23:09 | Tapiola Hall, Espoo Cultural Centre | Ondine | |
Järnefelt Berceuse edit
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