Swanwhite
Incidental music by Jean Sibelius
The composer in 1913
Native nameSvanevit
Catalogue
  • JS 189 (full score)
  • Op. 54 (suite)
TextSvanevit by August Strindberg
Composed1908 (suite in 1909)
DurationApprox. 26 mins.
Premiere
Date8 April 1908 (1908-04-08)
LocationHelsinki, Grand Duchy of Finland
ConductorJean 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

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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 [sv])
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 [sv])
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

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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 [fi] 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

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