Uuno Klami


Uuno 'Klami' was a Finnish composer of the modern period. He is widely recognized as one of the most significant Finnish composers to emerge from the generation that followed Jean Sibelius.
Klami was born and died in Virolahti. Many of his works are related to the epic Kalevala. He was influenced by French and Spanish music, and especially by Maurice Ravel, for whom he had a particular esteem.
The core of Klami's oeuvre consists of an assortment of works related to the Finnish national epic, the Kalevala, among the most notable being: the five-movement Kalevala sarja, inspired by Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring; the symphonic poem, Lemminkäisen seikkailut saaressa ; and, the unfinished ballet, Pyörteitä, which survives as two suites. As central to Klami's legacy is the six-movement orchestral suite, Merikuvia ; the Karelian Rhapsody ; and, Psalmus, an oratorio for soloists, mixed, chorus and orchestra. He also wrote two numbered symphonies, in 1938 and 1945, respectively, as well as two piano concerti, a violin concerto, and the Cheremissian Fantasy for cello and orchestra.
He participated in six armed conflicts, including two wars in Karelia, the Finnish Civil War, the Estonian War of Independence, the Winter War of 1939–40 and the Continuation War of 1941–44.

Biography

Klami studied music in Helsinki with Erkki Melartin and later in Paris and Vienna. Klami's Karelian Rhapsody, part of his first composition concert in 1928, was a succès de scandale that brought him considerable attention. His main works include the Kalevala Suite and the unfinished ballet Whirls. The oratorio Psalmus has a unique place in Finnish sacred music and is one of the most highly regarded works by a Finn other than Jean Sibelius. Klami also experimented with the symphonic form in his two symphonies and Symphonie enfantine, and the concerto form in his two piano concertos and a violin concerto. Being a master of miniature orchestral works, the orchestral suite Sea Pictures is also regarded as one of his major achievements. On the recommendation of Sibelius he was granted a small lifetime income from the government. In 1959 he was made a member of the Finnish [Academy of Science and Letters].
Klami died of a heart attack in Virolahti at age 60 while sailing his favorite boat Miina.

Legacy

Reception and recordings

Acclaimed during his lifetime, Klami is today seldom heard outside the Nordic countries, the Kalevala Suite perhaps excepted.
The recording boom in the 1990s saw all of Klami's major works made available to the public, albeit often in only one interpretation per composition.
Despite these projects, much of Klami's oeuvre remains unrecorded, and he has received considerably less attention from record labels relative to fellow Finnish composers such as Leevi Madetoja, Aulis Sallinen, and Joonas Kokkonen.

Memorials

Founded in 1987, the Helsinki-based Uuno Klami Society exists to recognize the composer and to promote the publication, academic study, and performance of his music. At its first general meeting on 16 May 1988, the musicologist Helena Tyrväinen was elected chair; she held this post for 22 years until 2010. In addition, every five years, the Kymi Sinfonietta and the cities of Kotka and Kouvola co-host the International Uuno Klami Composition Competition, the goal of which is to increase international recognition of Klami and his music while expanding the repertoire of contemporary European works for a sinfonietta-sized orchestra. The inaugural event was held 2003–04, with subsequent iterations in 2008–09, 2013–14, and 2018–19. The Kymi Sinfonietta performs short-listed compositions at a finals concert and a jury awards the three main prizes. There is also an audience prize and awards by the participating municipalities.

Honors and titles

Select list of compositions

Symphonies

Concertante

  • Piano Concerto No. 1, Une nuit à Montmartre, for piano and orchestra, Op. 8 ; three movementsTšeremissiläinen fantasia, for cello and orchestra, Op. 19 ; two movementsIntroduction e Staccato etude, for trumpet and chamber orchestra Esquisse, for violin and strings Intermezzo, for cor anglais and chamber orchestra
  • Violin Concerto, for violin and orchestra, Op. 32 ; three movements
  • Piano Concerto No. 2, for piano and strings, Op. 41 ; three movements
  • Tema con sette variazioni e coda, for cello and orchestra, Op. 44

Music for stage

  • Intohimot jalavien varjossa, incidental music for clarinet, trumpet, violin, and piano for the 1924 play by Eugene O'Neill
  • * Arranged in 1931 by Klami as Rag-time and Blues, a quintet for the above instruments plus an additional violin
  • Tuhlaripoika, incidental music for male voice, choir, flute, clarinet, piano and strings ; play by Marin Držić Pyörteitä, unfinished ballet in three acts based on the Sampo legend from the Kalevala :
  • * Act 1 survives as a piano score by Klami ; it was orchestrated by the Finnish composer Kalevi Aho in the late 1980s and premiered in 1988.
  • * Act 2 is the only of the three acts that survives in Klami's orchestration; in 1960, he excerpted two ballet suites.
  • * Act 3 is either lost or was never written

Voice and orchestra

Psalmus, oratorio in two parts for soprano, baritone, mixed choir, organ, and orchestra ; text by
  • Vipusessa käynti, symphonic poem for baritone, male choir, and orchestra ; text from the Kalevala
  • Laulu Kuujärvestä, ballad for baritone and orchestra ; text by
  • Kultasauvallinen, cantata in four parts for soprano, baritone, mixed choir, and orchestra ; text by Martti Haavio

Suites for orchestra

  • Kohtauksia nukketeatterista, suite for chamber orchestra ; five movementsHommage à Haendel, suite for piano and strings, Op. 21 ; four movements
  • Kuvia maalaiselämästä, suite for chamber orchestra ; six movementsMerikuvia, suite for orchestra ; six movementsKalevala-sarja, five tone pictures for orchestra, Op. 23 ; based on stories from the Kalevala; five movements
  • Sarja jousiorkesterille ; four movements
  • Sarja pienelle orkesterille, Op. 37 ; three movements

Other works for orchestra

  • Karjalainen rapsodia, for orchestra, Op. 15
  • Opernredoute, concert waltz for orchestra, Op. 20
  • Sérénades joyeuses, for chamber orchestra ; four movements
  • Helsinki March Lemminkäisen seikkailut saaressa, symphonic poem for orchestra ; based on the Kalevala; Klami's first attempt at composing a central scherzo for the Kalevala Suite, later removed and made an independent work
  • Karjalaisia tansseja, for chamber orchestra
  • Nummisuutarit, concert overture for orchestra ; based on the play by Aleksis Kivi
  • Suomenlinna, concert overture for orchestra, Op. 30 ; inspired by the Suomenlinna islands; later renamed Linna meren äärellä
  • Sérénades espagnoles, for chamber orchestra ; four movements
  • Kuningas Lear, concert overture for orchestra, Op. 33 ; unrelated to the stage music of the same name
  • Pyöräilijä, rondo for orchestra
  • Karjalainen tori, for orchestra, Op. 39
  • Revontulet, fantasy for orchestra, Op. 38 ; inspired by the natural light display
  • All'ouvertura, concert overture for orchestra, Op. 43

Chamber