Pohjola’s Daughter – Jean Sibelius

Pohjola’s Daughter by Jean Sibelius

Sibelius completed this tone poem for orchestra in 1906, with the premiere performance being given in December the same year at the St Petersburg Mariinsky Theatre. Sibelius himself would conduct at this performance.

The narrative for this composition is based on the 8th ‘Runo’ (rune song) from the Finnish national epic poem ‘Kalevala’. There are 50 Runo’s in the Kalevala in total. The 8th Runo is called ‘The Wound’ or alternatively ‘Väinämöinen and the Maiden of North Farm’. Väinämöinen is the central character of the Kalevala, and is described as a wise old man, demigod, and the greatest of bards.

While travelling through the mortal realms on his sled, Väinämöinen spots the beautiful ‘Daughter of the North’ (Pohjola being the Finnish word for North). Väinämöinen requests the woman to join him in his travel, but she says she will only agree to join a man who can complete a series of impossible tasks. Through wisdom, cunning and some magic, Väinämöinen is able to complete almost all the tasks but is eventually thwarted by evil spirits, and leaves the woman to continue his travels.

Sibelius had originally intended to give this tone poem the distinctly Finnish title of ‘Väinämöinen’, however Sibelius’ publisher Robert Lineau suggested the German title ‘Tochter des Nordens (Daughter of the North)’. While this was a shrewd suggestion, as Sibelius was intending to submit this work for publication with a German publisher. The composer would counter with two further possible titles, the French ‘L'aventure d'un héros’, and another Finnish title ‘Luonnotar.

The final decision was for the German title, and as such English publications take the direct translation of ‘Pohjola’s Daughter’.

This work is comprised of a single movement.