| Rakastava | |
|---|---|
| Suite byJean Sibelius | |
 The composer in 1913 | |
| Opus | 14 |
| Composed | 1912 (1912) |
| Movements | 3 |
| Scoring | |
| Rakastava | |
|---|---|
| Choral composition byJean Sibelius | |
| Composed |
|
| Movements | 4 |
| Scoring |
|
Rakastava (The Lover),Op. 14, is asuite byJean Sibelius. He completed it in 1912, scored forstring orchestra,percussion andtriangle. He based it on his earlier composition of the same title, a song cycle of four movements formen's chorusa cappella completed in 1894. The works are based on a Finnish text in Book 1 of theKanteletar.
In 1894, Sibelius completedRakastava, a cycle of foura cappella songs formen's chorus on a Finnish text in Book 1 of the collection of Finnish folk poems, theKanteletar.[1][2] He first set it in 1894, as an entry for a local competition. He won the second prize, while the first prize went to his former teacher.[3] Sibelius arranged the cycle for men's chorus and string orchestra in 1894, and for mixed choir in 1898.[1]
Sibelius used the cycle as the basis for the orchestral suiteRakastava forstring orchestra,percussion andtriangle, to which he assigned theopus number 14. He completed it in 1912, when he also wrote hisFourth Symphony.[1][4] Sibelius often conducted the suite together with his symphonies because the piece "captivated audiences".[1]
In the first movement, the strings sound light and beautiful. The choral part of the second movement was changed to "murmurs on the strings and wonderfully flexible melodic progressions."[1] The third movement is deeply emotional as its model.[1]
The orchestral work was recorded along with other music by Sibelius, includingSnöfrid, the Cantata for the Coronation of Nicholas II,Oma maa (My country) andAndante Festivo.[3] On volume 54 of a complete Sibelius Edition byBIS,Osmo Vänskä conducts theLahti Symphony Orchestra. A review notes the works "ethereal polyphony" and compares it to the melancholy of theSixth Symphony.[6] The work was also recorded byNeville Marriner and the Academy of St Martin in the Fields, as well as bySusanna Mälkki and theHelsinki Philharmonic Orchestra.
