In the last few months the Finnish company
Alba
has given us recordings of two full-length
Scandinavian ballets previously known
only in suite form. Alongside Okon
Fuoko we have Tubin's Kratt.
Both scores are very warmly welcomed
and enthusiasts should lose no time
in buying copies.
Okon Fuoko was premiered complete in
Helsinki in December 1927. Madetoja
planned to make three ballet suites
from the music but only one was completed.
The story of Okon
Fuoko is set in Japan. The puppet
maker Okon Fuoko, whose wife is Yiai,
has created the puppet Umegava. Okon
Fuoko becomes infatuated with the puppet.
Umegava comes to life and eventually
kills her creator.
The storyline is Japanese
but the outline is universal mixing
elements of Petrushka, the Golem and
Don Giovanni where the statue comes
alive wreaking retribution in an atmosphere
of verismo horror. Unlike Mahler's Das
Lied, Holst's Japanese Suite,
Lambert Li Tai Po songs or
Bliss's Women of Yu'eh there
is very little in the way of obvious
Japanese musical allusions - except
briefly at Umegava's Mechnical Dance
(tr.19). There's also the gong in
The Guests arrive (trs. 9, 16)
and Puppet Dance III but this
is followed by urbane and affable promenade
music. Other ‘flavours’ include the
use of castanets (tr. 18). Woodblocks
are to be heard in Puppet Dance I
and Okon Fuoko's Death. The
writing for woodwind is distinctive
and often plaintive. I must not give
the impression of a score that is all
sighs and evanescence - listen for example
to the stabbing and incisive chanting
of Puppet Dance I.
Madetoja’s teachers
were Järnefelt, Sibelius, d'Indy
and Fuchs. Only in Okon Fuoko's and
Umegava's dance I (tr. 26) did I
sense Sibelius's influence at all though
in that case it was quite pungent.
Okon Fuoko is
a richly decorated score full of delicately
painted incident and mood. It can be
compared with Ravel's Daphnis although
for much of them time it is emotionally
cooler than that work. There are sections
in which there is singing from the soloists
and Helena Juntunen takes the Yiai's
Song I (trs. 5, 34) and II (tr.
7). In the few tracks in which Tuomas
Katajala sings his heroic tones and
bronzed higher range take on a sensual
Puccinian edge .
In The Chorus's
Song, Umegava stops smiling and
Okon Fuoko Dies we hear the delightful
metronomic chaffing of the flutes similar
to the very same ticking ostinato that
launches the sometimes delightful and
sometimes torridly romantic Madetoja
Second Symphony (don’t miss it on Warner
Apex review).
Also recurrently woven
into the music is the Dies Irae which
puts in a subtle but telling appearance
in the finale: Okon Fuoko Dies.
The music sighs and breathes in beauty
but can also be chilly as in Yiai
shows the guests Umegava (tr. 18).
Umegava's demonic dance (tr.
30) certainly owes more than a little
to Petrushka.
Overall this is an
extremely attractive score which will
hold wide appeal. The writing is personable
and anyone who enjoys Ravel, early Copland
(Appalachian Spring), the impressionistic-nationalist
Uuno Klami (whose style can be hard
in tr. 27 Okon Fuoko's Dance II and
Umegava's Sword Dance tr. 32)
must track down this treasurable release.
The tracking is very
well done with cues for all 35 episodes
- some as short as 00:30 others as long
as 4:53 (Okon Fuoko paints Umegava's
face) and 4:35 (Okon Fuoko dies).
The Oulu Orchestra
is from Madetoja's birthplace which
adds an intriguing additional dimension
to the experience of hearing this disc.
As expected the disc
is superbly documented.
I hope that Alba will
not stop with Okon Fuoko. There
is yet more Madetoja to be recorded
for the first time. They should consider
the cantata Sammon ryöstö
- the Conquest of the Sampo -
for male chorus and orchestra and
the Stabat Mater for voices,
strings and organ not to mention the
piano trio. There's also a sprinkling
of works for violin and piano and these
include a sonatina.
An extremely attractive and imaginative
dance score that will hold wide appeal.
The impressionistic-nationalist writing
is captivating
Rob Barnett
Detailed track listing (English
and Finnish)
1 Okon Fuoko paints Umegava’s face
2 Okon Fuoko plays to Umegava
Oulu Chamber Choir; Oulu Symphony Orchestra:
3 The chorus’s song
Oulu Symphony Orchestra:
4 Umegava stops smiling
Helena Juntunen, soprano; Oulu Symphony
Orchestra:
5 Yiai’s song I
Oulu Symphony Orchestra:
6 Okon Fuoko and Yiai recall their early
love
Helena Juntunen, soprano; Oulu Symphony
Orchestra:
7 Yiai’s song II
Oulu Symphony Orchestra:
8 Yiai tells of a dream
9 The guests arrive I – The tea ceremony
10 Puppet dance I: geishas and warrior
11 Puppet dance II: woman and man
12 Puppet dance III: old man, woman
and young warrior
13 Puppet dance III (cont.): enter six
old men
14 Hara-kiri
15 The guests converse
16 The guests arrive II
Tuomas Katajala, tenor; Oulu Chamber
Choir; Oulu Symphony Orchestra:
17 Okon Fuoko’s recitative
Oulu Symphony Orchestra:
18 Yiai shows the guests Umegava
19 Umegava’s mechanical dance
20 The guests converse
21 Okon Fuoko’s dance to Umegava
Oulu Chamber Choir; Oulu Symphony Orchestra:
22 The chorus’s song
Oulu Symphony Orchestra:
23 Yiai dances
24 Night falls
25 Umegava comes to life
26 Okon Fuoko’s and Umegava’s dance
I
27 Okon Fuoko’s and Umegava’s dance
II
28 The storm
29 Umegava dances Yiai’s dance
30 Umegava’s seductive dance
31 Umegava picks up the sword
32 Umegava’s demonic dance (sword dance)
33 Puppet dance IV: The storm and Okon
Fuoko’s death
Helena Juntunen, soprano; Oulu Symphony
Orchestra:
34 Yiai’s song I
Helena Juntunen, soprano; Oulu Chamber
Choir; Oulu Symphony Orchestra:
35 Okon Fuoko dies
Oulun kaupunginorkesteri:
Madetoja, Leevi (1887-1947):
1 Okon Fuoko maalaa Umegavan kasvoja
4:53
2 Okon Fuoko soittaa Umegavalle 3:05
Oulun Kamarikuoro; Oulun kaupunginorkesteri:
3 Kuoron laulu 3:00
Oulun kaupunginorkesteri:
4 Umegava lakkaa hymyilemästä
0:56
Helena Juntunen, sopraano; Oulun kaupunginorkesteri:
5 Yiain laulu I 3:16
Oulun kaupunginorkesteri:
6 Okon Fuoko ja Yiai muistelevat rakkautensa
alkuaikaa 0:53
Helena Juntunen, sopraano; Oulun kaupunginorkesteri:
7 Yiain laulu II 1:43
Oulun kaupunginorkesteri:
8 Yiai kertoo unestaan 0:30
9 Vieraat saapuvat I – Teeseremonia
2:21
10 Nukketanssi I: Geishat ja soturit
2:22
11 Nukketanssi II: Nainen ja mies 3:20
12 Nukketanssi III: Vanhus, nainen ja
nuori soturi 2:21
13 Nukketanssi III (jatkuu): Kuusi vanhusta
saapuvat 0:45
14 Harakiri 2:29
15 Vieraat keskustelevat 0:44
16 Vieraat saapuvat II 0:42
Tuomas Katajala, tenori; Oulun Kamarikuoro;
Oulun kaupunginorkesteri:
17 Okon Fuokon resitatiivi 2:17
Oulun kaupunginorkesteri:
18 Yiai esittelee Umegavan 1:11
19 Umegavan mekaaninen tanssi 1:20
20 Vieraat keskustelevat 0:54
21 Okon Fuokon tanssi Umegavalle 2:04
Oulun Kamarikuoro; Oulun kaupunginorkesteri:
22 Kuoron laulu 5:39
Oulun kaupunginorkesteri:
23 Yiain tanssi 1:50
24 Yö laskeutuu 2:09
25 Umegavan herääminen 2:40
26 Okon Fuokon ja Umegavan tanssi I
2:21
27 Okon Fuokon ja Umegavan tanssi II
1:41
28 Myrskykohtaus 1:23
29 Umegava tanssii Yiain tanssin 1:57
30 Umegavan viettelevä tanssi 1:39
31 Umegava ottaa miekan 1:27
32 Umegavan demoninen tanssi (Miekkatanssi)
1:42
33 Nukketanssi IV: Myrsky, Okon Fuokon
kuolema 3:09
Helena Juntunen, sopraano; Oulun kaupunginorkesteri:
34 Yiain laulu I 3:30
Helena Juntunen, sopraano; Oulun Kamarikuoro;
Oulun kaupunginorkesteri:
35 Okon Fuoko on kuollut 4:35
Helena Juntunen, soprano/Tuomas Katajala, tenor/Oulun
Kamarikuoro/Oulun kaupunginorkesteri/Arvo Volmer
