Kuula, T.: Son Of A Slave / Hope For Immortality / Wedding M (CD)

Release Date: 01/01/08

Few people know that Toivo Kuula composed six works that can be classifi ed as cantatas: Juhlakantaatti (FestiveCantata,

Few people know that Toivo Kuula composed six works that can be classifi ed as cantatas: Juhlakantaatti (FestiveCantata, aka Isokyrö Cantata, 1904), Orjan poika (Son of a Slave, unfi nished early version 1904, fi nal version 1910),Juhlamarssi (Festive March, aka Lapua March, brass version 1908 and orchestral version 1911), Kuolemattomuudentoivo (Hope for Immortality, 1910), Nuijamiesten marssi (March of the Club Warriors, 1912) and Stabat Mater (lostoriginal version 1915, unfi nished revision 1917). Th ese works have remained mostly unknown to the general public,and have been considered as curiosities even in musical circles. One reason behind the obscurity is the state of thesheet music which remained unsuitable for performance for decades: the composer did not leave behind a pianoreduction, and the performance parts were riddled with mistakes. All that remained of some of the works was anunclear handwritten manuscript.Due to the lack of decent performance materials, the cantatas had to wait until the new millennium for a recordingwith modern digital technology: Orjan poika and Kuolemattomuuden toivo were fi rst recorded by performers fromTampere in 2005, and now Juhlakantaatti, Juhlamarssi (both versions) and Nuijamiesten marssi have been recorded inTurku. Stabat Mater, completed by Madetoja, was recorded earlier, in 1993.