Abstract
<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title> <jats:p>This chapter includes a discussion of the provenance and historical context of the work, premiere performances and recordings, and the vocal range of Sibelius’s Kullervon valitus, from Opus 7. Kullervo is a Finnish-language setting from the national epic, the Kalevala, and was premiered by two of the composer’s favorite singers, baritone Abraham Ojanperä and mezzo-soprano Emmy Achté. The author has created a phonetic transcription and a word-for-word English translation of the excerpt Kullervon valitus (Kullervo’s lament). Suggestions are made for performance, based on historical recordings and analysis of the score as presented in the JSW critical edition of Sibelius’s complete works.</jats:p>