The Maiden in the Tower

Jungfrun i tornet
Opera by Jean Sibelius
The composer in 1892, by Eero Jaernefelt
Librettist	Rafael Hertzberg
Language	Swedish

Jungfrun i tornet (The Maiden in the Tower) JS 101, is the only completed opera by the Finnish composer Jean Sibelius. Its Swedish libretto is by Rafael Hertzberg. It was first performed in a concert version during a fund-raising evening for the Helsinki Philharmonic Society on 7 November 1896. It received three further performances before Sibelius withdrew it, claiming he wanted to revise the score. He never did and the opera remained unheard until it was broadcast on Finnish radio in 1981. The work's lack of success has been blamed on the weakness of the libretto, described by Stephen Walsh as "a lifeless concoction" (Viking p. 983). Some of the music shows the influence of Richard Wagner. The opera is in a single act, divided into eight scenes, and lasts about 35–40 minutes.

Roles

Cast	Voice type	Premiere cast
Maiden	soprano
Bailiff	baritone
Lover	tenor
Chatelaine	mezzo-soprano	Emmy Achté

Synopsis

The story is set in the Middle Ages. After the Maiden rejects the advances of the Bailiff, he kidnaps her and imprisons her in his castle. She manages to tell the Lover of her predicament and he is preparing to fight a duel to free her when the Chatelaine arrives and arrests the Bailiff. The Maiden and the Lover are reunited and the opera ends with general rejoicing.

Recordings

• The Complete Orchestral Music, Vol. 5. Jungfrun i tornet. Mari-Ann Häggander, Jorma Hynninen, Erland Hagegård, Tone Kruse, Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, conducted by Neeme Järvi (Bis, 1985).
• The Maiden in the Tower. Garry Magee, Lilli Paasikivi, Solveig Kringelborn, Lars-Erik Jonsson, Estonian National Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Paavo Järvi (Virgin, 2002).

Sources

• Viking Opera Guide ed. Holden (1993)
• Andrew Barnett Sibelius (Yale University Press, 2007) pp. 108–109
• Penguin Guide to Opera on Compact Discs (1993)