The 48th annual production With David Coffin Merja Soria The Kalevala Chorus The Solstånd Children Infrared listening devices and The Briljant String Band large print programs are available The Northern Lights Dancers at the Sanders Theatre Box Office. The Midnight Sun Mummers The Pinewoods Morris Men for Please visit our lobby table Karin’s Sisters Revels recordings, books, cards Cambridge Symphonic Brass Ensemble and more. Our new CD, The Gifts of Odin: A Nordic Christmas Revels, features much of the music from Lynda A. Johnson, Production Manager this year’s show! Jeremy Barnett, Set Design Jeff Adelberg, Lighting Design Heidi Hermiller, Costume Design Bill Winn, Sound Design Ari Herzig, Projection Design Thanks to our generous Corporate Partners With support and Media Sponsors: from: TM www.cambridgetrust.com CONTENTS Introduction Please join us in “All Sings” on pages 5, 10, 12, 14 and 16! Welcome to the 48th annual Christmas Revels! Sven is a dreamer and his father’s patience is wearing THE PROGRAM page 4 thin. It is Christmas and the big house is bustling with preparations for a party that will bring together ministers PARTICIPANTS page 17 and dignitaries from all the Scandinavian countries to meet the new Ambassador of Finland. The seasonal festivities do little to reduce Sven’s moodiness that FEATURED ARTISTS page 22 seems to be tied to the loss of his favorite uncle. Change comes in the guise of three unusual Christmas presents. They usher Sven into an alternative universe populated by witches, A NOTE ON THE KALEVALA snakes and superheroes, where he is reunited with his late uncle Finland Finds Its National Identity page 35 in a series of life-changing adventures. Susan Cooper Propelled by the narrative of the Kalevala, the Finnish epic poem, and illuminated by the ethereal sounds of nyckelharpa, hardingfele, THE WARMTH OF DARKNESS kantele, accordion, gemshorn and five-string fiddle, our story takes Festive Fires and Yule Logs page 38 us via fjords and rivers all the way to the icy mountains of the Megan Henderson, Music Director Northlands and back. Count on trolls, dragons and house elves to pop up. Perhaps even Hamlet. With gorgeous melodies, rich choral harmonies and filigree ornamentation, this will be a mythical, MEET THE NORTHLANDS INSTRUMENTS musical experience that awaits only one final ingredient— What Are Those Wonderful Sounds? page 45 your participation. Merja Soria, lydia ievins, Toby Weinberg DEAR FRIENDS (KÆRE VENNER) page 48 Stine O’Brien, Chair, Board of Directors REVELS 2019 CALENDAR page 73 Paddy Swanson Artistic Director 2 3 5. THE BRAVE SHIP The Kalevala Chorus • The Solstånd Children • Cambridge Symphonic Brass Ensemble This tune (Tempus adest floridum) comes from the Piae Cantiones, a collection of sacred and secular Latin songs. The pieces were compiled by a Finnish clergyman and first published in 1582. The melody is now best recognized as Good King Wenceslas. The words Program we sing here were written by Susan Cooper for Revels in 1993. Act One All Sing! Verse Two 1. OVERTURE: FANTASIA ON FINLANDIA Join them as they come ashore, Bring them joyous greeting; Cambridge Symphonic Brass Ensemble Open wide the willing door This overture, written by Megan Henderson in 2018, is based upon Finlandia, a beautiful hymn written by famous Finnish composer For this merry meeting; Julius (Jean) Sibelius (1865-1957). Revel now with dance and song Till the darkness lighten 2. ÓLAFUR LILJURÓS Pray that friendship grown so strong David Coffin,voice • The Men of the Kalevala Chorus • Abe Finch, percussion Will the whole world brighten. This song has been known in Iceland for at least seven hundred years. The Vikivaki is the accompanying folk dance, making this a perfect 6. YKSI, KAKSI, KOLME, NELJÄ (ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR) example of a “carol,” or song-dance. Merja Soria, voice and percussion • The Men of the Kalevala Chorus This Finnish folk song is based on the well-known 15th-century 3. KULNING (HERDING CALL) Portuguese melody La Folia. This arrangement is by Merja Soria. Sunniva Brynnel, voice One, two, three, four, let me be happy. “I learned this melody from my mother, Swedish folk singer Rosa When the sorrow comes, please let her pass. Brynnel, who would use this very melody and calling technique Horseflies are singing, four mice are jumping, whenever I got lost in the shopping mall. She never did like mobile Cat plays the drum and the whole world is roaring! phones.” — Sunniva Brynnel 7. KLING KLANG, KLOCKAN SLÅR (KLING, KLANG, THE CLOCK CHIMES) 4. NU ÄR DET JUL IGEN (NOW IT IS CHRISTMAS AGAIN) The Solstånd Children Andrea Larson and Loretta Kelley, fiddles • lydia ievins, 5-string fiddle • Corey DiMario, bass This Swedish shepherd’s song of Finnish origin, tells of bells ringing, Sunniva Brynnel, accordion • The Kalevala Chorus • The Solstånd Children an empty belly, talking trees and night falling in the mountains. This lively Swedish folk tune from the 1850s has made its way into many Scandinavian Christmas celebrations and is featured in the 1982 Ingmar Bergman film, Fanny and Alexander. 8. SPURVEN SIDDER STUM BAG KVIST (SPARROW SILENT ON THE BOUGH) The Solstånd Children • Sunniva Brynnel, accordion Christmas is here and Christmas lasts until Easter! The quiet sparrow observes the fireside scene inside the home from No, that is not true, for in between is Lenten fasting. its perch in the blowing wintry snow. Composer, poet, novelist and political activist Jeppe Aakjær wrote this lilting ode to Danish farm and family life around 1910. 4 5 9. SLÄNGPOLSKA EFTER OLA PERSSON LUNDQVIST, SKÅNE 13. ST. THOMASKLOKKESLÅTTEN (THE BELLS OF ST. THOMAS) Andrea Larson, fiddle • lydia ievins, 5-string fiddle • Northern Lights Dancers Loretta Kelley, hardingfele The Swedish slängpolska is a dance both new and old, rooted in Legend has it that one of the church bells was lost in the waters of tradition and fed by an enormous wealth of energetic tunes in ¾ time. Vang Lake during transport. The remaining bells sounded sad and Described as a walking dance in figures, the original source was a muffled in their new home, as if mourning for their lost sister. peasant dance from Poland recorded as early as the 15th century. Introduced to the French royal court in the 17th century (thus 14. DUUI DIDDL polonaise + polska = Polish in French and Swedish, respectively), Merja Soria, voice the dance became popular and spread throughout Europe and up to This traditional Finnish song is for those moments in life when there Sweden, where it mingled with existing folk melodies. are simply no words to express how you feel. 10. BACCHI KALENDAR (BACCHUS’S CALENDAR) 15. VILLEMANN OG MAGNHILD (VILLEMANN AND MAGNHILD) Ken Mattsson, voice • The Men of the Kalevala Chorus The Kalevala Chorus • Abe Finch, percussion Prolific Swedish composer Carl Michael Bellman (1740-1795) penned The tune of this 14th-century Norse ballad is based on the 12th- the text and tune of this cautionary little ditty. The year started off century troubadour song Kalenda Maya. This choral arrangement is well for the singer as he bought some fine new clothes for himself. by Megan Henderson. Sadly, the bottle got the best of him by November and he ended up inebriated, miserable and unclothed waiting for Christmas to return. Villemann went down to the river Arranged by Megan Henderson. to the most beautiful of lindens. To where he could play the harp. 11. I DENNE SØTE JULETID (IN THIS BLESSED YULETIDE) The runes did not bode well. Loretta Kelley, hardingfele • Sunniva Brynnel, accordion • The Women of the Kalevala Chorus Villemann would stand against the torrents The text of this sweetest of Norwegian seasonal hymns was penned to the most beautiful of lindens. by Danish bishop Hans Adolph Brorson in 1732. It reflects his Masterfully he would play the harp. passionate reverence for the religious essence of the Christmas The runes did not bode well. celebration. This traditional tune was arranged by Linn Andrea Fuglseth, a member of the Trio Mediæval. He played it gently, he played it loudly to the most beautiful of lindens. 12. THE KALEVALA He played Magnhild free of the Nykken’s arm. Part One: T he Creation of the World The runes did not bode well. Noni Lewis, Sarah Morrisette, Matt Winberg, Christopher Kandra, Ewan Swanson, actors Then the troll rose up from the depths of the lake, to the most… The Kalevala Chorus • Mark Ward, puppeteer It rumbled in the mountains and crashed in the clouds. Adapted by Susan Cooper from two translations of the great Finnish The runes did not bode well. folkwork, this account has the universe brought into being from a primeval omelette. If the meter seems oddly familiar, it’s because But he struck the harp with all of his might, to the most… Henry Wadsworth Longfellow borrowed the epic form and verse And vanquished the troll’s strength and power. pattern of the Kalevala for his poem Hiawatha. The runes did not bode well. 6 7 16. KÄRA MIN MODER (MY DEAR MOTHER) Olav Løndal (1904-1986) from Tuddal in Telemark, Norway. This tune Sunniva Brynnel, voice • lydia ievins, nyckelharpa • Annemarie Pluhar, dancer was a favorite of a village eccentric and music lover nicknamed “Luse-Søren” (“lousy Søren”), who lived in the last half of the 1800s My dear mother, do not punish me and was a regular attendee at all the local dances. Because I’m late in the evening The boys loved me a lot. 20. THE FIRST KANTELE That’s why I was so long. Merja Soria The player played for dancing The boys danced, danced in trance. 21. THE KALEVALA Yes, that’s what I did and it went so well.