Erkki Melartin

Erkki Gustav Melartin ( born February 7, 1875 in Käkisalmi (now Priozersk, Russia), † February 14, 1937 in Pukinmäki, today suburb of Helsinki) was a Finnish composer and conductor.

Life

Melartin studied from 1895 to 1898 when Martin Wegelius at the Music Institute in Helsinki, then to 1901 with Robert Fuchs in Vienna, and also spent some time in Berlin and Rome. In 1901 he became a teacher of theory, music history and piano at the Music Institute in Helsinki, the later Sibelius Academy. 1908-1911 he worked as a conductor in Viipuri ( Vyborg today ), and from 1911 to 1936 he was head of the Music Institute of Helsinki ( Helsinki Conservatory from 1924 ).

Melartin was the first conductor for Scandinavia, a work of Gustav Mahler conducted (1909 a sentence from the 2nd Symphony ).

Work

The compositional work Melartin comprises 189 provided with opus numbers works, along with several unnumbered. Melartin wrote an opera ( Aino, 1909, on a theme from the Finnish national epic Kalevala ), 6 symphonies ( 1902-1924, and the fourth - probably become best known - is nicknamed Summer Symphony and refers vocalise with a ), and also two unfinished Symphony designs. He also composed suites, symphonic poems, a ballet, a violin concerto, chamber music ( including four string quartets ) and numerous piano pieces and songs.

Melartin is sometimes referred to disparagingly as somewhat eclectic. Stylistically, he was initially Sibelius obliged later influences came by Mahler ( especially when combined folk elements with sophisticated counterpoint ) and Impressionism added. In the 1920s Melartin also touched on stylistic devices of expressionism. In the 6th Symphony of 1924, the tonal reference is not clearly defined at the beginning. When his work is considered the most progressive Piano Sonata Fantasia apocalyptica from the same period, reminiscent of Scriabin.