Okon Fuoko

Okon Fuoko
Ballet-pantomime by Leevi Madetoja
The composer, c. 1920s
Catalogue	Op. 58
Libretto	Poul Knudsen
Composed	1925 (1925)–27
Duration	Approx. 1 hour, 17 minutes
Movements	1 act
Premiere
Date	12 February 1930 (1930-02-12)
Location	Helsinki, Finland
Conductor	Martti Similä
Performers	Finnish National Opera

Okon Fuoko, Op. 58, is a ballet-pantomime for orchestra, vocal soloists, and choir by the Finnish composer Leevi Madetoja, who wrote the piece from 1925 to 1927 concurrent with the composition of his Third Symphony; the Japonisme-influenced libretto is by Danish playwright Poul Knudsen, Madetoja's collaborator. The story takes place in ancient Japan and, similar to the more-famous Coppélia, centers around the (successful) efforts of its eponymous master puppet-maker to bring one of his beautiful, female creations to life; the result is a tragic love-triangle between the doll, the infatuated Okon Fuoko, and his devastated wife. With its unique and "exotic" musical language, Okon Fuoko is considered to be one of Madetoja's "finest" scores; indeed, the last of his "masterpieces".

Scheduling the ballet-pantomime's premiere in Copenhagen proved difficult and the production languished unperformed until 12 February 1930, when it received its premiere in Helsinki at the Finnish National Opera under the baton of Martti Similä. Although the critics "unanimously praised" Madetoja's music, the consensus opinion was that Knudsen's awkward libretto was a dramatic failure. In the end, the stage production received only three performances. Okon Fuoko was thus the first setback of Madetoja's career, the previous major works—three symphonies (1916; 1918; 1926) and an opera (1924)—of whom the critics had received enthusiastically.

The work is better known in its abridged form, a six-movement suite for orchestra that Madetoja excerpted from the stage production's score. The composer's plans for an additional two suites never materialized, although in 2009, Estonian conductor Arvo Volmer pieced together a collection of eight of the original score's remaining numbers, dubbed Okon Fuoko Suite II. Volmer, conducting the Oulu Symphony Orchestra, also has produced the (to date) only recording of the complete score (Alba, 2002).

History

While on his way to Paris in 1925, Madetoja had met a music publisher from Copenhagen, Wilhelm Hansen, who placed him into contact with the Danish playwright Poul Knudsen. A libretto for a new ballet-pantomime, based upon "exotic" Japanese themes, was on offer and Madetoja accepted the project with alacrity. In fact, the libretto was first offered to Sibelius, who had earlier collaborated with Knudsen on the ballet-pantomime, Scaramouche, Op. 71. (1913; fp. 1922). Sibelius, however, was at the time deep into the composition of his Sixth Symphony and thus refused the project.^[1]

Having outlined his plan for the new commission while staying in Houilles, Madetoja he more or less composed the Third Symphony and Okon Fuoko simultaneously, although the pressure to complete the former was so great that Madetoja was compelled to place the ballet-pantomime aside until December 1926. Although Madetoja completed the score in late 1927, scheduling the ballet-pantomime's premiere in Copenhagen proved difficult, despite the enthusiasm of the chief conductor of the Royal Danish Orchestra, Georg Høeberg, who after a test rehearsal had proclaimed the score a "masterpiece".^[2] The primary cause of the delay appears to have been the difficulty of casting a lead actor, as the part required both singing and miming; Knudsen insisted upon—and opted to wait for—an actor then on leave from the theatre, Johannes Poulsen.^[3]

The production languished unperformed until it (finally) received its premiere on 12 February 1930, not in Copenhagen, but rather in Helsinki, at the Finnish National Opera under the baton of Martti Similä.^[4] The performance was the first significant setback of Madetoja's career: although the critics "unanimously praised" Madetoja's music, the consensus opinion was that Knudsen's libretto—with its awkward mixture of song, melodramatic spoken dialogue, dance, and pantomime—was a dramatic failure. In the end, Okon Fuoko received only three performances total and the Danish premiere never took place.

Structure

Complete score

1. Scenes 1-3: Okon Fuoko Paints Umegava's Face
2. Scenes 3-4: Okon Fuoko Plays to Umegava
3. Scenes 6-7: The Chorus' Song
4. Scene 8: Umegava Stops Smiling
5. Scene 8: Yiai's Song I
6. Scene 8: Okon Fuoko and Yiai Recall Their Early Love
7. Scene 8: Yiai's Song II
8. Scene 8: Yiai Tells of a Dream
9. Scene 9: The Guests Arrive I - Scene 10: The Tea Ceremony
10. Scene 11: Puppet Dance I: Geishas and Warriors
11. Scene 11: Puppet Dance II: Woman and Man
12. Scene 12: Puppet Dance III: Old Man, Woman, and Young Warrior
13. Scene 13: Puppet Dance III: Enter Six Old Men
14. Scene 14: Hara-kiri
15. Scene 15: The Guests Converse
16. Scene 16: The Guests Arrive II
17. Scene 16: Okon Fuoko's Recitative
18. Scenes 16-17: Yiai Shows the Guests Umegava
19. Scene 17: Umegava's Mechanical Dance
20. Scene 18: The Guests Converse
21. Scene 18: Okon Fuoko's Dance to Umegava
22. Scenes 18-20: The Chorus' Song
23. Scene 20: Yiai Dances
24. Scene 21: Night Falls
25. Scenes 21-22: Umegava Comes to Life
26. Scene 22: Okon Fuoko's and Umegava's Dance I
27. Scene 22: Okon Fuoko's and Umegava's Dance II
28. Scene 23: The Storm
29. Scenes 23-24: Umegava Dances Yiai's Dance
30. Scene 24: Umegava's Seductive Dance
31. Scenes 25-27: Umegava Picks Up the Sword
32. Umegava's Demonic Dance (a.k.a Sword Dance)
33. Scene 28: Puppet Dance IV: The Storm and Okon Fuoko’s Death
34. Scenes 28-31: Yiai's Song I
35. Scenes 31-33: Okon Fuoko Dies

Suite I

1. Okon Fuoko, unitaikuri (The Dream Magician)
2. Vieraat saapuvat (Entrance of the Guests)
3. Nukkien tanssi (The Dance of the Dolls)
4. Miehen tanssi (Man's Dance)
5. Naisen tanssi (Woman's Dance)
6. Danse grotesque

Suite II

1. Nukketanssi: Vanhus, nainen ja soturi (Puppet Dance; Old Man, Woman, and Warrior)
2. Umegavan mekaaninen tanssi - Okon Fuokon tanssi Umegavalle (Umegava's Mechanical Dance - Okon Fuoko's Dance To Umegava)
3. Umegava tanssi Yiain tanssin (Umegava Dances Yiai's Dance)
4. Umegavan viettelevä tanssi (Umegava's Seductive Dance)
5. Miekkatanssi (Sword Dance)
6. Myrsky (The Storm)
7. Nukketanssi: Nainen ja mies (Puppet Dance: Woman and Man)
8. Okon Fuokon kuolema (Okon Fuoko's Death)

Discography

Overall, the critics have received Okon Fuoko favorably. In his review of Volmer’s recording of the complete ballet-pantomime, Fanfare’s Phillip Scott notes that in the score the typically-nationalistic Madetoja “[resists] any temptation to whip up excitement,” instead utilizing an orchestra “pared back to the barest essentials” and embracing a sound world that is “cool”, “stark”, and “emotionally detached”. Nevertheless, Scott finds that Okon Fuoko “weaves a powerful, cumulative spell”, its “beguiling … gentle, pentatonic melodies” aided by Volmer’s “thoughtful … beautifully recorded” performance, and finishes by giving the disc a favorable recommendation.^[5] The American Record Guide's Jack Sullivan also applauds Volmer's massive undertaking, describing Madetoja's "hypnotic" score as having "melody aplenty and attractive harmony", although he finds the score's "subtlety and delicacy" to be its "most striking" feature. Indeed, with music that is "by turns rapturous, pungent, and tragic," Sullivan concludes that a listener could be forgiven for wondering how on earth Okon Fuoko has been neglected for so long.^[6]

Notes, references, and sources

Notes

References

Sources