Madetoja belongs to the generation born in the shadow of Sibelius, whose pupil he briefly was. The Ostrobothnians, based on a folk play by Artturi Jarviluoma, was originally intended for another Sibelius pupil, Toivo Kuula, who was killed during the Finnish civil war. Madetoja’s opera, which draws on folk material from his native Ostrobothnia, dates from 1923 and can lay claim to being the Finnish national opera. The play struck particularly sympathetic resonances in Finland when it was first performed in 1914 since it is set against the background of an alien oppression of a peasant community. The hero, Jussi (Jorma Hynninen), befriends a prisoner on bail for a stabbing, and defies the tyrannical sheriff. When the prisoner escapes, Jussi is accused of helping him and the opera culminates in his death and that of his tormentor. It had already notched up over 200 performances by the 1960s and has been staged elsewhere in Scandinavia.
If the thematic substance is folk-derived, the scoring and the dramatic development are well managed. Madetoja knew his craft, and the opera works well. This is its second recording: Jorma Panula’s 1975 account with the youthful Jorma Hynninen in the role of Jussi was transferred to CD some years ago and was duly noted in these columns (Finlandia, 8/92 – nla). Hynninen’s voice has lost none of its vocal presence or tonal bloom though it was naturally fresher two decade ago, while Monica Groop’s Maija and Ritva-Liisa Korhonen are both excellent. The present version strikes me as better conducted: Saraste brings a firmer grip to the musical and dramatic flow. The Ostrobothnians is not a long work, and its three acts run for only a fraction over two hours. The fill-up is a 1993 recording of the short Suite of some 16 minutes that Madetoja made in 1928 which is also included on one of Finlandia’s two-disc “Meet the Composer” releases, along with the three symphonies, the delightful Comedy Overture and Okon Fuoko (4/95 – nla). Recommended.'