Raitio, Väinö (Eerikki)

Raitio, Väinö (Eerikki) , Finnish composer; b. Sortavala, April 15, 1891; d. Helsinki, Sept. 10, 1945. He studied in Helsinki with Melartin and Furuhjelm and in Moscow with Ilyinsky; also in Berlin (1921) and Paris (1925–26). From 1926 to 1932 he taught at the Viipuri Music Inst. His music is programmatic in the Romantic manner, but there is a more severe strain in his pieces derived from Finnish legends. He was one of the earliest Finnish composers to embrace modern compositional techniques, being mainly influenced by Scriabin, German expressionism, and French Impressionism.

Works

DRAMATIC: Opera: Jephtan tytär (Jephtha’s Daughter; 1929; Helsinki, 1931); Prinsessa Cecilia (1933; Helsinki, 1936); Väinämöinen kosinta (Väinämöinen’s Courtship; 1935); Lyydian kuningas (The King of Lydia; 1937; Helsinki, 1955); Kaksi kuningatarta (2 Queens; 1937–40; Helsinki, 1945). Ballet: Vesipatsas (Waterspout; 1929). ORCH.: Piano Concerto (1915); Poem for Cello and Orch. (1915); Symphonic Ballad (1916); Sym. (1918–19); joutsenet (The Swans; 1919); Fantasia estatica, symphonic poem (1921); Antigone (1921–22); Kuutamo Jupiterissa (Moonlight on Jupiter), symphonic tableau (1922); Fantasia poetica, symphonic poem (1923); Felis domestica, scherzo (1935); Concerto for Violin, Cello, and Orch. (1936); Nocturne for Violin and Orch. (1938); Fantasy for Cello, Harp, and Orch. (1942); Le Ballet grotesque (1943). CHAMBER: String Quartet; Piano Quintet; Violin Sonata; piano and organ works. VOCAL: Pyramid for Chorus and Orch. (1924–25).

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire