Interlude from Merikanto's opera "Juha"

Aarre Merikanto's opera "Juha" from the Savonlinna Opera Festival (2002) with Jorma Hynninen, Lilli Paasikivi, Jyrki Anttila, Johanna Rusanen et al. Jukka-Pekka Saraste conducts the Savonlinna Festival Orchestra. Aarre Merikanto (1893-1958) was a Finnish composer. He studied with Max Reger and Sergei Vasilenko and eventually developed an expressionistic style to which it's hard to find predecessors. The music of his second opera "Juha" (1920-1922), to the libretto by Aino Ackté*, was considered too difficult to perform in the 1920's and Merikanto himself heard the third act on the radio as late as in 1957. The first two acts were broadcasted two months after his death in 1958. Juha has been performed regularly in Finland since 1963. (*London's first Salome)