"Dialogue
means conversation as a verbal exchange,
but here it also suggests an exchange
of influence, an idea which seemed appropriate
for a work dealing with world order".
Thus the composer in his notes for the
present recording of one of his most
recent works. True to say that the different
"characters" rarely exchange
ideas, with the notable exception of
The Maiden and The Youth in the fifth
dialogue Pas de Deux. They tend
to confront their perception of things
and feelings. Barabbas Dialogues
is set for narrator, five singers and
a small ensemble of seven players including
an important, though unobtrusive part
for accordion. The work draws on various
literary sources, although a good deal
of the text is derived from Lassi Nummi’s
long poem Breathing in the Night.
The other texts are drawn from The
Acts of the Apostles, The Book
of Job, Mark, Luke,
The Song of Songs, Ecclesiastes,
another poem by Nummi (Requiem)
as well as words added by the composer.
The various "characters" have
been given carefully chosen words. Thus,
Barabbas and The Woman sing words from
Nummi’s poem, Judas passages from The
Book of Job, The Maiden and The
Youth excerpts from The Song of Songs.
The narrator (One of the Twelve) generally
speaks words from The Acts of the
Apostles and from the Gospels. Each
character is thus clearly characterised
by the words that he/she sings, rather
than by the music to which each of them
sings. The variety of the literary sources
also reflects the composer’s deeply
human concerns and sympathy for the
different characters. Barabbas, about
whom very little is actually known,
never failed to intrigue and fire the
imagination. From this point of view,
I believe that Michel de Ghelderode’s
magnificent play is exemplary: it gives
flesh to someone witnessing Christ’s
passion from a quite different point
of view realising that it is he who
should have been crucified. Mary Magdalene
clearly stands on Barabbas’s side, and
so does The Woman in Sallinen’s piece.
Similarly, Sallinen never condemns Judas
for his betrayal. "The fact that
he was designated a traitor by prophecy
could make him one of the most tragic
martyrs of world history" (Aulis
Sallinen). Such humane concerns are
not rare in Sallinen’s oeuvre - just
think of the compassion he feels for
the poor people in his opera The
Red Line.
The variety of the
literary sources is also further emphasised
in the different dialogues. The first
dialogue (Nocturne) is shared
by Barabbas and The Woman (words from
Nummi’s poem Breathing in the Night).
The next three dialogues, subtitled
Easter I, II and III
respectively, have Judas (words from
The Book of Job) and Barabbas
(words from Nummi’s poem and by Sallinen),
in dialogue with One of the Twelve (words
from The Acts dealing with Christ’s
Passion). Dialogue 5 (Pas de Deux)
has the only real dialogue in the whole
work in which The Maiden and The Youth
express their mutual love with words
from The Song of Songs. Dialogue
6 (subtitled Passacaglia) contrasts
the down-to-earth reality of Barabbas
and The Woman with the youthful confidence
of The Maiden and The Youth. Only in
Dialogue 7 are all characters present.
Dialogue 7 is also the only place where
there is an attempt at finding an answer
to the many questions raised earlier
in the piece. The answer may ultimately
lie in the words: "The Kingdom
of Heaven is at hand, it is within
you" (my emphasis).
Clearly, Barabbas
Dialogues raises many points
without providing any easy answer, probably
because "the experience of reading
[the Bible] didn’t provide clear answers,
but rather raised a cascade of big questions"
(Sallinen).
Barabbas Dialogues
is one of Sallinen’s most personal
and complex works, not because of the
music but for the "unanswered questions"
it raises. It is thus up to any of us
to try to see through the whole and
to find our own answers. Musically speaking,
this beautiful, often gripping and thought-provoking
piece is a high watermark in Sallinen’s
output. The vocal parts are all superbly
written and the small ensemble is handled
with remarkable resourcefulness, invention
and imagination. "Is Barabbas
Dialogues a song cycle, a chamber
opera, a cantata, a piece of music theatre
or something else?", the composer
asks. I for one do not know, and – frankly
– it does not matter that much, if at
all; but I firmly believe that Barabbas
Dialogues is a great piece of
music that should not – and must not
– be ignored.
Hubert Culot
I firmly believe that
Barabbas Dialogues is
a great piece of music that should not
– and must not – be ignored. ... see
Full Review
Petteri Salomaa (baritone, Barrabas); Riikka Rantanen
(mezzo-soprano, The Woman); Juha Kotilainen (bass-baritone,
Judas); Mari Palo (soprano, The Maiden); Topi
Lehtipuu (tenor, The Youth); Kalle Holmberg (narrator);
Mika Väyrynen (accordion); Elina Vähälä
(violin); Arto Noras (cello); Ilpo Mansnerus (flute);
Michael Lethiec (clarinet); Ari-Pekka Mäenpää
(percussion); Ralf Gothoni (piano and conductor)
