From Sibelius to Amorphis: Romantic Movements and Heavy Metal in Finland
Abstract
Dr. Boulton's presentation will take us on a journey through national romanticism and demonstrate how Finland’s national epic poem—Kalevala—has endured through a diverse range of musical expressions. Among the central figures to understanding this cultural work are Jean Sibelius and the Kalevala-inspired suites and symphonies from the late 19th-to early 20th-centuries, and Amorphis, Finland’s first death metal band.
By attending to metrical patterns, invocations of oral tradition, and different themes of Kalevala, Dr. Boulton will show how both Sibelius and Amorphis demonstrate the ways divergent styles of music separated by over a century can nevertheless embody and sustain suomaliasuus—the essence of Finnishness. Comparing these different approaches to Finnish identity in romantic movements helps further account for how such expressions inspired Finnish music to become a cultural export in the age of globalization.
Dr. Boulton’s presentation is based on research from a forthcoming book chapter featured in Romanticism and Heavy Metal, edited by James Rovira (2024).
College
College of Liberal Arts
Department
English
Location
Stark 103 & Zoom: https://minnstate.zoom.us/j/95740841229
Start Date
2-4-2024 6:00 PM
End Date
2-4-2024 7:00 PM
Presentation Type
Presentation
2024-Clasp-Boulton-PromotionalImage
From Sibelius to Amorphis: Romantic Movements and Heavy Metal in Finland
Stark 103 & Zoom: https://minnstate.zoom.us/j/95740841229
Dr. Boulton's presentation will take us on a journey through national romanticism and demonstrate how Finland’s national epic poem—Kalevala—has endured through a diverse range of musical expressions. Among the central figures to understanding this cultural work are Jean Sibelius and the Kalevala-inspired suites and symphonies from the late 19th-to early 20th-centuries, and Amorphis, Finland’s first death metal band.
By attending to metrical patterns, invocations of oral tradition, and different themes of Kalevala, Dr. Boulton will show how both Sibelius and Amorphis demonstrate the ways divergent styles of music separated by over a century can nevertheless embody and sustain suomaliasuus—the essence of Finnishness. Comparing these different approaches to Finnish identity in romantic movements helps further account for how such expressions inspired Finnish music to become a cultural export in the age of globalization.
Dr. Boulton’s presentation is based on research from a forthcoming book chapter featured in Romanticism and Heavy Metal, edited by James Rovira (2024).
