A3 Refereed book chapter or chapter in a compilation book
Kalevala in international masks: a Japanese Aino and Kalevala dell’arte.
Authors: Kendra Willson
Editors: Simon Halink
Publishing place: Leiden
Publication year: 2019
Book title : Northern myths, modern identities: the nationalisation of northern mythologies since 1800
Series title: National cultivation of culture
Number in series: 19
First page : 179
Last page: 191
Number of pages: 13
ISBN: 978-90-04-36747-0
eISBN: 978-90-04-39843-6
Web address : https://brill.com/view/title/38112?language=en
Self-archived copy’s web address: https://research.utu.fi/converis/portal/detail/Publication/44849457
Stories from Finnish mythology (most often mediated through Elias Lonnröth's Kalevala)
have been adapted for the stage in myriad ways which synthesize them
different international traditions. Aleksis Kivi's Kullervo
(1860) drew strongly on the tradition of Greek tragedy. Some modern
productions synthesize Kalevala stories with formal dramatic traditions from other parts of the world. Two recent examples are Kalevala dell'arte (2010) (directors and dramaturgs Soile
Mäkelä and Davide Giovanzana) and Aki Suzuki's Aino - Kalevala - Planet Earth No. 3 (2013). Aino presents the story of Joukahainen and Aino in the tradition of Japanese Noh theater. Kalevala dell'arte uses the language of the 16th c. Italian
commedia dell'arte
tradition (as revived in the 20th c. by Jacques LeCoq). The archetypes
and formal techniques of these international traditions lend additional
dimensions to the Kalevala stories and characters. The martial language of Aino brings
out the nature of the poetic duel between Väinämöinen and Jokahainen as a stylized battle. The commedia dell'arte techniques used in Kalevala dell'arte emphasize physicality and provide means of exploring status, gender and transformation. The
dynamism of both the Kalevala myths and the traditional theatrical forms is seen in these contemporary, international fusions.
Downloadable publication This is an electronic reprint of the original article. |