Finnish composer Kalervo Tuukkanen was awarded the silver medal for his op. 31 Karhunpyynti (Bear Hunt) at the 1948 London Art Competitions in the category Music, Compositions for Orchestra. The symphonic poem was written in 1947 for male choir and orchestra based on lyrics by Aleksis Kivi, one of Finland’s national poets. There is only one record of the work by the Finlandia orchestra in 1956. Tuukkanen studied composition with the famous Finnish composer Leevi Madetoja and at the Conservatory of Music in Helsinki and graduated in 1933 from the philosophy faculty of the University of Helsinki. From 1935-38 Tuukkanen was a teacher of music history and theory at the University of Viipuri. From 1942-44 he was Kapellmeister in Pori, and then earned his living as a conductor and teacher in Helsinki.
In 1945 Tuukkanen was among the founders of the Finnish Composers’ Association. One of Finland’s most important choirs, Helsingin Laulu, was launched by Tuukkanen in 1951. From 1967-69 Tuukkanen spent time at Hong Kong’s Chinese University as a music professor. In the 1970s, he taught at the Sibelius Academy of the University of Arts. He composed six symphonies and one symphonic poem, several orchestral suites, two violin concertos and one cello concerto, cantatas, drama, radio play and film scores. His style was neo-romantic in the succession of Sibelius and his teacher Madetoja. In addition, he published a biography of his Madetoja and a collection of essays.
Finland