Previous Challenge Entry (Level 2 – Intermediate)
Topic: Music (03/08/07)
-
TITLE: Karelian Fever | Previous Challenge Entry
By Virginia Lee Bliss
03/14/07 -
LEAVE COMMENT ON ARTICLE
SEND A PRIVATE COMMENT
ADD TO MY FAVORITES
Hannu Kokkonen, first violinist, looked about the empty chairs. He recalled the events that had brought him here—to the Karelian Autonomous Republic of the Soviet Union.
He had grown up in Fitchburg, Massachusetts where his parents were active in the Finnish Lutheran Church. He was sixteen at the start of the Depression. Unemployment was high, especially among Finns. Their difficulty in learning English, the often exotic cast to their features, their reputation for leftist politics made finding work difficult.
One evening in 1932 Hannu attended a Socialists’ meeting at Saima Hall. The speaker was a recruiter for the Prime Minister of Karelia, Edvard Gylling, Socialist and Finnish nationalist. Hoping to preserve the Republic’s Finnish character, Gylling had persuaded Stalin to send recruiters to encourage Finnish Americans to immigrate to Karelia.
Hannu’s father warned him that the Russians could not be trusted, with their centuries of oppression of the Finnish people. Hannu had insisted that all that ended with the overthrow of the Czar. Stalin had promised that the Karelian Republic would remain autonomous.
So Hannu along with other idealists, ignoring the warnings of their parents, set off for Karelia, believing themselves pioneers of a utopian Finnish community. Swept up in Karelian Fever, nearly 6000 Finnish Americans immigrated between 1931 and 1934.
At first Hannu enjoyed life. He worked as a lumberjack and together with other new arrivals founded the Karelian Symphony Orchestra. He played on a Finnish baseball team and read a Finnish language newspaper. Shopping privileges at special stores for foreigners offset the lower standard of living.
Life was so good that Hannu could almost forget the train station filled with emaciated Ukrainians that he had encountered upon his arrival in Karelia.
In the autumn of 1935 Stalin’s policies took a new turn. The shopping privileges for foreigners ended. Gylling was forced to resign and was replaced by a Russian.
Beginning in 1936 there were arrests and executions of many Finnish Americans.
Hannu’s friend Kimmo, was a teacher and first trumpet in the orchestra. Kimmo was told that in order to continue teaching he must obtain a Soviet passport. After applying for the passport he learned that by doing so he had forfeited his American citizenship. Soon after, Kimmo disappeared.
Slowly Hannu returned to the present. He looked at his violin. Once it had played the most beautiful classical music and the finest American jazz. Now it only played music approved by Stalin.
Several weeks later on a beautiful June morning Hannu awoke to the news that Gylling had been arrested and shot.
On July 1 the Finnish language was outlawed. Finnish newspapers and radio stations were shut down. Finnish books were burned.
One morning in mid July, while who was left of the orchestra waited for the conductor, Liisa one of the flautists, rose from her chair and began to play Finlandia.
My God, Liisa! Horrified-----yet tears sprang to Hannu’s eyes as the sweet strains filled the room.
The voice of Liisa’s flute sang an entire orchestra. Hannu imagined clarinets and oboes breathing a sense of holiness. He and the other strings, introducing a more human voice. Kimmo resounding with the fighting spirit of the brass.
Jean Sibelius had wanted no words for his composition. He intended it to be played, not sung, allowing the music to speak for itself.
Beloved by the Finnish people, the hymn was despised by Finland’s enemies, yet evoked mystery and enchantment in her friends.
The following morning Liisa was not at rehearsal.
A few days later, at the conclusion of rehearsal, Seppo the clarinetist began to play Finlandia. Hannu took up his bow and joined him. Then Matti on his trumpet.
Afterwards the three men departed from the music hall and stole into the woods. With a compass and some food they headed towards Finland.
In constant danger of arrest they sloshed through swamps, swam across rivers, and tied logs together for a raft. They slept on the ground enduring cold, hunger and mosquitos.
At last! They reached their destination where they were----arrested by the Finnish border patrol.
But the mosquito bites, the hunger and cold, told their story. The police saw clearly that the three men were genuine refugees, not spies.
Hannu telegraphed: “Mother! Father! Thank God, I am coming home!”
The opinions expressed by authors may not necessarily reflect the opinion of FaithWriters.com.
If you died today, are you absolutely certain that you would go to heaven? You can be right now. CLICK HERE
JOIN US at FaithWriters for Free. Grow as a Writer and Spread the Gospel.
A wonderful blend of chilling tragedy with ultimate hope and joy. Great use of suspense with the terse lines in which each symphony member "disappears."
I also loved the imagery in this. My favorite phrases: "Kimmi resounding with the fighting spirit of the brass" and "sloshed through swamps." Great job!
I'd also like to read this as a story, rather than as a narrative, if you had more words to play with--so that we could get to know this character better. Really, really interesting!
http://www.d.umn.edu/~apogorel/karelia