The Horseman (opera)

The Horseman (Finnish: Ratsumies, Swedish: Ryttaren) is an opera in three acts by Aulis Sallinen, based on a libretto by Paavo Haavikko. It was premiered at the Savonlinna Opera Festival on 17 June 1975 to celebrate the 500th anniversary of the Olavinlinna Castle, and is the first of Sallinen's operas, and is replete with heavy symbolism and historical allegories. According to George Loomis, writing in The New York Times, the work "is widely credited for helping to precipitate a wave of Finnish operas".

A critic at the premiere described the work as a "timeless parable of a country and nation ground between, and harried by two mighty neighbours" (Sweden and Russia), depicting "the sufferings of individuals speak for the sufferings of a long downtrodden nation". Its libretto "filled with paradoxes and ambiguities, is like a crossword puzzle with several correct solutions".

Sallinen's music is described as "immediately and excitingly accessible... with powerful dramatic feeling." The work can be seen as "three symphonic sequences that share thematic material but are different in character" where the orchestral forces have a pre-eminent role.

The work won the composer's prize of the Nordic Council (Nordic Council Music Prize) in 1978.