Kalevi Aho - Symphony No. 3 / Songs & Dances of Death (Mussorgsky)

2003; 8 tracks
Osmo Vänskä / Lahti Symphony Orchestra
Jaakko Kausisto, violin
Matti Salminen, bass

Kalevi Aho is a Finnish composer who studied under the great Einojuhani Rautavaara and composed his Symphony No. 3 for violin and orchestra between 1971 and 1973. Songs & Dances of Death is a song cycle by Russian composer Modest Mussorgsky, but here Kalevi Aho has orchestrated it into 4 songs for voice and piano.

I thank Cliff Skoog for bringing the work of this composer to my attention.

01 Symphony No. 3 (Sinfonia Concertante), I. Andante
02 Symphony No. 3 (Sinfonia Concertante), II. Prestissimo
03 Symphony No. 3 (Sinfonia Concertante), III. Lento
04 Symphony No. 3 (Sinfonia Concertante), IV. Presto
05 Songs & Dances of Death, I. Cradle Song
06 Songs & Dances of Death, II. Serenade
07 Songs & Dances of Death, III. Trepak
08 Songs & Dances of Death, IV. The Field Marshal

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Tenhi - Complete Discography

Hallavedet EP

1998; 2 tracks

01 Hallavedet (The Glacial Waters)
02 Hiljaiseksi Lampi Jää (The Pond Stays Still)

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Kauan

1999; 10 tracks

01 Näkin Laulu (The Chant Of Näkki)
02 Huomen (Morrow)
03 Revontulet (Northern Lights)
04 Hallavedet (The Glacial Waters)
05 Etäisyyksien Taa (Beyond Distances)
06 Lauluni Sinulle (Mavourneen's Song)
07 Taival (Straying)
08 Suoto (Drift)
09 Kielo
10 Niin Auer Hiljaa Vie

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Airut:Ciwi

2001; 3 tracks

01 Tuulennostatus
02 Kielo
03 Ciwenkierto

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Väre

2002; 12 tracks

01 Vastakaiun
02 Jäljen
03 Vilja
04 Keväin
05 Yötä
06 Suortuva
07 Tenhi
08 Sutoi
09 Katve
10 Varis Eloinen
11 Kuolleesi Jokeen

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Maaäet

2006; 12 tracks

01 Varpuspäivä (Sparrow-Day)
02 Kuoppa (Depth)
03 Kuulut Kesiin (July's Wreath)
04 Salain (Shapeless)
05 Viimeiseen (Through Bloom-Blades)
06 Vähäinen Violetissa (Lithe In Lilac)
07 Sarastuskävijä (Frail)
08 Maa Syttyy (Orphan Joy)
09 Tuulenkaato (Falter)
10 Aatos (Reverie)
11 Uuvu Oravan Luu (Ease Squirrel Bone)
12 Rannalta Haettu (From The Shore)

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I'm actually quite upset with myself that I haven't posted any Tenhi before now. I mean, seriously? They are one of the greatest ensembles of musicians this world has ever brought forth, and every single one of you needs to immediately drop what you're doing and listen to them. That is an order.

Tenhi is a Finnish group that plays neofolk and traditional folk music of a very dark and atmospheric kind. Exquisitely beautiful melodies and vocals are only two of the varied aspects that make Tenhi better than others of this style. From a few sources now I have seen that "Tenhi" means "village elder" in the Finnish language, so I am inclined to believe that is true. All throughout their music, ritual chants accompany extremely nature-based landscapes. There is a definite traditional aspect to the Tenhi's music, so much so that one wonders whether these are the very sounds of a Finnish village centuries and centuries ago. One can dream.

If you don't know where to start, my personal favorites are Kauan and Maaäet, respectively. I also really, really love the final track of Väre.

Loitsu - Suohengen Sija

2006; 4 tracks

Loitsu (The Spell) is a Finnish neofolk project started by R. Kurkijávri. The project is highly nature-based, the music very intimate with earth. I'm not exactly sure if Suohengen Sija is an album or demo, but it contains the first three tracks of the demo Aamujen Auer and a bonus track.

"Loitsu is a painting, where shamanistic lonely grim and shimmering brightness of the northern lights are combined with the ecstasy of sounds that acoustic instruments are creating. Mysticism of nature and it's wonderful ambiences play together with the beauty of guitars, piano, violin, flute and depths of a shaman drum."

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Einojuhani Rautavaara - Angel of Light, Cantus Arcticus, and Dances with the Winds

1999 ; 11 tracks

Einojuhani Rautavaara is a Finnish composer of powerful classical music in the likeness of Grieg, Tveitt, Sibelius, and other Scandinavian composers. Here are his most amazing works, in my opinion, that are hardly obscure or inaccessible, despite the fact that Rautavaara is quite often overlooked. His music is icy and powerful, and, as stated before, much like Tveitt and Greig. I love love love Tveitt's "Aurora Borealis" piano concerto, and the Concerto for Birds & Orchestra (which is, needless to say, an ingenious concept) is very similar in landscape and communicative power.

I highly, highly recommend Rautavaara as his vivacious and almost -foreign-, exciting nature, shown through these three remarkable pieces, will honestly take your breath away.

1-4. Symphony No. 7 ('Angel of Light')
Jaakko Kuusisto / Lahti Symphony Orchestra

5-8. Flute Concerto ('Dances with the Winds'), Op. 69
Sakari Tepponen / Lahti Symphony Orchestra

9-11.Cantus Arcticus (Concerto for Birds & Orchestra), for orchestra & taped bird songs, Op. 61
Osmo Vänskä / Lahti Symphony Orchestra


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