Stories by

"It is a well-known fact that music was made and performed in great quantities in Finland during the 17th and 18th centuries. Nevertheless, Baroque music from Finland is today rarely performed or even talked about."

Heinz-Juhani Hofmann has attracted attention with vocal works addressing troublesome subjects. His no-holds-barred naturalism relishes contrasts and extremities.

"This time I’m especially impressed by the slow and lyrical tangos, although sometimes I fear the danceable side of the tango starts to get lost."

Singing with the voice of old men and playing the jouhikko, an ancient bowed lyre, Pekko Käppi is hot stuff in Finland and abroad with his band. The archaic boogie performed by K:H:H:L seems to resonate with an incredible variety of audiences. Käppi is on the front line in the resurrection of one of Finland’s oldest instruments.

Prostitutes and jugglers, silent film and poetry. Composer Lotta Wennäkoski boldly tackles social subjects and explores territory between art genres.

Before the great October Revolution in 1917, the cultural contacts between Helsinki and St. Petersburg were amazingly strong and lively. St. Petersburg was the political and, above all, cultural capital of the Russian Empire, to which Finland also belonged.

"Crime jazz or soundtrack sounds? Yes, but in addition to allusions of the ’60s there are other things to chew on in Jimi Tenor and UMO Jazz Orchestra’s collective effort."

"Producing premiere recordings of Traumgesicht and two other key works by Melartin is an act of high cultural merit."

Whenever a new guitar work draws its inspiration from Spain, I become circumspect: not again. Hakola manages to surprise positively, though. Apparently, he has identified in medieval Spain something akin to his well-known all- inclusive musical language: a harmonious co- existence of views, beliefs and traditions.