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“The biggest part of my professional life so far has been writing game music arrangements, which have been performed by symphony orchestras around the world”, writes composer and arranger Jonne Valtonen, who is known for both his contemporary works and for composing and arranging game music.

September 2017, Finlandia Hall. One of Finland’s most iconic concert halls hosts an orchestral concert with a full audience that is decidedly younger than average. That’s thanks to the programme, which features music composed for video games. As thousands rise for a standing ovation for the Game Music Collective, the atmosphere is electric: something new has been born.

Salla Hakkola and Ari Pulkkinen exchange thoughts and experiences on creating game music. Each having won several international awards, they have made music for the global superhit game Angry Birds and are among the top names in Finnish game music. What does it take to write game music – and what is the state of the genre in Finland today?

"Video game music has become increasingly prominent in musical life in Finland. This special issue introduces some of the fascinating and diverse aspects of game music in the country," writes Lasse Lehtonen.

A carefully considered theme makes a music festival more than a sum of its parts, and a theme can operate on many practical levels: as a loose headline, a source of inspiration for planning, a spark to get the audience interested, or a narrative thread reaching to each detail. Heads of six Finnish festivals talk about their themes for this summer.

"It’s tantalising to try to hear how the sounds are formed – is that a plucking sound from the kantele, pizzicato from the viola or the popping of accordion buttons? Listening to this album, you really feel close to each musician and her instrument," writes Amanda Kauranne.

Minimalistic soundscapes in the middle grounds between formal and non-formal experimental music.

If Sähkökitarakvartetti were a room, it would have no walls, and you would have to check your titles, hierarchies and genres at the door. This is a space which many contemporary composers would like to enter.

As she releases her debut solo album, kantele player Hanna Ryynänen takes us into her personal musical world.