Stories by

"Percussionist Minna Koskenlahti’s first solo album, Toinen/Other, is an utterly hypnotic experience. It challenges the listener to engage with thoughts and emotions."

"The contrasts found in polska tunes reflect the structures of Pandolfi’s sonatas quite wonderfully. The transitions between the two genres are bold and invigorating."

"Each track makes the listener marvel at the many facets of the stories and of the music. The wild and wonderful tales of folk tradition have here found a worthy interpreter."

"The Ilkka Heinonen Trio operates with a broad and downright electrifying range of colours."

History will be made later this month, as Nicholas Collon becomes the first non-Finn to lead the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra. What can Finland expect from the British musician – and should the rest of the world be listening too?

Kaija Saariaho has done it again: her opera Innocence, premiered in Aix-en-Provence, proved to be a masterpiece and was enthusiastically received by the audience and critics alike. Its distressing subject, a school shooting, was merely the starting point for a multi-faceted exploration of humanity and trauma. Text, music and drama came together in a rich and emotional blend. Is this the best opera that Saariaho has ever written?

During the last year, music consumption has been confined inside the four walls of individual homes, but at the same time it has expanded with the help of streamed concerts which give access to performances from around the world.

"The resilience of our industry has been weighed in the balance and found to be sound. We will pull through this, but it will require us to accept that the change is permanent and to respond to that change," writes Annamaija Saarela in her FMQ column.

As the pandemic fades in Finland and live gigs resume, what have we learned from the abrupt leap into the virtual space? And where do we go from here? Is live streaming here to stay – or just the first step?