Stories by

The wars fought in the early decades of Finland’s independence cast a long, dark shadow far into the second half of the 20th century. The voice of war in works by Finnish composers speaks of victory, defeat, grief and reconciliation.

War, prison camps, famine and death are rather less than cheerful topics to feature at a music festival. Sibafest 2018, organised by the Sibelius Academy of the University of the Arts Helsinki, managed to find optimism within its chosen theme of #civilpeace – a message of peace, future, reconciliation and coexistence.

"Pekko Käppi and K:H:H:L's new album Matilda is both a sophisticated and raw continuation to its predecessor, the brilliant Sanguis Meus, Mama!"

"Johanna Juhola is a confident accordion star who has created her own unique style. Despite shining the limelight on the accordion, her music portrays a strong vision beyond just one instrument."

"Originally classically trained, J-P Piirainen takes his influences not just from Finnish folk, but from American fingerpicking styles too and flamenco. It’s an album for guitar lovers as well as folk fans."

"Päivi Hirvonen approaches music with focus and attitude, but then lets it speak for itself. Her music-making is quite intimate but at times incorporates a lot of different layers, expanding herself into an orchestra or a choir."

"Stop! Listen! The tempi and moods keep changing, but the familiar and tested combination forms the backbone of Wimme and Rinne's new album, Human."

After three solo albums in the jazz-rock vein and a colourful career that has taken him from jazz to power metal and beyond, Lauri Porra is preparing to introduce the world to his new classical venture Entropia. He is the great-grandson of Jean Sibelius and he feels all borders between music genres are artificial or arbitrary.

Lauri Porra reveals in the first sentence of his booklet commentary that he is the great-grandson of Jean Sibelius – but it’s more by way of explaining his musical background than to trade on the relationship.