In the decimal system standardised by humankind, we have chosen to pay special attention to those years when our planet has completed ten (or several tens of) orbits around the Sun since a certain person’s birth or since something was created. (Sometimes the number may also end in five, especially when it’s 25 or 75.) In this edition of FMQ’s playlist, we congratulate Finnish composers, musicians and institutions.
Jean Sibelius 160 years – Heimo Haitto 100 years – Santtu-Matias Rouvali 40 years
Finland’s national composer Jean Sibelius (1865–1957) was celebrated extensively in Finland and around the world ten years ago; this time, the anniversary has been marked more modestly. Yet as Finland’s most frequently performed orchestral composer, Sibelius’s jubilee year is, in a sense, ongoing all the time.
On a vintage recording of Humoresque Op. 89 No. 4, the soloist is Finland’s first international violin star, Heimo Haitto (1925–1999), who rose to fame as a child prodigy in Hollywood. Internationally active Finnish conductors are often expected to present their own interpretations of Sibelius’s major works — whether in the concert hall or on record. Here we hear Santtu-Matias Rouvali, who celebrates his 40th birthday in November, conducting the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra in the finale of Symphony No. 5.
Erkki Melartin 150 years – Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra 95 years – Veli-Matti Puumala 60 years
The generation of composers younger than Sibelius remained in the shadow of the giant, yet many of them developed the national romantic style in their own distinct directions. The prolific Erkki Melartin (1875–1937) had his stylistic roots in late Romanticism, and the large-scale architecture of his symphonies shows affinities with Gustav Mahler. In his later years, his music also absorbed influences from Impressionism and Expressionism.
The Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra, celebrating its 95th anniversary this year, recorded the complete symphonies of Melartin under the baton of Leonid Grin in 1999. The orchestra’s repertoire features a strong representation of 20th- and 21st-century music, exemplified here by Chainsprings (cond. Hannu Lintu) by Veli-Matti Puumala, Professor of Composition at the Sibelius Academy, who marks his 60th birthday this year.
Uuno Klami 125 years – Sinfonia Lahti 75 years
Sinfonia Lahti has long been known for its active role in recording works by Finnish composers, beginning with Osmo Vänskä’s landmark Sibelius recordings. Subsequent chief conductors, Okko Kamu, Dima Slobodeniouk and Dalia Stasevska, have continued to uphold this artistic profile. The Kalevala Suite by Uuno Klami (1900–1961), who celebrates his 125th anniversary this year, is part of a recording themed around Finland’s national epic.
Marjatta Pokela 100 years
Singer, composer and lyricist Marjatta Pokela (1925–2002) is remembered in Finland both as the creator of beloved children’s songs cherished across generations and as one of the key figures in the folk music revival, together with her husband, kantele artist Martti Pokela.
Juhani Aaltonen 90 years – Edward Vesala 80 years – Esa Helasvuo 80 years
Flutist and saxophonist Juhani ‘Junnu’ Aaltonen stands as the elder statesman of Finnish jazz and one of the country’s most recorded studio musicians. Svart Records’ Jazz-Liisa reissue series features sessions made at Yle’s Liisankatu Studio, capturing the intersections of jazz, free improvisation and progressive rock. In this 1973 concert, Aaltonen performs alongside leading European free jazz drummer Edward Vesala (1945–1999), double bassist Teppo Hauta-aho (1941–2021) and pianist Esa Helasvuo, who turned 80 earlier this year.
Aulis Sallinen 90 years – Lilli Paasikivi 60 years – Mari Palo 50 years
Composer Aulis Sallinen is internationally renowned above all for his operas from the 1970s to the 1990s, such as Punainen viiva (The Red Line), Ratsumies (The Horseman) and Kuningas lähtee Ranskaan (The King Goes Forth to France). On the 2006 recording of Kuningas lähte Ranskaan, based on Paavo Haavikko’s satirical libretto, the roles feature two artists also celebrating anniversaries this year: mezzo-soprano and long-time Finnish National Opera director Lilli Paasikivi and soprano Mari Palo.
Jyväskylä Sinfonia 75 years – Knif Audio 20 years
Through long-term development work, Jyväskylä Sinfonia has achieved both an international recording contract with the Naxos label and concert attendance rates approaching full capacity. Olli Virtaperko’s concerto Ambrosian Delights features as solo instrument the Knifonium synthesizer, developed by music technologist Jonte Knif, whose creations have also found their way into the hands of film composer Hans Zimmer. Knif Audio, the company handcrafting these world-class studio tools, celebrates its 20th anniversary this year.
Jukka Linkola 70 years – Heikki Halme 70 years – Villa Karo 25 years
Pianist and composer Jukka Linkola has written jazz, orchestral and chamber music, musicals, and film scores and has served as long-time musical director of the Helsinki City Theatre. His creative energy remains undiminished, as heard on recent recordings by his ensemble, Linkola Tentet. His contemporary, woodwind player Heikki ‘Hepa’ Halme, has made several journeys to Benin in West Africa, originally through Villa Karo, the Finnish-African cultural centre and artist residency that now marks its 25th anniversary.
UMO Helsinki Jazz Orchestra 50 years – Jimi Tenor 60 years
UMO is one of Finland’s two professional big bands (and the older one, alongside the Air Force Band). Over the decades it has built its reputation both through collaborations with American jazz greats and through its boldly open-minded work with artists ranging from contemporary classical composers to rap musicians. On the 2021 release Terra Exotica, the soloist is Jimi Tenor, who throughout his career has recorded with Afrobeat legend Tony Allen as well as released electronic music through the renowned British label Warp Records.
Darude 50 years
The most famous — and most played — Finnish track in the world is not Sibelius’s Finlandia, nor our national anthem Maamme, nor the viral meme hit Ievan polkka: it is Sandstorm, the 1999 trance classic by Darude, (Ville Virtanen). On Spotify alone, the track has surpassed 500 million streams, and it continues to resound at sporting events across the globe.
Teemu Viinikainen 50 years
Jazz guitarist Teemu Viinikainen has received all of Finland’s major jazz awards and performed with stars such as Joe Lovano, Vince Mendoza and Randy Brecker. However, worsening tinnitus led him to step away from a performance-centered career in 2019. His 2023 album Songs of Silence explores a renewed relationship with sound and silence.
Tuomas Toivonen 50 years
At the turn of the millennium, musician and architect Tuomas Toivonen’s band Giant Robot was a shining example of Helsinki’s musical cool, blending jazz, hip hop and electronics. The group made a comeback at the 2024 Helsinki Festival, followed this year by the release of the EP Raft of Medusa. The cover art features Kulttuurisauna (the Culture Sauna) in Helsinki’s Merihaka district, designed by Toivonen together with his wife, Nene Tsuboi.
Sami Sänpäkkilä 50 years – Fonal Records 30 years
Founded in 1995 by Sami Sänpäkkilä, Fonal Records enjoys cult status as a label for Finnish experimental music, with artists such as Islaja, Lau Nau, and Paavoharju among its catalogue. The label gained unexpected international attention when the American music media outlet Pitchfork took a liking to it. Sänpäkkilä himself released five albums under his alias Es on Fonal during the 1990s and 2000s.
Outi Tarkiainen 40 years
Composer OutiTarkiainen, who has made a well-deserved international breakthrough in recent years, draws inspiration from natural phenomena — above all from the landscapes of northern Finland and Sápmi and from the human connection to the Arctic — as well as explicitly from themes of motherhood and womanhood. Her musical language echoes elements of spectralism, impressionism, and early 20th-century symphonic writing.
Linda Fredriksson 40 years
Saxophonist Linda Fredriksson has moved between the worlds of jazz and indie music since the early days of the trio Mopo. Juniper (2021), described by Fredriksson as a ‘singer-songwriter album,’ won both the Teosto and Emma Awards for its fearless emotional depth and originality.
Aili Järvelä 40 years
Singer-songwriter Aili Järvelä, originally from the folk music stronghold of Kaustinen, has just released a new solo album in collaboration with the Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra. She also performs in the ethno-supergroup BFP and is currently composing a new international musical. Her previous musical, the Swedish-language Katrina, is already approaching its hundredth performance.
Vilma Jää 30 years
Folk music–trained singer Vilma Jää’s career took a major leap forward when Kaija Saariaho (1962–2023) chose her to sing a central role in her final opera, Innocence. Jää’s solo work moves boldly toward electronic pop. Her intense album Kosto (Revenge), addressing themes of abuse, is like a Kill Bill of Finnish folk music.
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One playlist cannot encompass the entire world — or even all of Finland. For every anniversary we’ve marked here, there are dozens more worth celebrating.
Featured photo: E.M. Staf (Vapriikin kuva-arkisto)