Finnish baritone Arttu Kataja fell in love with Lied music in his first singing lessons at the age of 16 but the idea of his own Lied record was born only after he had worked as a professional for years. The collaboration with pianist Pauliina Tukiainen had already begun years earlier, and the joint record project also felt natural. Both artists have roots and identity in Finland, but both have grown up in the profession and worked in Germany for years. In addition, both Kataja and Tukiainen share a passionate and uncom-promising attitude towards Lied music. In recent years, the couple has given concerts not only in Central Europe but also in Helsinki, where their interpretation of Schubert's Winterreis was a critical success. They will start the 2020/2021 season with a Lied concert at the Berlin State Opera.

Leaked. The Rasmus break boundaries: WEIRDO is the much-anticipated new album from the Finnish rock icons. With their unmistakable blend of dark pop-rock energy and melancholic melodies, the band returns with a bold, genre-bending work that redefines their sound and leaves musical conventions behind. WEIRDO will be released on September 12 and is available in several carefully curated formats - including a CD version in a trifold digipak CD, a neon pink glitter vinyl, an elaborately designed collector's edition box and a retro cassette in rich purple. An absolute highlight - not only for long-time fans, but also for anyone discovering the band for the first time. First impressions are provided by the already released songs “Rest In Pieces”, “Creatures of Chaos” and “Break These Chains” - and they whet the appetite for more.

Given that it is a compilation of rarities and live performances, this double-CD retrospective is not the best starting place for those interested in the back catalog of Wigwam. It is, however, an excellent addition to those already initiated. Wigwam was one of the key players of the Finnish progressive rock scene in the late '60s and early '70s, and an instrumental group in establishing English-language rock music as a viable alternative for Finnish bands. Its ability to work clever pop melodies into their complex and innovative albums should have resulted in a much larger scale success than they achieved, but their attempts at breaking into the British market through a contract with Virgin failed, and as a result they're not well known outside Finnish borders. This retrospective CD opens with their first single release "Must Be the Devil"/"Greasy Kid's Stuff" from 1969…

Kullervo represents not only the confident first step in Sibelius's symphonic odyssey, it is also a viscerally exciting experience on its own terms. It is little wonder that the first performance in 1892 was such a triumph for the young composer. This recording from Thomas Dausgaard and the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra in an unmissable acquisition for anyone who knows only the numbered symphonies.

Cold War On The Rocks presents 20 tracks from the history of Finnish disco and early electronic music. The journey goes from orchestral disco to experimental electronic sounds and back. It includes lone 7” singles from relatively unknown performers, interesting album cuts from artists who are better known in completely different musical genres, and also a few electronic artists whose work is rather underrated.

Year 2015 marks the 150th Anniversary of the birth of Jean Sibelius (1865–1957), often entitled 'Finland’s national composer'. The fourth album on Ondine by the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir is dedicated to the complete works for mixed choir by Jean Sibelius. The award-winning choir, one of the finest of its kind internationally, is conducted here by one of the leading Finnish choir directors, Heikki Seppänen, who has conducted a large number of professional choirs in Finland and abroad. The Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir’s releases on Ondine have been a critical success: the first release was given an ‘Editor’s Choice’ by the Gramophone Magazine and ‘Disc of the Year’ by the renowned German weekly Die Zeit.

Featuring 45 minutes of material that’s previously completely unreleased, this box set contains everything Finnforest recorded in the studio. It has the three rare studio albums originally released on Love Records in 1975, 1976 and 1979, plus all non-album tracks from singles and compilations. But we didn’t stop there: we dug through the band’s archives of tape reels and found some completely unreleased music. These sessions are compiled on the fifth album: first is the band’s debut studio session from 1973 and the flipside has four songs the band managed to finish during studio sessions for a planned fourth album in 1980 before splitting up.
Finnforest were formed in the mid-70's by Finnish brothers Pekka (guitar, bass) and Jussi Tegelman (drums) with synthesizer and keyboard player Jukka Rissanen. Mostly influenced by the Mahavishnu Orchestra…

Einojuhani Rautavaara and Kalevi Aho, teacher and pupil, are both key figures in the Finnish music of their respective generations. Rautavaara's musical language evolved from neoclassicism through dodecaphony and the stylistic freedom of the 1960s before he eventually allowed himself to choose his expressive idiom according to the individual requirements of his works. Towards the end of his career, his works took on a very consistent, soft-toned character. For his part, Aho also began his career using a freely applied neoclassical style before gradually progressing to a more varied, at times modernist expressive and incisive approach. The works featured on this disc offer a glimpse into the choral output of these two composers who, in addition to demonstrating their stylistic versatility, also reveal their literary curiosity.

Nova was formed in early 1975 in Helsinki. Most of the band members had played together earlier in a band called Isojako, which apparently played more pop-orientated music. From the start, Nova's main figure was Antti Ortamo who was the main composer, lyricist and also played keyboards and sang for the band. In february 1976 Nova started recording their debut "Atlantis" in Stockholm, Sweden. The music on this album will probably remind you of Pink Floyd, Procol Harum, Wigwam, perhaps even Eloy and Yes at times. It's not the most innovative album to walk the earth, but it's a nice effort full of warm keyboard sounds and atmospheres.
First CD of this double disc set has the original version of the album, just as released in 1976. Second disc contains the brand new mix with bonus track plus the band's only single "Käytävä / Kaupungin naiset"…

Einojuhani Rautavaara and Kalevi Aho, teacher and pupil, are both key figures in the Finnish music of their respective generations. Rautavaara’s musical language evolved from neoclassicism through dodecaphony and the stylistic freedom of the 1960s before he eventually allowed himself to choose his expressive idiom according to the individual requirements of his works. Towards the end of his career, his works took on a very consistent, softtoned character. For his part, Aho also began his career using a freely applied neoclassical style before gradually progressing to a more varied, at times modernist expressive and incisive approach.

Jean Sibelius born Johan Julius Christian Sibelius, (8 December 1865 – 20 September 1957) was a Finnish composer of the late Romantic and early-modern periods. He is widely regarded as his country's greatest composer, and his music is often credited with having helped Finland develop a national identity during its struggle for independence from Russia.

The highly acclaimed Finnish prog group Haikara confronted the dilemma between artistic ambitions and commercial demands, when their 2nd album Geafar (1974) didn't sell well enough to please the record company. Left without a deal, they found a new opportunity after Vesa Lattunen had made arrangements for Jukka Kuoppamäki's album. The popular singer had his own record company, Satsanga Records. Iso Lintu was recorded in March 1975 with a new vocalist, Matti Heinänen, in the line-up. The album received mixed feelings at the time, and basically that hasn't changed in 40 years.

This fascinating collection was put together by archivist Christopher Wagner, who assembled these vintage 78 rpms recorded between 1922 and 1959 by all manner of emigrant musicians – each addressing the hopes, dreams, fears and confusions of starting a new life in a new world – into an amazing statement on diversity. Some 50 million people migrated from Europe to America in the 19th century, with millions more coming from the Far East, the West Indies, and points in between, all putting to the test the melting pot theory of American democracy, a theory that is, in many ways, still being tested. Consisting of selections by Irish string bands, Scandinavian folk ensembles, ragged street corner calypso orchestras, conjunto bands and so much more, Stranded in the USA holds a mirror to a vital period in U.S. history, and also sheds light on a nascent recording industry trying anything and everything to reach pocket audiences, a process that is difficult to imagine in a contemporary setting full of corporate multimedia giants more intent on selling culture than reflecting or serving it. This truly is the sound of America singing. Kudos to Trikont Records, a German label, for recognizing the importance of these tracks.

How do you describe a feeling, an atmosphere, a memory? How do you reach a state, a space without words? Trio Peltomaa Fraanje Perkola explores unworldly states in their newly created album komorebi, combining their original compositions and improvisations with inspiration from medieval chant and Finnish poetry. A word that cannot be transcribed, Komorebi refers to three Japanese words:木(ko),漏れ(more), and日(bi) with no straightforward translation. It can be described as “to the sunlight shining through the trees”. It beautifully captures the interplay of the aesthetics between the light and the leaves, and the shape of nature’s most profound earthly existence.

"Rankarumpu" is the 12th studio album by Korpiklaani offering a perfect mix of old school up-tempo catchiness, brilliant folk elements by Olli Vänskä (violin) and Sami Perttula (accordion), Jonne Järvelä's impeccable hooks and lyrics, resulting in refreshing, feel-good songs about going to the sauna, Finland's blue skies and snowy fields, and the band themselves in the title song. Supported by massive touring, 2024 is going to be a triumph for Korpiklaani.