Arctic Cicle

This is a compilation of contemporary Finnish folk music. The Scandinavian countries in general have a truly inspiring commitment to both preserving and nurturing the growth of their traditions, and it would be fair to put Finland right at the head of that pack. With broad governmental support of traditional arts and an accredited and honored graduate studies program at the world renowned Sibelius Academy, the range of exceptional, deeply rooted music exploding beyond Finland's borders is eclipsed by the stunningly broad range of exceptional artistry that is happening within the country.

Arctic Saxophone is the second album where Ola Asdahl Rokkones (b.1983) premieres three new classical saxophone concertos commissioned by him. The album title Arctic Saxophone is not only a reference to his hometown Tromso, but also to the three composers on this recording that all have some link to the Arctic. The two Norwegian composers Alexander Aar?en and Terje Bjorklund both originate from Northern Norway, and the Russian composer Alexander Manotskov caught his inspiration from the Russian city of Arkhangelsk.

By distilling the sounds of Franz Ferdinand, the Clash, the Strokes, and the Libertines into a hybrid of swaggering indie rock and danceable neo-punk, Arctic Monkeys became one of the U.K.'s biggest bands of the new millennium. Their meteoric rise began in 2005, when the teenagers fielded offers from major labels and drew a sold-out crowd to the London Astoria, using little more than a self-released EP as bait. Several months later, Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not became the fastest-selling debut album in British history, entrenching Arctic Monkeys in the same circle as multi-platinum acts like Oasis and Blur.