Kalevala

Official release of Finlands 70's legends Kalevala, replacing the 'Live in Europe' CD, which is now deleted. This official issue is a 2-CD with all of 'Live in Europe' on disc 1, recorded between '70 and '77. Disc 2 has all of Kalevala's 3rd album 'Abrahams Boue Refrain' remastered plus 5 unreleased tracks. The CD has a great 20 page booklet packed with photos and liner notes.

The Kalevala is a compilation of mostly original folk poetry, arranged into fifty extensive runos (‘poems’) by the Finnish physician and folklorist Elias Lönnrot. Beginning with the creation of the world, it develops into a series of separate episodes which nevertheless form a rich whole, introducing epic characters such as Väinämöinen, Lemminkäinen and Kullervo. The collection first appeared in 1835, with a final, extended version being published in 1849, and was soon hailed as Finland’s ‘national epos’ – a sensitive matter given that the country had been subjected to Russian rule since 1809. It came to play a major part in Finland’s national awakening and had a massive influence on Finnish art in the late 19th century, but its role in the national consciousness remains important even today.

Famous among Progressive rock fans worldwide for being probably the classiest (and most complete) publication in this style, the Finnish magazine Colossus had the great idea to ask thirty bands of the whole world to illustrate the national Finnish epic: "Kalevala". It is made of old ballads and traditional songs, but is also part of a huge group of legends, which has inspired both J.R.R. Tolkien for his mythic "Lord Of The Rings" and composer Sibelius, among others. The idea that contributed to the creation of "Kalevala - A Finnish Progressive Rock Epic" was to use exclusively instruments of the Seventies, in order to obtain the "Aging" that the story needed. The result is absolutely stunning: three albums included in a box-set designed as beautifully as the famous Colossus covers. As for the music, the listener won't be disappointed! He'll be delighted to hear about four hours of sumptuous and rich (Vocal or instrumental) Progressive rock…

The Kalevala is a compilation of mostly original folk poetry, arranged into fifty extensive runos (‘poems’) by the Finnish physician and folklorist Elias Lönnrot. Beginning with the creation of the world, it develops into a series of separate episodes which nevertheless form a rich whole, introducing epic characters such as Väinämöinen, Lemminkäinen and Kullervo. The collection first appeared in 1835, with a final, extended version being published in 1849, and was soon hailed as Finland’s ‘national epos’ – a sensitive matter given that the country had been subjected to Russian rule since 1809. It came to play a major part in Finland’s national awakening and had a massive influence on Finnish art in the late 19th century, but its role in the national consciousness remains important even today.

Was den deutschen ihr Nibelungenlied, das ist den Finnen die Kalevala. Dieses Nationalepos inspirierte Sibelius zu künstlerischen Höchstleistungen, wie Der Schwan von Tuonela oder Tapiola. Im reich bebilderten Booklet werden zudem die wichtigsten Szenen durch Werke des Nationalkünstlers Aksela Gallen-Kallelas illustriert. Für die Zusammenstellung konnte man aus dem reichhaltigen Fundus hervorragender Sibelius-Aufnahmen des Ondine-Katalogs schöpfen.

In 2007, the 50th anniversary of Sibelius’s death, BIS begins the release of a 13-volume edition of all the music that the great master ever created – from the symphonies and tone poems to chamber works and songs. As well as the published works, the edition includes rare original versions and world première recordings of works from his youth – material which to a large extent is unique to BIS. The edition – a grand total of some 65 discs – contains previously released as well as new material, in volumes of 4-6 discs sorted by genre.

The Finnish progressive rock appreciation and fan society Colossus has been making a rather good name for itself in recent years, ever since it started issuing a line of project releases back in 2000. In collaboration with the legendary French record label Musea, more than a dozen concepts have been conceived, executed and issued. The first of these projects was named "Tuonen Tytär", a double CD featuring tributes to various Finnish artists from the golden age of progressive rock. Come 2009 and the second instalment of this particular project,"Tuonen Tytär" is at hand, a massive 3 CD box set, and as customary with a Colossus project production, a large, informative booklet…

A fresh new recording of Jean Sibelius early breakthrough work by the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra under its conductor Hannu Lintu. This recording with two male choirs, the Estonian National Male Choir and the Polytech Choir, brings up the full drama of this gigantic 70-minute work which during Sibelius lifetime was often referred to as a symphony. The work tells the story of Kullervo, a tragic hero drawn from the Finnish national epic, the Kalevala. While a student in Vienna, Sibelius started planning to write a large work that would crystallize the rising Finnish national feeling in music.