Saira Mir

Their name taken from the 1997 Russian space-station, MIR plundered ground similar to the glut of ambient-electronic groups obsessed with science-fiction/alien themes. The group's cover of the Church's "Under the Milky Way Tonight" became a moderate hit in several European countries, and they released their debut album Welcome Spacebrothers on Eye-Q in early 1997. Unfortunately, the label closed its doors soon after.

Works of Manuel de Falla - widely regarded as the most distinguished Spanish composer of the early twentieth century - are strongly influenced by Spanish folk music in which the guitar is central. Although he composed only one piece for that instrument his inspiration was flamenco and early Spanish music, including the guitar works of Gaspar Sanz. The guitar also features in Falla‘s first great success, the opera ‘La Vida Breve’. For this recording, we have selected and transcribed works in which the influence of the guitar was dominant thus translating these pieces back to their original source of inspiration.

The joint history of former string quartet violinist Virpi Räisänen and the Danel Quartet began nearly thirty years ago when the young chamber musicians met at the master class of the legendary Borodin Quartet at the Britten-Pears School in England.