Toivo Kuula's music, influenced by Jean Sibelius and the folk-music of his native Ostrobothnia, breathes the spirit of his own country.
Composer Biography
Toivo Kuula, one of the composers on this album, died a violent death in May 1918 in the aftermath of the Finnish Civil War, becoming a tragic romantic hero of Finnish music.
Compositional Technique
In Toivo Kuula's songs, the piano often serves as an accompaniment with a sonorous texture and thick chords, somewhat reminiscent of Brahms.
Performer Biography
Soprano Kirsi Tiihonen won First Prize in both the 1991 international Rio de Janeiro singing competition and the 1994 international Mirjam Helin competition, and the prestigious Lied prize at the 1995 Singer of the World competition.
Composer Biography
Leevi Madetoja, the other composer on this album, studied with Jean Sibelius at the Helsinki Music Institute and later with Vincent d'Indy in Paris and Robert Fuchs in Vienna.
Compositional Technique
Many of Toivo Kuula's songs feature a strong melodic flow, Slavic pathos, and are often in a minor key with a melancholy mood.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Leevi Madetoja, like Toivo Kuula, drew on Ostrobothnian folk-music but was more influenced by contemporary French music than the older composer.
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