This album, "Suomalainen Virsi 2" (Finnish Hymn 2), is the second collection of hymn arrangements by the Lahti Symphony Orchestra.
Performer Biography
Osmo Vänskä, the conductor, has been the artistic director of the Lahti Symphony Orchestra since 1988 and will become the artistic director of the Minnesota Orchestra in 2003.
Historical Context
The renewed interest in traditional Finnish hymns is seen as a reaction against the dominance of American popular music and a search for national identity.
Cultural Impact
The first volume of Finnish hymns by the Lahti Symphony Orchestra, BIS-CD-1149, quickly achieved gold record status, selling over 15,000 copies.
Recording & Production
This album was recorded in the Church of the Cross (Ristinkirkko) in Lahti, Finland, a building designed by the renowned Finnish architect Alvar Aalto and completed in 1978.
Compositional Technique
Nearly a third of the hymns on this album are folk adaptations, or 'kansantoisintoja', from various regions of Finland, which reflect the authentic Finnish hymn-singing tradition.
Performer Biography
Osmo Vänskä, the conductor, was awarded the prestigious Royal Philharmonic Society Music Award in 2002 for his contributions to interpreting the music of Sibelius and Nielsen.
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