Helsinki Chamber Choir & Nils Schweckendiek – Kevät kerran on koittava (2019) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

From a 21st-century perspective, Sibelius may appear to stand more or less alone in the history of Finnish music. It is easy to forget that he could not have fulfilled his artistic potential if his environment had not been conducive to musical creativity. But much of the music that was part of that environment has been almost completely forgotten, often because its aesthetic didn’t accord with the prevailing nationalist trends of the late 19th century. In this programme of choral works, Nils Schweckendiek and his Helsinki Chamber Choir guide us through some 80 years of Finnish music for choir, from the period when the country formed part of the Russian Empire, as the Grand Duchy of Finland. It was during this time that a Finnish nationalist movement began to take form, in opposition towards the political and cultural dominance of Russia and Sweden respectively. This development can be traced in the way the idea of Spring – a staple in the songs of the Nordic countries – changes from a sense of joy at the end to the hardships of winter to a metaphor for liberation from political oppression. Another result was the Fennicization towards the end of the 19th century, during which many popular Swedish and German-language songs were translated into Finnish and the originals in effect suppressed – a case in point being the earliest piece on the disc, F. A. Ehrström’s Svanen (The Swan, 1833), which has had it’s original Swedish text restored for this recording.

Tracklist:
1-01. Helsinki Chamber Choir – Sekaaanisia lauluja, Op. 61b – No. 3, Aamulla (00:58)
1-02. Helsinki Chamber Choir – Morgenlied (Morning Song) (reconstructed by N. Schweckendiek) (01:38)
1-03. Helsinki Chamber Choir – Laulajaparille (To the Singing Couple) (arr. for mixed choir) (01:32)
1-04. Helsinki Chamber Choir – Den Vantande (He Who Waits) (01:58)
1-05. Helsinki Chamber Choir – Hamnden (Revenge) (01:17)
1-06. David Hackston – Hell dig, du hoga Nord! (Hail, Lofty Northland!) (version for male choir) (01:48)
1-07. David Hackston – Piae cantiones – No. 73, In vernali tempore – Tullos kevat armahin (02:51)
1-08. Helsinki Chamber Choir – Varmorgonen (Spring Morning) (03:59)
1-09. Helsinki Chamber Choir – Iltalaulu (Evening Song) (01:37)
1-10. Helsinki Chamber Choir – Svanen (The Swan) (reconstructed by N. Schweckendiek) (02:25)
1-11. Helsinki Chamber Choir – Serenad (Serenade) (version for mixed choir) (01:25)
1-12. Meri Metsomäki – Iloa ja surua (Joy and Sorrow) (arr. E. Sivori for mixed choir) (02:20)
1-13. Helsinki Chamber Choir – Metsassa (In the Forest) (01:46)
1-14. Viivi Tulkki – Punkaharjun laulutytto (The Singing Girl from Punkaharju) (02:01)
1-15. Helsinki Chamber Choir – Kevatyhtion Polska (Spring Polska) (02:00)
1-16. Helsinki Chamber Choir – Och jungfrun hon gar i dansen (And the Maiden Goes in a Ring) (arr. M. Wegelius for mixed choir) (00:43)
1-17. Helsinki Chamber Choir – Hiljaa! (Quiet!) (01:50)
1-18. Helsinki Chamber Choir – Nain unta kesasta kerran (Once in a Dream I Saw Summer) (01:56)
1-19. Helsinki Chamber Choir – Ins stille land (Into the Silent Land) (01:24)
1-20. Meri Metsomäki – Orpo ja lintu (The Orphan and the Bird) (03:43)
1-21. Júlia Heéger – Armahan kulku (The Path of the Beloved) (01:41)
1-22. Helsinki Chamber Choir – Sekaaanisia lauluja, Op. 61b – No. 5, Darthulan hautauslaulu (04:09)
1-23. Helsinki Chamber Choir – Itatuulessa (In the East Wind) (04:04)
1-24. Helsinki Chamber Choir – Sekaaanisia lauluja, Op. 61b – No. 7, Piirilaulu (00:45)
1-25. Helsinki Chamber Choir – Piiritanssilaulu (Round Dance Song) (arr. R. Faltin for mixed choir) (01:45)
1-26. Helsinki Chamber Choir – Skordefolkets visa (Song of the Harvesters) (01:25)