Impressions Du Nord - Nordic songs

Juho Alakärppä · Melis Jaatinen · Alf Hurum · Claude Debussy

2022 · Physical and digital · ABCD 504

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Credits

Performers: Juho Alakärppä — PianoMelis Jaatinen — Mezzo-soprano
Composers: Alf HurumClaude DebussyGösta NyströmLeevi MadetojaPauline HallToivo Kuula

About this release

Impressionist art and music have always fascinated me. Its sophisticated color palette and endless harmonic possibilities have always attracted me.
I still remember hearing Debussy's Afternoon of the Faun for the first time as a child. It was a magical moment, I had never heard anything like it. Although I didn't understand much of what I heard, I was completely mesmerized. It was the kind of holistic sensory experience that art offers at its best.
It took me a long time before I dared to sing Debussy's music, because I didn't want to spoil the magical moment I had experienced as a child.
For this album, Juho and I have chosen repertoire from Nordic composers who have been influenced by French impressionism and especially the music of Debussy.
Among the Finnish composers, both Toivo Kuula and Leevi Madetoja are known for their impressionistic influences. After spending many hours in the Norwegian National Library researching the song repertoire of different composers, I ended up choosing songs by Alf Hurum and Pauline Hall. Especially finding sheet music for Hall's songs was a challenge, as only some of his songs have been published. I am particularly happy that our album contains music by a female composer who strongly influenced the development of Norwegian contemporary music in her time. It's also important to me to bring out little-known vocal repertoire - there are a lot of unknown compositions - that deserve to be heard.
Juho brought Gösta Nystrom's song series Sånger vid havet to the project, which was originally written for soprano Aulikki Rautavaara.
Our collaboration with Juho Alakärpä started when we graduated from the Sibelius Academy in 2010.
We often end up in heated discussions about approaching and interpreting music, songs and lyrics. The musical end result is usually different from what we both had previously imagined, which reflects the beauty of music making!

Tracks

SÅNGER VID HAVET
1.Ute i skärencomp. Gösta Nyström · lyrics Ebba LindqvistISRC FIABA21001093:09
2.Nocturnecomp. Gösta Nyström · lyrics Edith SödergranISRC FIABA21001103:19
3.Havets visacomp. Gösta Nyström · lyrics Hjalmar GullbergISRC FIABA21001112:25
4.Jag har ett hem vid havetcomp. Gösta Nyström · lyrics Ragnar JändelISRC FIABA21001124:39
5.Jag väntar månencomp. Gösta Nyström · lyrics Hjalmar GullbergISRC FIABA21001132:40
6.BLONDE NÆTTERcomp. Alf Hurum · lyrics Vilhelm KragISRC FIABA21001143:27
7.STÆVNEMØDEcomp. Alf Hurum · lyrics Vilhelm KragISRC FIABA21001153:16
8.REGNcomp. Alf Hurum · lyrics Sigbjørn ObstfelderISRC FIABA21001161:12
9.IL PLEURE DANS MON CŒURcomp. Pauline Hall · lyrics Paul VerlaineISRC FIABA21001172:06
10.DU BLOMST I DUGcomp. Pauline Hall · lyrics J. P. JacobsenISRC FIABA21001181:24
11.CHANSON D’AUTOMNEcomp. Pauline Hall · lyrics Paul VerlaineISRC FIABA21001191:01
12.TULE KANSSANI Op.9 no. 3comp. Leevi Madetoja · lyrics L. OnervaISRC FIABA21001202:04
13.HYMYI HYPNOS Op. 9 no. 2comp. Leevi Madetoja · lyrics L. OnervaISRC FIABA21001212:22
14.TALVIKUUTAMOLLA op. 26 no. 5comp. Leevi Madetoja · lyrics Larin-KyöstiISRC FIABA21001223:29
15.TUULINEN SÄÄ Op. 25 no. 3comp. Leevi Madetoja · lyrics L. OnervaISRC FIABA21001231:22
16.AVE MARIA Op. 23 No.2comp. Toivo Kuula · lyrics Trad.ISRC FIABA21001243:21
17.PURJEIN KUUTAMOLLA Op. 31a No.1comp. Toivo Kuula · lyrics Kalle WuokoskiISRC FIABA21001252:23
18.PAIMENET Op. 29a No.3comp. Toivo Kuula · lyrics Eero EerolaISRC FIABA21001263:51
19.SINIPIIKA Op. 23 No.1comp. Toivo Kuula · lyrics V.A. KoskenniemiISRC FIABA21001272:51
TROIS MÉLODIES DE PAUL VERLAINE
20.La mer est plus belle que les cathédralescomp. Claude DebussyISRC FIABA21001282:26
21.Le son du cor s’afflige vers les boiscomp. Claude DebussyISRC FIABA21001293:00
22.L’échelonnement des haiescomp. Claude DebussyISRC FIABA21001301:25

Reviews

Mezzo Melis Jaatisen profiililevyllä Skandinavia kohtaa Pariisin
Norjassa ja Suomessa opiskellut, Oslossa asuva mezzosopraano Melis Jaatinen on vakiinnuttanut paikkansa etenkin pohjoismaiden oopperalavoilla, mutta omaa levyä on jouduttu odottamaan – tähän asti. Alban julkaisema uutuus ”Impressions du nord” esittelee paitsi pätevän laulajan myös kiinnostavan ohjelmistonurkkauksen: Skandinaavisen kansallisromantiikan ranskalaiset vaikutteet ovat tuottaneet intensiivistä, tumman sävykästä musiikkia, joka sopii Jaatisen äänelle.
YLE Uudet levyt 20.1.2022 · Kare Eskola