Nova was formed in early 1975 in Helsinki. Most of the band members had played together earlier in a band called Isojako, which apparently played more pop-orientated music. From the start, Nova's main figure was Antti Ortamo who was the main composer, lyricist and also played keyboards and sang for the band. In february 1976 Nova started recording their debut "Atlantis" in Stockholm, Sweden. The music on this album will probably remind you of Pink Floyd, Procol Harum, Wigwam, perhaps even Eloy and Yes at times. It's not the most innovative album to walk the earth, but it's a nice effort full of warm keyboard sounds and atmospheres. First CD of this double disc set has the original version of the album, just as released in 1976. Second disc contains the brand new mix with bonus track plus the band's only single "Käytävä / Kaupungin naiset". Also included is a booklet with new liner notes and more.

Here is the first recording ever of the so-called Press Celebrations Music of 1899. Sibelius subsequently reworked and rescored the music later that same year in what became the first set of the Scenes historiques, Op. 25 and Finlandia, Op. 26, but here we have the first opportunity of hearing Sibelius’s original thoughts, as well as the Prelude, and the two movements that remained in manuscript. They are the second tableau, ‘The Finns are baptised’, and the fifth, ‘The Great Unrest’ or ‘Hostility’, referring to the so-called Great Northern War that followed the Russian capture of Viipuri in 1710 and the subsequent decline of Swedish power.

Joik – Gods, Spirits, and Shamans. A journey through mysterious mythological worlds, represented by works from Bo Holten, Jaakko Mäntyjärvi and Jan Sandström. In “Regn og Rusk og Rosenbusk” for solo voices and mixed choir, Bo Holten evokes the transience of earthly existence. Jan Sandström’s work is more tempestuous: his fall-wind joik references the ancient singing traditions of the Sami people; Jaakko Mäntyjärvi’s “Pseudo-Yoik,” on the other hand, takes an ironic look at these traditions. Mäntyjärvi also delves into the world of Finnish Kalevala poetry, in which the image of a young girl has long been considered the embodiment of the Finnish nation.

The Finnish-American composer Alex Freeman has been described as being ‘as comfortable in the realm of the pop ballad as in that of the concert hall’ and yet his songs ‘are imbued with the craftsmanship and care one would expect of a composer of his formidable academic training, just as his concert works carry the emotional immediacy of popular music.’ Himself a choral singer, Alex Freeman has written a number of works for choir: music that aims to be sonorous and melodic, but is carefully crafted to avoid the clichés that can burden conventional tonality.

The record Pato (Dam) depicts the power of singing together: the happiness of belonging and being united, the comfort of liberation from difficult feelings, the delight of sharing joy, and empowerment even amid difficult challenges. Singing together makes you stop in the very moment to experience beauty. The songs on the record flow through moments of refuge, otherness and loneliness into being united with oneself, the other and nature. The process of making this record also underlines the power of singing: a major part of the practice work took place in the times of isolation on spring 2020, due to restrictions on singing together caused by the pandemic.

A fresh new recording of Jean Sibelius early breakthrough work by the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra under its conductor Hannu Lintu. This recording with two male choirs, the Estonian National Male Choir and the Polytech Choir, brings up the full drama of this gigantic 70-minute work which during Sibelius lifetime was often referred to as a symphony. The work tells the story of Kullervo, a tragic hero drawn from the Finnish national epic, the Kalevala. While a student in Vienna, Sibelius started planning to write a large work that would crystallize the rising Finnish national feeling in music.

Finnish baritone Arttu Kataja fell in love with Lied music in his first singing lessons at the age of 16 but the idea of his own Lied record was born only after he had worked as a professional for years. The collaboration with pianist Pauliina Tukiainen had already begun years earlier, and the joint record project also felt natural. Both artists have roots and identity in Finland, but both have grown up in the profession and worked in Germany for years. In addition, both Kataja and Tukiainen share a passionate and uncom-promising attitude towards Lied music. In recent years, the couple has given concerts not only in Central Europe but also in Helsinki, where their interpretation of Schubert's Winterreis was a critical success. They will start the 2020/2021 season with a Lied concert at the Berlin State Opera.

Given that it is a compilation of rarities and live performances, this double-CD retrospective is not the best starting place for those interested in the back catalog of Wigwam. It is, however, an excellent addition to those already initiated. Wigwam was one of the key players of the Finnish progressive rock scene in the late '60s and early '70s, and an instrumental group in establishing English-language rock music as a viable alternative for Finnish bands. Its ability to work clever pop melodies into their complex and innovative albums should have resulted in a much larger scale success than they achieved, but their attempts at breaking into the British market through a contract with Virgin failed, and as a result they're not well known outside Finnish borders. This retrospective CD opens with their first single release "Must Be the Devil"/"Greasy Kid's Stuff" from 1969…