Search - Toivo Kuula, Oskar Merikanto, Erkki Melartin :: From the Heart of Finland

Heartwarming Finnish Melancholy

04/07/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Karita Mattila's warm voice is the delight of this disc. In other repertoire I have sometimes found her voice cold and lacking in individuality, but on this recital disc, the color of her lovely voice comes through the best.For newcomers in Finnish (national) romantic songs, this is the perfect way to start. Mattila's voice is at its best in Merikanto (listen to especially "Mä elän" and "Omenankukat"). The Melartin and Kuula songs are beautifully sung, too. A real gem is the Folk song cycle arranged by Ralf Gothoni at the end of the disc."

Excellent soprano voice, excellent music

M. J. Smith | Seattle, WA USA | 10/27/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Somehow the track information for this cd is incomplete: tracks 1, 14-19 are by Toivo Kuula (1883-1918); tracks 2-11 by Oskar Merikanto (1868-1924); tracks 12-13 by Erkki Melartin (1875-1937); tracks 20-21 by Yrjo Kilpinen (1892-1959); tracks 22-26 are folk songs arranged by Ralf Gothoni.Mattila has a splendid voice even on the high notes - I often am not fond of sopranos but hers is a voice "to die for". The piano accompaniment is unobtrusive. I bought the album for the Kuula and Melartin works and was not disappointed. However, the folk songs are such fun it is hard not to prefer them. This is an excellent introduction to Finnish song."