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Cover: Joulu, oi joulu

Joulu, oi joulu

Gabriel Suovanen, baritone
Tapiola Choir
Kari Ala-Pöllänen, conductor

ODE 1011-2 · CD · November 2002

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Track listing

24 tracks · 61:52

Traditional

  1. 1 Ken kuullut on laulua enkelien (Who Hath Heard the Angels Sing) 2:11

Anonymous

  1. 2 O scholares, voce pares (O Student, With Equal Voices) 00:00
  2. 3 Gaudete (Rejoice) 2:50
  3. 4 Ecce novum gaudium (Behold the New Joy) 00:00
  4. 5 Katso, ihme taivainen (Behold, A Miracle from Heaven) 1:50

Traditional

  1. 6 Talviyöhön synkkään (In the Bleak Mid-Winter) 4:23
  2. 7 Heinillä härkien kaukalon (There in the Hay of the Ox's Stall) 1:52

Martti Hela

  1. 8 Hiljainen joululaulu (The Peace of Christmas) 3:38

Otto Kotilainen

  1. 9 Kun joulu on (At Christmas Time) 2:27

Heino Kaski

  1. 10 Mökit nukkuu lumiset (The Snowbound Cabins Sleep) 3:08

Otto Kotilainen

  1. 11 Varpunen jouluaamuna (A Sparrow on Christmas Morning) 4:01

L. Wirkhaus

  1. 12 Kilisee kilisee kulkunen (Jingling, Jingling Sleigh Bells Ring) 00:00

Kari Ala-Pölläinen

  1. 13 Iloinen joululaulu (Happy Christmas Song) 1:45

Traditional

  1. 14 Tuo armon valkokyyhky 2:30
  2. 15 Tiernapojat (Star Boys - an Old Finnish Christmas Pageant) 12:04
  3. 16 Jouluaatto on nyt herttainen (It Is Now Sweet Christmas Eve) 1:17
  4. 17 Kuusen ympärillä (Around the Christmas Tree) 1:16

J. Ölander

  1. 18 Juhla on verraton (Now We Have a Feast) 1:11

Emmy Köhler

  1. 19 Reippahasti käypi askelet (Rushing Go the Footsteps) 1:52

Sulho Ranta

  1. 20 Taas kaikki kauniit muistot (Those Memories Fair of Old) 3:12

Jean Sibelius

  1. 21 Jo joutuu ilta (Over Hill and Dale), Op. 1/3 2:10

Teuvo Hakasalo

  1. 22 Jouluyönä (On Christmas Night) 1:26

Franz Gruber

  1. 23 Jouluyö, juhlayö (Silent Night, Holy Night) 2:47

Traditional

  1. 24 Maa on niin kaunis (The Earth is Beautiful) 4:02

About this recording

Fetaured Artists:
Joona Vallenius, vocalist (1)
Tuuli Takala, vocalist (11)
Tiernapojat (15):
Taavi Oramo, vocalist: Herodes
Janne Hovi, vocalist: Knihti
Antti Lappalainen, vocalist: Murjaanien kuningas
Teemu Vallenius, vocalist: Mänkki

Features

Booklet with liner notes in Finnish and English and the song lyrics in the original language and in English

The artists

Gabriel Suovanen

Gabriel Suovanen was born in Stockholm, where he began playing the violin at the age of 4. He studied singing at the Sibelius Academy in 1993-94. He graduated from the Stockholm Opera School in the 1997-98 season. Gabriel Suovanen has won several prizes in distinguished singing competitions. In Finland he won the prestigious Timo Mustakallio singing competition in 1998 and was given the first Karita Mattila Award in 2000. In 1997-98 Gabriel Suovanen was appointed 'Soloist of the year' by the Swedish National Radio and subsequently appeared in several radio concerts and studio recordings with orchestra and as soloist. In the season 1998-99 he was engaged in several productions at the Stockholm Royal Opera. Suovanen made his debut at the Finnish National Opera as Guglielmo, at the Savonlinna Opera Festival as Valentin and at the Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie in Bizet's Carmen.

Full biography

Tapiola Choir

The Tapiola Choir is one of the world's leading children's choirs and consists of 70 young musicians aged 9 to 18, all of whom also play at least one musical instrument in addition to singing. Erkki Pohjola founded the Tapiola Choir in Espoo in 1963. After meeting Zoltan Kodály and Carl Orff in 1964, he adapted their ideas into a free-form education method with a chamber-music approach, building on the innate creativity and musical talents of children. He continued to pursue this new music education ideal as conductor of the Tapiola Choir for over three decades. During that time, the Choir evolved from a run-of-the-mill school choir into one of the most acclaimed vocal instruments of our time. International critics called its unique sound the ‘Tapiola Sound'. Kari Ala-Pöllänen continued the work of Erkki Pohjola from 1994 to 2008, until he was succeeded by Pasi Hyökki, one of the Choir's own alumni.

Full biography

Kari Ala-Pöllänen

Like Erkki Pohjola, his predecessor as Conductor and Music Director of the Tapiola Choir, Kari Ala-Pöllänen is a school teacher by training. But he is also a multitalented musician who plays several instruments. He has worked as an orchestral musician and in the fields of folk music and jazz. He has conducted, sung in vocal groups, taught and written text books for schools. To add to all this, he has acted as Artistic Director of international choral festivals, been a juror for choral competitions and been active in training choral directors and singers.

Full biography