Get a free album when you join our newsletter. Sign up
Cover: Marjatta the Lowly Maiden · Einojuhani Rautavaara – Works for Children's Choir

Marjatta the Lowly Maiden · Einojuhani Rautavaara

Works for Children's Choir

Tapiola Choir
Pasi Hyökki, conductor

ODE 1169-2 · CD · October 2011

Buy / listen

The world-renowned Tapiola children\

Track listing

23 tracks · 68:33

Listen to samples on selected tracks.

Einojuhani Rautavaara

  1. 1 Marjatta matala neiti (Marjatta the Lowly Maiden) - A Finnish Mystery Play in One Act (1977) 25:05
  2. 2 Puusepän poika (The Carpenter's Son) (1975) 3:32
  3. Suite de Lorca (1973) 6:43
  4. 3 I. Canción de jinete 1:35
  5. 4 II. El grito 1:59
  6. 5 III. La luna asoma 1:55
  7. 6 IV. Malaguena 1:14
  8. Lorulei (1973) 2:37
  9. 7 I. Mistä on pienet pojat tehty 1:03
  10. 8 II. Hus sikä metsään 1:05
  11. 9 III. Peukaloputti sian sai 0:29
  12. 10 Viatonten valssi (Waltz of the Innocents) (1973/1982) 2:52
  13. Wenn sich die Welt auftut (1996) 10:30
  14. 11 I. Freude steigt in uns auf 1:17
  15. 12 II. Meine Liebe 1:40
  16. 13 III. Dann, in jener Nacht 3:09
  17. 14 IV. Der Brief 2:07
  18. 15 V. Flüstern 2:17
  19. 16 Rakkaus ei koskaan häviä (Charity Never Faileth) (1983) 2:48
  20. Children's Mass (Lapsimessu)for children's choir and string orchestra (1973) 14:26
  21. 17 I. Kyrie 1:56
  22. 18 II. Meditatio super Kyrie 2:45
  23. 19 III. Gloria 1:02
  24. 20 IV. Meditatio super Gloriam 1:32
  25. 21 V. Agnus Dei 2:41
  26. 22 VI. Meditatio super Agnum Dei 2:46
  27. 23 VII. Alleluia 1:44

About this recording

This CD features works for children's choir by Einojuhani Rautavaara, mostly written for and here performed by the world-renowned Tapiola Choir under their music director Pasi Hyökki.

These pieces cover a wide range of topics and moods, extending from humorous nursery rhymes to more serious philosophical issues and religious solemnity. The album title piece is the one-act choral opera Marjatta matala neiti ("Marjatta the Lowly Maiden") for soloists, children's choir, and instrumental chamber ensemble, based on a poem from the Kalevala epos. The half-hour "mystery play" tells the story of Marjatta who becomes impregnated after eating a lingonberry and gives birth to a son - thus the Finnish mythological adaptation of the Christian story of Jesus' conception and birth from a virgin.

Finnish cult composer Rautavaara is one of the rare composers to have written extensive and substantial repertoire for children's choir. More generally, his major output for mixed and for male choir has cemented his position as one of today's most popular composers of choral music.

Features

Booklet with liner notes in English and Finnish and the sung texts in the original language and in English and Finnish

Press

All delightfully fresh performances in a satisfying programme.
Hilary Finch, BBC Music Magazine, February 2012

(...) die zumeist aus den siebziger Jahren stammenden Stücke bahnen sich mit ihrer beinahe volksliedartigen, indes nie heimatkundlichen Attitüde einen ganz direkten Weg ins Gemüt. (...) eine aus den Urgründen emporsteigende Einfachheit, ein Schöpfen aus den geheimnisvollen Tiefen hinter der Politur, eine Rückbesinnung auf verschüttete Kräfte der geistigen Natur.
Rasmus van Rijn, Klassik Heute, 19.12.2011

The artists

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

Also recommended

Einojuhani Rautavaara

Vigilia

Finnish Radio Chamber Choir · Timo Nuoranne, conductor

ODE 910-2 · CD · Jan 1998

Info & buy