Finnish Hymns arranged for orchestra

and played by the Lahti Symphony Orchestra under Osmo Vänskä. Finland is the final outpost of Protestant northern Europe and, in common with Protestant countries in general, it has a rich tradition of hymns and of congregational singing. This tradition was probably at its strongest towards the end of the nineteenth and the beginning of the twentieth centuries, that is, prior to the spread of the cinema and an alternative, secular culture. For the Finnish population, eager to establish a linguistic and geographical identity, hymns sung in the native tongue were a source of consolation as well as an expression of political identity. Despite the radical decline in the numbers of church-goers in Finland these favourite hymns live on as a central element in the rich cultural mix of Finland (Nokia/Rally Driving/Aalto/Sibelius/Leningrad Cowboys and so on). Almost all these hymns will be familiar to anyone in Finland. And as the world of hymns is truly international there are several (borrowed from Martin Luther or the American revivalist tradition) that will be well-known to most of us. The arrangements themselves may cause some surprises but they give the orchestra plenty of opportunity to show its paces under its dynamic conductor. A disc aimed at every Finnish hearth; and at the hard-core international Fennophile!