Songs from the Nordic countries

Friday, 20 May 2011 06:34

Tuuli Lempa and Hanna Lammi. Photo: Asbjørn Djupdal

Finnish and Norwegian romances and folk tones were on the programme when soprano Hanna Lammi and pianist Tuuli Lempa held a lied recital in Trondheim during spring 2011.

Text: Ida S. Wullum

The duo have collaborated for many years and held several concerts both in Sweden and Finland. Now Norway was the next stop, and the programme included romances and folk tones. Karstein Djupdal, a Norwegian composer, also made a huge contribution to this concert as the duo performed some of his works based on the English translation of the Finnish epos Kalevala. The duo also performed works composed by Ilkka Kuusisto, Heino Kaski, Selim Palmgren, Ralf Gothoni, Edvard Grieg and Jean Sibelius.

Lammi has had a strong interest in Nordic music for many years and she finds it slightly different from other European music from the same period of time;
–There is a certain melancholic atmosphere in the Nordic music, but it is still fresh, crispy and airy. It is deep and light at the same time and not overly romantic.

“There is a certain melancholic atmosphere in the

Nordic music, but it is still fresh, crispy and airy.”

Lammi has worked a lot with romances and folk tones from Finland, Norway and Sweden.;
-In the Nordic countries we have a lot in common and therefore we found it interesting to look closer into the similar, but still different music traditions.

Soprano Lammi lives in Finland and pianist Lempa in Norway, and the preparations for the concert have been demanding. The duo has used the internet for what it´s worth in the preparations and been dependent on good and frequent communication.
-We have been very creative in the process, and we even tried to rehearse via Skype. However, because of a one-second delay that turned out to be a bad idea, Lammi laughs.

Despite the distances between them, they have had the opportunity to meet and rehearse together on several occasions. As the concert approached Lammi travelled to Oslo for the last rehearsals and preparations before they travelled together to Trondheim and held a very successful concert.

Lammi and Lempa performing Louhi steals the Sun and the Moon by Karstein Djupdal

Lammi and Lempa performing Lemminkäinen flees by Karstein Djupdal

Read more about the duo Lammi and Lempa and their concerts.

Hanna Lammi received mobility support for her trip to Oslo and Trondheim.