Nordic Sounds
An episode of Folkit! Nordic Sounds, packed with music form Finland
First up is singer-songwriter Vilma Talvitie. This multi-instrumentalist’s main instrument is the piano, but she adds percussion to her songs, making use of every part of the piano as well as body percussion. Her music has been described as nomadic-folk ethnopop. Olio (Alien) is her second solo release.
Polenta is a Finnish quartet consisting of three violinists and a guitarist. Olli Sippola occasionally swaps his five-string violin for the mandolin. Following Turbo (2021) and Karkelo (2024), their recently released Matkaaja is their third album. Incidentally, Polenta means ‘Stomp’, referring to the distinctive rhythmic quality of Scandinavian music.
Like the other members of Polenta, Veera Kuisma studied at the prestigious Sibelius Academy in Helsinki. Around the same time as Polenta’s Matkaaja, the violinist released the album Rautavuo with her own ensemble, Veera Kuisma Original. The album centres on a string quartet, complemented by woodwind instruments, piano, guitar and Kuisma’s voice. The closing track is particularly striking: an almost solo piece for harmonium.
Vilma Talvitie – Olio – Eclipse Music
01. Kiltti Annikki (Vilma Talvitie ) 4:10
02. Vääränlainen (Lauri Hongisto & Vilma Talvitie) 4:15
03. Supernova (Vilma Talvitie) 5:17
Polenta – Matkaaja – Polentamusic POLCD007
04. Sankaripolska (Veera Kuisma) 3:32
05. Highway Home (Olli Sippola) 4:29
06. Matkaaja (Aino Kinnunen) 4:21
07. Valse Carassius (Veera Kuisma) 3:37
08. Kokoo koko kokko (Mikko Malmivaara) 4:34
Veera Kuisma Original – Rautavuo – VKO001
09. Høsting (Kuisma) 5:05
10. Rautamaa (Kuisma) 4:38
11. Minuetti (trad) 3:48
12. Käkilintu (trad, Kuisma) 4:56
13. Paluu (Kuisma) 5:32
