Veljo Tormis: The 17th Rune of Kalevala – The Visit to Vipunen

Tormis’s powerful, almost shamanic Kalevala composition tells the story of Väinämöinen’s dangerous quest for secret knowledge in the clutches of Antero Vipunen, the giant of legend. How does the story end? The YL and ENMC, with over a hundred singers, accompanied by kantele and shaman drums, will reveal it.

This year marks the 95th anniversary of Veljo Tormis’s birth.

Composed in 1985 on commission from ENMC (then RAM), the piece is one of Tormis’s key works for male choir.
"A work unlike any other in the choral world" – Mikk Üleoja, Artistic Director of ENMC

Einojuhani Rautavaara: Rune 42 – The Theft of the Sampo

Soloists:
Lemminkäinen: Jasper Leppänen, tenor
Väinämöinen: Sampo Haapaniemi, baritone
Ilmarinen: Nicholas Söderlund, bass

Tape music reconstruction: Joel Ward & Pasi Hyökki

Rautavaara’s Rune 42 is a futuristic Kalevala composition for large male choir, background tape made with synthesizers, and three heroic soloists. One word describes it: epic. Its cinematic soundscape from the 1980s evokes images ranging from the Iron Age to Blade Runner or A Nightmare on Elm Street. Come to the concert and decide for yourself!

“A unique work by a master composer on a subject dear and important to all Finns” – Pasi Hyökki

“For Rautavaara, the Sampo was not a cash machine, but a relationship! A magnificent masterpiece” – Matti Hyökki

Tickets: 35 / 15 EUR or both concerts 50 / 25 EUR