Matti Salminen, now in his mid-sixties, has had an uncommonly
successful and long career. His first appearance on Finnish TV
took place as early as 1957, when aged twelve, he sang a popular
schlager. In his teens he had a group singing jazzy music in four
parts with a band. But when he was twenty he auditioned for the
chorus of the Finnish National Opera in Helsinki. His breakthrough
as a soloist came in 1969, singing Philip in Don Carlos.
His international debut came in Bayreuth in 1976. He remains one
of the leading basses with a wide repertoire. He is a monumental
Wagnerian with a powerful thundering voice but he is also a fine
character actor. I especially recall his Philip II in a Don
Carlos at the Finnish National Opera some years ago.
In many of the songs
on this disc he is also required to scale down to more intimate
proportions. This he does to often ravishing effect. It seems
however that he has to work harder today to manage this transition
and he occasionally has to sacrifice legato to achieve the nuances
he wants. This was noticeable in the first song, Merikanto’s
beautiful Soi vienosti murheeni soitto. Elsewhere his
legato singing is exemplary (try Kilpinen’s Kesäyö),
and the more dramatic songs are invested with all his histrionic
powers.
The programme gives
a fine overview of the riches of the Finnish song literature.
To many non-Nordic readers Sibelius may be the only really familiar
composer, but Madetoja, Kilpinen and Kuula are certainly among
the finest song composers anywhere. They are well worth getting
acquainted with. Oskar Merikanto wrote a great number of melodically
appealing songs and also attractive romantic piano music. The
only composer here I hadn’t encountered before was Martti Turunen.
His Sunnuntai is a beautiful idyllic song with a melody
that really sticks. Vilho Luolajan-Mikkola’s Häätanhu
(Wedding Dance) – also recorded with orchestra by Salminen’s
bass colleague Jaakko Ryhänen (Finlandia 0630-16885-2) – is
surprisingly gloomy but the first line of Yrjö Jylhä’s poem
explains why: ‘Now joy is yours, but sorrow mine’. Generally
speaking there is a melancholy atmosphere to many of the songs,
which might be explained by the Finnish disposition at large
– or the northernmost part of Europe in general. There is no
denying the beauty of the songs however and there is some contrasting
music. One is the rather well-known Merellä (At Sea)
by Merikanto (tr. 2). It is stormy and dramatic and this is
reinforced by Kalevi Olli’s grandiloquent orchestral arrangement.
This is certainly music that suits Salminen to perfection. On
this recording there is a contrasting mid-section in ¾ time
that I hadn’t heard before. The text here introduces a love-story
set in relief to ‘the sea, its bosom heaving’.
The three Sibelius
songs are well known and they are interesting also through the
arrangements. Souda, souda sinisorsa is performed in
an arrangement by the composer’s son-in-law Jussi Jalas, once
music director of the Finnish National Opera. Lastu lainehilla
was arranged by the great Finnish bass Kim Borg. Ristilukki
(The Song of the Cross-spider) was written with orchestra in
the first place as part of the incidental music for Adolf Paul’s
play King Christian II. All three songs are superbly
sung.
Leevi Madetoja is
probably best known for his opera The Ostrobothnians, which
incidentally will be performed at the Finnish National Opera
this spring – I am due to review it on 14 March. He also wrote
three fine symphonies and other orchestral works and his songs
are wonderful. Yrjö Kilpinen wrote six piano sonatas and some
chamber music works but first and foremost he was one of the
greatest song composers of the 20th century. With
790 compositions in the genre he even outdoes Schubert. During
the 1930s and 1940s he was regarded as the most important Finnish
composer, next to Sibelius. Some of his songs were recorded
by Gerhard Hüsch in a society edition for HMV. Kilpinen has
a very distinctive personal character and these songs are well
worth exploration. Toivo Kuula’s life was cut short when he
was only 35. He was shot – accidentally or not – during a row
in the aftermath of the Finnish Civil War in 1918. Many of his
songs are in a minor key and they are often melancholy – as
the three songs included here. The three traditional songs,
arranged by Kalevi Olli, that conclude the disc, are more outward.
Tällaaselle poijalle is a lively march, Tuuli se taivutti
koivun larvan is dramatic and Niin kauan mina tramppaan
is jolly and positive.
John Storgårds and
the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra accompany with great finesse.
The arrangements are generally attractive and the recorded sound
excellent. Admirers of Matti Salminen need not hesitate and
those with little knowledge of the Finnish treasury of songs
will find a lot here to inspire further listening. I have already
mentioned the Ryhänen disc with partly overlapping material.
On Finlandia 1576-50024-2 Jorma Hynninen sings 18 songs by Kilpinen
and 9 by Kuula. Sixteen songs by Kuula and Madetoja’s Syksy-surja
Op. 68 are on a Finnish Naxos disc (8.554404FIN) sung by the
dramatic soprano Kirsi Tiihonen. On Ondine there is a complete
edition of Madetoja’s songs. The first volume (ODE 996-2) is
sung by Gabriel Suovanen. The second volume, which I haven’t
heard, is sung by Helena Juntunen (ODE 995-2). Finally Jorma
Hynninen sings 32 of Oskar Merikanto’s most beautiful songs
(Finlandia 1576-50021-2).
There are, in other
words, riches aplenty but do start with Salminen’s disc.
Göran Forsling
Matti Salminen
(bass) 
