The Half-Finished Heaven Sinikka Langeland

• 1Hare Rune04:09
• 2The Light Streams In04:29
• 3The White Burden03:59
• 4The Half-Finished Heaven06:53
• 5The Woodcock's Flight05:56
• 6Caw of the Crane05:42
• 7The Tree and the Sky03:56
• 8The Magical Bird03:47
• 9Hymn to the Fly03:31
• 10Animal Miniatures02:12
• 11The Blue Tit's Spring Song04:31
• 12Animal Moment00:20
• Total Runtime49:25

Info for The Half-Finished Heaven

The half-Finnish Sinikka Langeland, the kantele player, singer and composer from Finnskogen, south-eastern Norway's 'Forest of the Finns', sets 'The Half-Finished Heaven' - and other verse by Swedish poet Tomas Tranströmer - on her fourth album for ECM.

'Despondency breaks off its course / Anguish breaks off its course / The vulture breaks off its flight. / The eager light streams out ?' Such vivid images establish a tone for what is primarily an instrumental album this time, with a striking blend of sound-colours in music written by Langeland - here expressing 'the mystery and joy of everyday encounters with animals in the forest'.

Sinnika's highly original and self-contained oeuvre is informed, in changing degree, by folk traditions of Norway and Finland, as well as classical and contemporary music and improvisation from jazz and other sources. Her kanteles - 10-string, 15-string, and 39-string table-harps - seem to carry archaic echoes older than 'folk' tradition, and each of her gifted bandmates brings his own range of colours to the music.

Lars Anders Tomter has been described by string-players' magazine The Strad as 'the giant of the Nordic viola'. One of Norway's most distinguished classical soloists, he also has a history of collaborating with players of other idioms, and appeared on Sinikka's 'Maria's Song' album (2717097) as well as on ECM discs with Terje Rypdal and Ketil Bjørnstad. Saxophonist Trygve Seim and drummer Markku Ounaskari were both members of Sinnika's quintet heard on 'Starflowers' (1714563) and 'The Land That Is Not' (2762036) and play together in contexts including the Kuára Trio. Out of this network of musical relationships Sinikka has created a characterful quartet with a strong identity of its own.

Sinikka Langeland, kantele, vocals
Lars Anders Tomter, viola
Trygve Seim, tenor saxophone
Markku Ounaskari, drums, percussion

Sinikka Langeland
has worked for decades with the mythological part of the cultural heritage of Finnskogen ("Forest of the Finns"). She is the country's foremost interpreter of, and advocate for, the vocal folk music from this region of Norway. This work has resulted in several books and CD releases, most recently the disc The Half - Finished Heaven which a reviewer has described as, "Constantly developing. A world-class performer, Langeland upholds her reputation by maintaining high quality in every detail." The CD has impressed both the Norwegian and international press. In The Magical Forest Langeland continues to share aspects of Finnskogen's rich musical traditions. This unique new piece was commissioned by the Finnskogen Exhibition and is performed in collaboration with some of the Nordic region's foremost jazz musicians: Arve Henriksen on trumpet, Trygve Seim on saxophone, Anders Jormin on bass and Markku Ounaskari on drums. In addition, Langeland is joined by the renowned vocal trio, Trio Mediaeval, who will experiment with the part of the piece inspired by runic songs.

Booklet for The Half-Finished Heaven