Toivo Kuula: Complete Solo Songs, Volume One
Toivo Kuula (1883–1918) is one of the many composers who died at a tragically young age – 35 in his case, the result of an alcohol-fuelled pub brawl. The striking quality of the music he wrote during his short life points to the immensity of the loss not only to Finnish culture but to music more generally – as this first album of two, presenting his entire output of songs for solo voice and piano, makes abundantly clear. The range of moods captured here is striking, from cheery folksongs to dark existentialist contemplations of the meaning of life and death. The most passionate of them generate an operatic intensity in their short span, in a style that balances directness of expression and rich late-Romantic harmonies.
Jenni Lättilä, soprano
Kirill Kozlovski, piano
Listen To This Recording:
Three Songs, Op. 2 (8:48)
- No. 1, Autumn Mood (1904) (2:54)
- No. 2, I stared at the fire for a long time (1907) (4:29)
- No. 3, Morning Song (1905) (1:25)
- Night (1906) (2:35)
Two Songs, Op. 6 (1907) (5:17)
- No. 1, Summer Night in the Churchyard (2:36)
- No. 2, Epilogue (2:41)
Two Songs, Op. 8 (7:58)
- No. 1, The Kiss (1907-8) (4:32)
- No. 2, Marjatta’s Song (1908) (3:24)
- It’s only then (1899)* (0:43)
- Maidens Bathing in the Sea, Op. 12 (1909-10)* (8:12)
Two Songs, Op. 16a (4:00)
- No. 1, Sinikka’s Song (1910) (2:22)
- No. 2, Beat, Heart! (1906-09) (1:38)
- My Road Leads out into the World (1899) (0:57)
- Don’t Cry, my dear young Maiden (1901)* (1:08)
- Hi and ho! (Folksong from South Ostrobothnia)* (1:12)
Twelve Folksongs from South Ostrobothnia, Op. 17b (1908-9)** (18:23)
- No. 1, I will keep walking (0:51)
- No. 2, You mustn’t tell my old mum (1:59)
- No. 3, Cry from the bottom of your grave (0:52)
- No. 4, Oh those thousands of hours (1:05)
- No. 5, My dad’s cottage is low and small (1:08)
- No. 6, The lads are walking in the villages (1:26)
- No. 7, There I can see the red house (0:59)
- No. 8, Heikki of Hautala house has to spend the beautiful summer (2:33)
- No. 9, Wind bent the top of the birch (2:03)
- No. 10, Blue eyes and red cheeks (2:12)
- No. 11, You’re free to come and get back your ring (1:04)
- No. 12, People think I feel happy (2:11)
*First Recordings
**First Complete Recording
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