Live in Helsinki [Enhanced, Live]

Varttina | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 12, 2002)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Enhanced, Live
• Label: Northside Records
• ASIN: B00006311Z
• Also Available in: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #355,617 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

The women of Värttinä can sing like Finnish angels, howl like banshees, and growl like devils on the prowl, and they do it all on this live album, recorded before an adoring audience in their homeland. They've developed into a marvelously tight unit, able to move from the multipart, unaccompanied vocals of "Käppee" to the out-and-out groove of "Laulutyttö" without missing a beat. Led by violinist Kari Reiman, the band is spare, framing and emphasizing the vocals that have always been Värttinä's focal point. And the way the four singers work together--answering each other, playing off each other, coming together, and moving apart--is a joy to hear. There's a playfulness to their approach that's irresistible, and this live performance displays a very fierce energy and presence in the way they attack the songs that's missing from their studio work. Captured on a great night, they simply rock--and bring the house down. --Chris Nickson

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A taste of the Valhalla!, July 14, 2002

By 

Paulo H "pyh" (Concord, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Live in Helsinki (Audio CD)

I love Varttina, I love the vocals.

Having said that I would say this group is one of the reasons why I started studying Finnish (after all, I wanted to understand what was sung :).

"Kyla vuotti uutta kuuta" is the best traditional song I have ever heard. The strength with which Varttina vocalists sing this song is touching. If you close your eyes, you can almost see valkyries taking you from the ground and sending you to paradise.

The first time I heard this song I thought to myself: "This is the song I want someone to sing for me in my funeral and send me strait to paradise!"

The live presentation has its pros and cons but the overall result is really impressive. I would love to have the tape or better a DVD of this show in Helsinki.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars girls from the big forest, March 25, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Live in Helsinki (Audio CD)

Värttinä first became popular in our country in the 80's as part of the new folk movement and quickly established themselves as spokesgirls for roots music. this album captures their in their prime. Outstanding tracks are "Kylä vuotti uutta kuuta" (The village was waitin for the new moon") and "Ukko lumi" (Snow man). These girls had a way of putting you under their spell - maybe it was the Eastern-Karelian mysticism that's so hard to resist for a Finnish audience. As a time piece this album is essential - a reminder to us Finns that Värttinä could really touch our hearts and make us cry (and a moment later laugh through the tears).

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good live effort, July 3, 2002

By 

Roger Williams (Providence, RI) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Live in Helsinki (Audio CD)

This is a good live effort from Värttinä's tour supporting the "Ilmatar" album. Värttinä's strengths are captured well on this album, and the harmonies, as usual, are top notch on their live renditions of "Käppee", "Liigua" and their perennial classic "Kylä Vuotti Uutta Kuuta". These renditions are almost all shifted up a notch in tempo from the original recordings, which adds some energy (which is good and bad in some cases here) to the festivities.

Outside the core of vocalists Mari Kaasinen, Susan Aho, Johanna Virtanen and (the recently departed from Värttinä) Kirsi Kähkönen, the band is spry and energetic, although not all of the arrangements work well, and some of the playing is sloppy, notably the bizarrely reworked version of "Vihma" (renamed "Ukko Lumi" here) and a rendition of "Seelinnikoi" which is rearranged into a pale imitator of the studio version.

Still, it's all good fun, and the energy is infectious. This is a good first live album from Värttinä, and could be a sign of more to come.