Seleniko

Varttina

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 5, 1993)
• Original Release Date: 1992
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Xenophile Records
• ASIN: B000001L4L
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #164,187 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Varttina is a nine-member Finnish ensemble featuring four female singers and a five-member folk string band. The emphasis is clearly on the dazzling vocals of the four women, who sing in perfect parallels even as they bounce through the brisk tempos and syncopated rhythms. All 14 selections on this album are either traditional Finnish folk songs or reworkings of original materials. There are obvious parallels with Celtic music, which originated in a similar latitude, but Varttina's harmonies have more of a Slavic character. What really makes this album such a triumph is not only the sheer beauty of the harmonies but also the personal emotion the women put into their vocals. --Geoffrey Himes

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Neo-Finnish folk music with a twist, December 30, 2003

By	Brianna Neal (USA) - See all my reviews

Varttina's debut album for the Green Linnett/Xenophile label, "Seleniko" is the folksiest of the group's releases. Traditional Finnish melodies and strident female folk-singing are successfully blended with instrumental accompaniments that combine Scandinavian, Celtic and modern elements. More laid back and accoustic than some of Varttina's later work, "Seleniko" celebrates the band's traditional roots. Topics of the songs, sung in Finnish with English translations provided, are the stuff of all traditional folk music--love, courtship, marriage and drinking. The acapella song "Sulhassii", accompanied only by hand claps, is particularly fun, gaily encouraging young girls to accept a suitor. "Hyva Tyttona Hypata", on the contrary, warns girls to remain maids so they won't have move into a stranger's house and fawn on a mother-in-law. This simple song is arranged with a modern feel to it, building and evolving as the verses progress. All in all, "Seleniko" is an impressive and innovative debut with the promise of much more to come! Varttina's next, "Aitara", kicks it up a notch, while the solo release by lead singers Sari and Mari Kaasinen, "Can We Have Christmas Now?", delves more deeply into traditional Finnish music.

5.0 out of 5 stars Exquisite-- from haunting to high energy, April 27, 1998

By A Customer

This album shows Varttina at their best, from revved-up instrumentals to slow and soulful a cappella. A good variety of styles, blending the traditional with the modern.