Can We Have Christmas Now?

Mari Kaasinen/Sari Kaasinen, Varttina

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 15, 1998)
• Original Release Date: September 15, 1998
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Northside Records
• ASIN: B000009RL6
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #194,054 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Christmas brings out the child that lives in every heart. Trees dressed with rainbows of colored lights, carolers tramping through the snow, and Midnight church services all take on magical meaning. It's no different in Finland, and Sari and Mari Kaasinen, Värttinä's front women, share some of their favorite carols on this charming disc. Although these Christmas songs are all well- known in Finland, "Joulukirkkoon," a song about taking a sleigh ride to church, and "Silent Night," a kantele (traditional Finnish pick- and finger-played stringed instrument) solo that sounds like angels dancing on a harpsichord, are the only obvious holiday songs to non-Finnish ears. It seems doubtful that this album will become a Christmas favorite with non-Finns, but since this isn't a Värttinä release, Sari and Mari are free to be as folky and as Finnish as they want to be; hearing their wonderful harmonies without any pop window dressing is a real treat. --j. poet

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Warm, folksy holiday music from Finland, December 30, 2003

By	Brianna Neal (USA) - See all my reviews

Sisters Sari and Mari Kaasinen, lead singers in the group Varttina, offer here a more intimate album of Finnish Christmas music. Their arrangements for voice, piano, accordion, guitar, bass, violin, mandolin, harmonium and kantele retain Varttina's fresh, contemporary approach to harmony and structure, but abandon that group's high-energy performances in favor of a mellower sound. The sisters' voices, while still clear and straightforward in traditional Finnish folk style, lack the harsh dissonance of some of their later work and take on instead a warm, approachable tone. This simple, light-hearted album is a nice complement to the Kaasinens' work with Varttina and an enjoyable alternative to the Germanic and English music so often heard during the Christmas season.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gorgeous Holiday Fare from Finland, December 23, 2003

By	M. Hartman (East Coast, Etats-Unis) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The Kaasinen sisters are best known for their work with Varttina, but this is a side project and is not actually a Varttina release. It is quieter and more intimate than Vartinna and has a subdued beauty. The arrangements are sparse and feature mostly fiddle and accordion. Their version of Stille Nacht on the Kantele is nothing short of heavenly. This is a consistent favourite of mine throughout the winter. This is a treasure.

5.0 out of 5 stars Wow, November 3, 2003

By	Richard Deveno (Alameda, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I've had this for almost a year and I still listen to it every other day or so. By far my favorite Värttinä album. Save for the album title I would have had no idea these were Christmas carols ( since I don't speak Finnish ) ... but the music says to me that winter is going to be long, cold, and dark.