Seitakuoro Chamber Choir - Arktisia Näkyjä: Arctic Scenes (CD)

Release Date: 01/01/11

We learn from the refreshingly candid booklet notes that the chamber choir, Seitakuoro, was founded in the town of Kemi,

We learn from the refreshingly candid booklet notes that the chamber choir, Seitakuoro, was founded in the town of Kemi, Finland, in 1961. Fifty years and several conductors later, the choir appears here in a collection of music from Lapland. The Estonian conductor, Kadri Joamets, originally joined the choir as a singer, and her appointment as conductor in 1999 was evidently the beginning of a period of enviable stability for the group. The choir’s repertoire is wide ranging, with more weight given to contemporary music in recent years. The singing on this disc is very fine, but the style is unusual and all those interested in choral singing should hear it. Tuning is excellent and the words are very clear. The singing is full of life, and those more used to warmer climes will take on trust the authenticity of the performances. I had expected a Russian or Slavic sound, with deep powerful basses, but this is not the case. The choral sound is perfectly balanced between men’s and women’s voices, but the sound is clear rather than weighty, and there is no vibrato. The means are perfectly adapted to the repertoire. I have enjoyed this disc enormously, and would very much like to hear this choir now in a more international programme.