Books from Finland - A literary journal of writing from and about Finland.

Värttinä – mierontiellä ja punaisella matolla
[Värttinä – from path of the outcast to red carpet]
Helsinki: Like, 2008. 255 p., ill.
ISBN 978-952-01-0139-8
€ 29, paperback

The Finnish folk band Värttinä (‘Spindle’) formed in the village of Rääkkylä, North Karelia, in 1983 during the rise in popularity of modern Finnish folk music. The band’s energy and virtuosic style of singing, together with their unique sound, quickly brought them to the public’s attention, and the band has also enjoyed success abroad. In 2003 Värttinä composed the score for a world-wide musical production of Lord of the Rings. The book (also to be published in an English edition) presents the group’s history, as well as its recordings. It discusses Finno-Ugric folk music and the ways in which Värttinä modifies and modernises it. Kimmo Nevalainen is the author of an earlier book about Värttinä called Korkealta ja kovaa (‘Singing out loud’, Like, 2001).