See Värttinä in:
Värttinä are a Finnish folk / pop band started in 1983 by sisters Sari and Mari Kaasinen while they were teenagers growing up in in the village of Rääkkylä, in Karelia, southeastern Finland. Värttinä rose to fame in Finland with the release of their 1991 hit album Oi Dai.
After many personnel changes, the band now has a unique line-up featuring three female vocalists who sing tight, complex, often dissonant harmonies. They sing traditional songs from several Finno-Ugric traditions, as well as original songs in a traditional style. Much of their material is drawn from the Karelian Kalevala tradition.
Recently Värttinä collaborated with Indian composer A. R. Rahman, to produce the music for The Lord of the Rings musical.
Line-up:
- Susan Aho (vocals)
- Mari Kaasinen (vocals, kantele)
- Janne Lappalainen (Irish bouzouki, soprano saxophone)
- Markku Lepistö (accordion)
- Lassi Logren (fiddle, jouhikko, nyckelharpa)
- Jaakko "Jaska" Lukkarinen (drums)
- Hannu Rantanen (bass)
- Antto Varilo (guitar, Cümbüş )
- Johanna Virtanen (vocals)
Visit the Värttinä website
