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February 2010
The YL Tangos Published
The beloved tango recordings of the YL Male Voice Choir ( YL’ sinitaivaan and YL’ täysikuun , both featured in the double CD collection YL goes Tango ) have now been published as sheet music. The book contains the compositions and arrangements of such internationally renowned masters as Jaakko Mäntyjärvi, Jukka Linkola and Bob Chilcott, with the end result being described as a fusion of male choir and tango music.
Tangos, a charming part of the YL concert repertoire ever since, have now been published for the use of male choir and tango enthusiasts around the world. Exploiting the old saying: it takes 60 men to tango! The price of the book is 21,60 EUR and it can be ordered from SULASOL: myynti@sulasol.fi . The book is also for sale during the International Madetoja male choir competition in April in Espoo, Finland.
Later this year, YL will publish further sheet music collections, titled Serenade (available in Spring 2010) and Christmas (Autumn 2010).
Click for more information: YL Sheet Music Publications / Tango .
February 2010
Belgian Tour A Success
Salle Philharmonique, Liège
YL’s concert tour to Liège, Belgium, was a success. The vast and cultivated audiences were impressed by the choir’s performances and greeted YL with standing ovations. Amongst them, the General Manager of the Orchestre Philharmonique de Liège (OPL), who heaped praise on the choir (please see link to blog). In addition to Liège, YL visited the Permanent EU-representation of Finland in Brussels, where the forthcoming Baltic Sea Summit was introduced to international guests.
In Liège, YL gave concerts both a cappella and together with the OPL. After the Kullervo by Jean Sibelius, YL performed the Finlandia anthem, specially requested and dedicated by conductor François-Xavier Roth to the victims of the Liège apartment building explosion. YL was conducted by Professor Matti Hyökki.
The concerts were recorded for radio broadcast by the Belgian National Broadcasting Company (RTBF). The Kullervo will be broadcasted on February 19th at 20:00 and the a cappella concert on March 6th at 14:00 (Finnish Time) on the channel Musiq’3.
Links to the radio channel broadcast:
http://www.musiq3.be/index.htm
http://www.musiq3.be/WEBRADIO/index.htm
Other related links:
http://rousseaumusique.blog.com/2010/01/31/
http://www.finland.eu/Public/default.aspx?contentid=185342&nodeid=35742&culture=fi-FI
January 2010
Belgium awaits in January, USA in February
The YL Male Voice Choir begins the year 2010 with two significant concert tours. In the end of January, YL heads to Belgium, and in February the choir travels to the United States for an extensive concert tour.
YL is in Liège, Belgium, at the end of January. On Saturday, Jan 30th, YL performs in the Salle de Philharmonique concert hall with an a cappella program. Later on the same day, YL and the premiere symphony orchestra of Belgium, the Orchestre Philharmonique de Liège conducted by François-Xavier Roth, perform Jean Sibelius’ Kullervo symphony. YL is conducted by Professor Matti Hyökki, who is also the chorus master for the Kullervo. The Kullervo sees a rare setting, as the parts of Kullervo and his sister are sung by Ville Rusanen and Johanna Rusanen-Kartano, siblings in real-life as well as their characters. The concerts in Liège are a part of Visa pour l’Europe festival, focusing this year on European nationalism in different countries.
After Belgium, YL heads to one of the most celebrated concert tours in recent history. The tour to the United States takes the choir to Iowa City and Minneapolis, ending in the legendary Carnegie Hall, New York. In Iowa City, YL performs a cappella , in Minneapolis and New York together with the Minnesota Orchestra conducted by Osmo Vänskä. The final concert in Minneapolis will be recorded and broadcasted via National Public Radio and BBC Radio 3, also on the web. The same channels also broadcast a program of the joint history of Finnish male choir composition and YL, with pieces from Sibelius to modern day.
The YL is conducted by Professor Matti Hyökki.
The President of the Republic of Finland, Mrs. Tarja Halonen, will act as the patron of the concert tours.
Further information:
January 2010
YL launches the new website
The new website of YL has been opened.
From these pages you can find all the YL-related information you need: concerts, events, latest news, press materials, recordings etc. Please enjoy, and feel free to send us feedback.
December 2009
30th Anniversary of YL Christmas Concerts
The YL Christmas Concerts date back to 30 years already. The first Christmas Concert was given in the Helsinki Cathedral in 1979.
YL was a pioneer to begin giving Christmas concerts, since in the late 1970’s there were very few around. Even the first YL Christmas concerts included some repertoire other than Christmas songs, but the most beloved Finnish Christmas carols have been a vital part of the concert experience from the very first years. In 1986, the concerts moved to the bigger St. John’s Church and ever since, the concerts have attracted more and more audience. In the 21st century, an average of ten concerts a year haven given. During these 30 years, the YL Christmas concerts have become a vital tradition for thousands of people, and a starting point of Christmas celebration.
December 2009
YL Heading to Carnegie Hall
In spring 2010, YL is heading to the United States of America for the most important concert tour in YL’s recent history. The tour, heading to Carnegie Hall, New York City through Iowa City and Minneapolis, culminates to a concert with the Minnesota Orchestra conducted by Osmo Vänskä .
The tour features concerts both a cappella (Iowa City) and with orchestra (Minnepolis and New York). The piece selected for the concerts with Vänskä and MO is Sibelius’ youth work Kullervo . Since Vänskä has lifted the Minnesota Orchestra to the elite of American orchestras, and YL has received international awards from its last two Kullervo recordings, Carnegie Hall will expect to hear the Kullervo like never before. The concert in Minneapolis on Friday, Feb 26th, will be broadcasted throughout the world via National Public Radio and BBC Radio 3.
Before the tour of USA, YL will travel to Liège, Belgium, with concerts a cappella and together with the Orchestre Philharmonique de Liège on January 30th.
November 2009
Another Male Choir Meeting, this time in Jyväskylä on November 7th
The successful joint concerts by YL and partners will be continued with YL visiting its brother-choir, Sirkat, in Jyväskylä. Since both choir have the same ancestor, P.J. Hannikainen, the concert is titled the “The sons of Hannikainen”.
The 2 concerts will be given in the Taulumäki Church, tickets from Sirkat or www.lippu.fi . The Sirkat is conducted by Nikke Isomöttönen and the YL by Matti Hyökki.
October 2009
YL and OD receive Critical Acclaim for joint Concerts
"Male choir international" atmosphere!
Finnish audiences were treated to a rare “male choir international”!
YL invited its Swedish counter-part, Orphei Drängar from Uppsala, for concerts. The audience and critics were overwhelmed. Hannu-Ilari Lampila from Helsingin Sanomat writes, how ”both choirs can flexibly and skillfully combine new and old, solemn and entertaining”. Lampila also describes the different natures of the choirs. Orphei Drängar is praised for its sophisticated and translucent sound, while YL appeals with its strong scale of expression: “as large and refined as YL’s scale of expression is, it does not hide the Finnish elemental power – this is most probably as intended. The YL tenors sing “boldly at the top of their voice, with a bright clinging sound.”
Also Hufvudstadsbladet’s Mats Liljeroos was delighted from the concert. Of YL’s commissioned pieces Liljeroos underlines Perttu Haapanen’s Talescapes : “it contains phonetic deconstruction, recitation, unorthodox voices and all kinds of pranks, but also ragingly glorious harmonies. Erik Bergman ought to have proposed a toast to this in Heaven.”
Read the full reviews here:
http://www.hs.fi/kulttuuri/konsertti/artikkeli/Mieskuorolaulun++suuri+juhlahetki/HS20091027SI1KU03bg8
http://www.hbl.fi/text/kultur/2009/10/24/d33959.php
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