Sisu
This piece holds the most emotional weight out of all my works. Sisu is a four movement work taking Finnish cultural elements and marrying them with classical form and modern compositional technique.
Folk Songs, takes the folk melodies of Ampulla Varhain and Et Niin Hiljaa and develops them, capturing the Finnish spirit.
Scherzo, pertains to the Finnish word “Revontulet”. While this is their literal word for the Northern Lights, it is also a micro-tale about an Arctic Fox. It is said that when the Arctic Fox runs across the ice and snow, it whips its tail up behind it, sending snow into the air and streaking the sky with color. This movement captures that image
Intermezzo, is the most relevant movement to the world we live in today. This movement takes the Finnish National Anthem, Maamme, and marries it with material I’d previously written for the Agnus Dei of a Mass. I thought that there was a profound message behind the combination of these two materials. It is important to have a spiritual connection, and whether it is biblical, or natural, implying believing in something greater than yourself should be celebrated.
Tone-Poem, takes a story from the Finnish epic, the Kalevala. In this story, the hero Väinämöinen and his people are attacked by the evil witch Louhi, and her 9 Diseased Children. The story is macabre and heroic and exciting and this movement aims to capture that energy.
Details:
For Flute, 2 Violins, Viola and Cello
Duration: 23’
Commissioned by Carol Wincenc
Written: 2025
This work is part of the Sisu Project Collection.