Kalevala (project)
Encyclopedia
Kalevala is a 3 CD progressive rock
epic based upon the Finnish national epic
of the same name. It tells the story in 30 parts, each part played by a different band.
, it was compiled and edited by Elias Lönnrot
while he was a district health officer in (then under the governance of Russia) eastern Finland. The poem consists of 50 runos or cantos and 22,795 lines of poetry. The poem tells the story of a people, from the very beginning of the world to the introduction of Christianity.
The Kalevala has been translated into about 48 languages and has been an important cultural inspiration for the Finnish people for many years.
Colossus (the magazine of the Finnish Progressive Music Association) invited the 30 bands to write, compose, perform and produce their own songs for the project, they were asked to perform in their native language or if they wished they could perform an instrumental piece.
The bands were pretty much free to do as they pleased, there was really only one restriction, and that was that the bands had to use vintage equipment, for the genuine 70's sound and feeling and were to use no programmed drums. If the track was sung in their own language they were also required to provide an English translation of their lyrics and of course a small piece of information about the band for the liner notes.
The project was coordinated by Marco Bernard, the editor of Colossus magazine.
Bands from the following countries participated:
(where appropriate) a synopsis of each track and pictures of the bands and general artwork.
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
epic based upon the Finnish national epic
Kalevala
The Kalevala is a 19th century work of epic poetry compiled by Elias Lönnrot from Finnish and Karelian oral folklore and mythology.It is regarded as the national epic of Finland and is one of the most significant works of Finnish literature...
of the same name. It tells the story in 30 parts, each part played by a different band.
The Kalevala
The Kalevala is considered the national epic of FinlandFinland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
, it was compiled and edited by Elias Lönnrot
Elias Lönnrot
Elias Lönnrot was a Finnish philologist and collector of traditional Finnish oral poetry. He is best known for compiling the Kalevala, the Finnish national epic compiled from national folklore.-Education and early life:...
while he was a district health officer in (then under the governance of Russia) eastern Finland. The poem consists of 50 runos or cantos and 22,795 lines of poetry. The poem tells the story of a people, from the very beginning of the world to the introduction of Christianity.
The Kalevala has been translated into about 48 languages and has been an important cultural inspiration for the Finnish people for many years.
Concept
seaoftranquility.org calls the project the Most Ambitious Progressive Rock Project Ever. 30 different bands from 8 different countries telling a 50 chapter story in 30 parts with each band performing in their native language (where the track is not an instrumental) making for songs in 7 different languages.Colossus (the magazine of the Finnish Progressive Music Association) invited the 30 bands to write, compose, perform and produce their own songs for the project, they were asked to perform in their native language or if they wished they could perform an instrumental piece.
The bands were pretty much free to do as they pleased, there was really only one restriction, and that was that the bands had to use vintage equipment, for the genuine 70's sound and feeling and were to use no programmed drums. If the track was sung in their own language they were also required to provide an English translation of their lyrics and of course a small piece of information about the band for the liner notes.
The project was coordinated by Marco Bernard, the editor of Colossus magazine.
Bands from the following countries participated:
- Finland - 6 tracks
- France - 1 track
- Italy - 13 tracks
- Norway - 1 track
- Sweden - 3 tracks
- Switzerland - 1 track
- United Kingdom - 3 tracks
- United States - 2 tracks
Track listing
| Disc | Track | Title | Artist | Nationality | Runo(s) of Kalevala Kalevala The Kalevala is a 19th century work of epic poetry compiled by Elias Lönnrot from Finnish and Karelian oral folklore and mythology.It is regarded as the national epic of Finland and is one of the most significant works of Finnish literature... Based upon |
Running time |
| Disc 1 | 1 | The Creation - The Sowing | Haikara | Finland | Runos 1 & 2 | 11:30 |
| 2 | Wainamoinen and Youkahainen/The Fate of Aino | Overhead | Finland | Runos 3 & 4 | 8:04 | |
| 3 | Som Floden Flyter (As the River Runs) | Simon Says | Sweden | Runos 5 & 6 | 7:06 | |
| 4 | Trubadurens Kval (The Minstrel's Cry) | Sinkadus | Sweden | Runo 7 | 5:43 | |
| 5 | Maiden of the Bow | Moongarden | Italy | Runos 8 & 9 | 10:21 | |
| 6 | Ilmarinen Forges the Sampo | Il Castello di Atlante | Italy | Runo 10 | 7:05 | |
| 7 | Lemminkainen's Lament | Magenta | United Kingdom | Runos 11 & 12 | 6:58 | |
| 8 | Three Battles | Submarine Silence | Italy | Runos 13 & 14 | 7:34 | |
| 9 | Raking the Bones | Metaphor | United States | Runo 15 | 7:43 | |
| 10 | Boat Builder/Searching for the Lost Word | Clearlight | France/United States | Runos 16 & 17 | 10:27 | |
| Disc 2 | 1 | 3 | Orchard | Norway | Runos 18 & 19 | 7:33 |
| 2 | Wedding | Greenwall | Italy | Runos 20 to 25 | 14:27 | |
| 3 | Uninvited Guest | Revelation | Italy | Runos 26 & 27 | 10:06 | |
| 4 | Pimeästa Pohjolasta (From the Dark North) | Scarlet Thread | Finland | Runo 28 | 5:02 | |
| 5 | Suono Dei Ricordi (The Sound of Memories) | Mad Crayon | Italy | Runos 29 & 30 | 6:22 | |
| 6 | Fiore Di Vendetta (The Flower of Revenge) | Museo Rosenbach | Italy | Runos 31 & 32 | 6:41 | |
| 7 | Filo Di Lama (Edge of a Blade) | Leviathan | Italy | Runos 33 & 34 | 10:34 | |
| 8 | Strani Colori (Strange Colours) | Malibran | Italy | Runo 35 | 7:31 | |
| 9 | Malvagio Per le Stelle (Mean Because of the Stars) | Sophya Baccini | Italy | Runo 36 | 5:24 | |
| 10 | Ilmarinen's Bride of Gold | Elegant Simplicity | United Kingdom | Runo 37 | 5:00 | |
| Disc 3 | 1 | Ilmarinen's Fruitless Wooing | Qadesh | United Kingdom | Runo 38 | 11:33 |
| 2 | Kantele | Cantina Sociale | Italy | Runos 39 to 41 | 5:46 | |
| 3 | Stormen (Tempest) | Grand Stand | Sweden | Runo 42 | 7:01 | |
| 4 | Battaglia Per il Sampo (The Battle for the Sampo) | Germinale | Italy | Runo 43 | 8:12 | |
| 5 | Uusi Kantele (New Kantele) | Aardvark | Finland | Runo 44 | 5:52 | |
| 6 | Kapittu 45/46 (Chapter 45/46) | Thønk | Switzerland | Runos 45 & 46 | 6:38 | |
| 7 | Tuletta (Fireless) | Groovector | Finland | Runo 47 | 5:18 | |
| 8 | Pine | Whobodies | Finland | Runo 48 | 5:36 | |
| 9 | Runo 49 | Randone & Tempore | Italy | Runo 49 | 8:57 | |
| 10 | Way Is Open | Cafeïne | France | Runo 50 | 11:42 |
Packaging
The 3 CDs are packaged in a standard wide CD jewel case along with a fairly comprehensive booklet containing introductory information about the Kalevala and a complete listing of tracks with lyricsLyrics
Lyrics are a set of words that make up a song. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist or lyrist. The meaning of lyrics can either be explicit or implicit. Some lyrics are abstract, almost unintelligible, and, in such cases, their explication emphasizes form, articulation, meter, and symmetry of...
(where appropriate) a synopsis of each track and pictures of the bands and general artwork.