Pekka Streng
Encyclopedia
Pekka Valter Mattias Streng (April 26, 1948, Sysmä
– April 11, 1975) was a Finnish
musician who had a notable influence on progressive rock
in Finland.
Streng died of cancer
at the age of 26. He knew about his disease throughout his career and the awareness of his forthcoming death can be heard from both his lyrics and music. During his short career he made two albums, which were published by Love Records
. He wrote the songs and lyrics (in Finnish
), and performed vocals and acoustic guitars on the albums. On the first one, Magneettimiehen kuolema (1970), he collaborated with Tasavallan Presidentti
, a renowned Finnish prog band of the time. On Kesämaa (1972), various other noted musicians such as Olli Ahvenlahti and Hasse Walli
took part in the studio sessions.
At the time of publication, Streng's records did not prove especially popular. Later, however, his music began gradually to attract more and more following. The two albums were first released on (one) CD
in 1990. Due to demand, remastered CD editions of both albums (this time separately) were released in 2003.
Pekka Streng avoided publicity and only gave one interview to a music journalist during his life. Because of this, not much has been known about him as a person, which occasionally has helped form a somewhat mystified image of him.
In 2009, nearly 34 years after Pekka Streng's death was released a posthumous album called Unen Maa which was built upon old recovered tape recordings where Pekka sings and plays acoustic guitar. Studio musicians (Olympia-orkesteri) added their own talent to finish what were at the time unfinished recordings.
Sysmä
Sysmä is a municipality of Finland situated in Southern Finland and is part of the Päijänne Tavastia region. The municipality has a population of and covers an area of ofwhich is water. The population density is.The municipality is unilingually Finnish....
– April 11, 1975) was a Finnish
Finland
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...
musician who had a notable influence on progressive rock
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...
in Finland.
Streng died of cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
at the age of 26. He knew about his disease throughout his career and the awareness of his forthcoming death can be heard from both his lyrics and music. During his short career he made two albums, which were published by Love Records
Love Records
Love Records was a record label from Finland, which released 384 LPs, 253 C-cassettes, 347 singles and 24 EPs. They were a pioneering label in Finnish rock music but also released jazz, political songs, ethnic music and so on....
. He wrote the songs and lyrics (in Finnish
Finnish language
Finnish is the language spoken by the majority of the population in Finland Primarily for use by restaurant menus and by ethnic Finns outside Finland. It is one of the two official languages of Finland and an official minority language in Sweden. In Sweden, both standard Finnish and Meänkieli, a...
), and performed vocals and acoustic guitars on the albums. On the first one, Magneettimiehen kuolema (1970), he collaborated with Tasavallan Presidentti
Tasavallan Presidentti
Tasavallan Presidentti is a Finnish progressive rock band. It was founded in 1969 by guitarist Jukka Tolonen and drummer Vesa Aaltonen. Other founder members were Måns Groundstroem and Frank Robson , previously of Blues Section...
, a renowned Finnish prog band of the time. On Kesämaa (1972), various other noted musicians such as Olli Ahvenlahti and Hasse Walli
Hasse Walli
Hannes Mikael Waldemar "Hasse" Walli was born on 10 February 1948 in Helsinki. His father Aarno Walli was a musician and bandleader, his mother Anne-Marie Strandberg a singer. Hasse Walli was about ten years old when he started playing drums. He drummed in various bands in early 1960s such as The...
took part in the studio sessions.
At the time of publication, Streng's records did not prove especially popular. Later, however, his music began gradually to attract more and more following. The two albums were first released on (one) CD
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
in 1990. Due to demand, remastered CD editions of both albums (this time separately) were released in 2003.
Pekka Streng avoided publicity and only gave one interview to a music journalist during his life. Because of this, not much has been known about him as a person, which occasionally has helped form a somewhat mystified image of him.
In 2009, nearly 34 years after Pekka Streng's death was released a posthumous album called Unen Maa which was built upon old recovered tape recordings where Pekka sings and plays acoustic guitar. Studio musicians (Olympia-orkesteri) added their own talent to finish what were at the time unfinished recordings.
Discography
- Magneettimiehen Kuolema (with Tasavallan PresidenttiTasavallan PresidenttiTasavallan Presidentti is a Finnish progressive rock band. It was founded in 1969 by guitarist Jukka Tolonen and drummer Vesa Aaltonen. Other founder members were Måns Groundstroem and Frank Robson , previously of Blues Section...
) (1970) - Kesämaa (1972)
- Unen maa (posthumous album with Olympia-orkesteri) (2009)
External links
- Pekka Streng website - song lyrics, images and articles (in Finnish)