Matthew Whittall’s The World Tree wins Finnish Music Publishers’ Award

Matthew Whittall’s The World Tree has won the Finnish Music Publishers’ Award in the category for contemporary small-scale (and choral) works. The prize was presented at the Finnish Music Publishers’ Gala on 10 September.

A 70-minute a cappella work for mixed choir, The World Tree brings together Whittall’s long-standing engagement with nature, English-language poetry and the expressive possibilities of choral music. Written to a libretto by British author Robert Macfarlane, the work grew from the idea of a requiem for the felled Sycamore Gap Tree into a wide-ranging meditation on deep time, ecological loss and the interwoven fates of humans and trees. Against its themes of destruction, the work also holds out a quiet hope for a greener future founded on responsible reciprocity with the natural world.

“The World Tree is one of the most significant large-scale a cappella works for mixed choir composed in Finland in the 21st century. The expressive power of the human voice emerges with exceptional richness and impact,” the jury said.

Reacting to the award, Whittall wrote: “Happy and humbled to be recognized once again by the Finnish music publishers’ association, this time for my very small-scale 70-minute choral behemoth, The World Tree. As I said in my hastily improvised acceptance speech, choral music is too often seen as the poor cousin genre of concert music, a largely amateur pursuit, and it’s always welcome when people laud our efforts in the professional field.” He also thanked the Helsinki Chamber Choir, conductor Nils Schweckendiek, producer Martti Anttila, Robert Macfarlane and his publisher Fennica Gehrman for their roles in bringing the project to life.

Ambitious, experimental and unsentimental, The World Tree traces an imaginative journey from ancient forests through the troubled present and towards a precarious future in which new shoots of hope can still emerge. The work was created in collaboration with the Helsinki Chamber Choir.

Listen to the third movement, Pollen polyphony, from the upcoming recording by Helsinki Chamber Choir and Nils Schweckendiek:

Matthew Whittall on Fennica Gehrman’s page
Matthew Whittall’s homepage

Photo: Touko Hujanen / MPA Finland