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7 questions for Henna Salmela
Director of Administration Henna Salmela is retiring after an extensive and distinguished career of 36 years in music publishing. She joined Fazer Musiikki as a press officer and has witnessed the company’s evolution from a small part in a major corporation into an independent and active operator in the field of art music. Here, she…
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Uusinta’s musical catalogue to Fennica
The catalogue of Uusinta Music Publishing was transferred to Fennica Gehrman at the beginning of 2026. Uusinta has been an important publisher of contemporary music, with a diverse catalogue featuring numerous Finnish composers. Here, Lauri Toivio discusses the development of the company over its 25-year history. The story of Uusinta began in the summer of…
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Einojuhani Rautavaara – always up to date
Autumn 2028 marks the centenary of the birth of composer Einojuhani Rautavaara. Leading up to this, Fennica Gehrman has revised the orchestral materials of Cantus arcticus, and new editions of the symphonies are on their way. Sinfonia Lahti is embarking on a project recording his complete symphonies. All in all, there will be a surge…
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Seven questions for Timo-Juhani Kyllönen
1. You have composed music for a variety of ensembles. In recent years, vocal music has come to occupy a central role in your work. What inspires you? Through words and music, it is possible to express profound emotions and reflect deep-rooted soulscapes. I enjoy singing, and because I love languages and speak eight languages,…
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Focus on Pasi Lyytikäinen
Pasi Lyytikäinen (b. 1975) is an active and inclusive player in the field of contemporary art music, whose works span a wide range of ideas, ensembles and genres. Pasi Lyytikäinen began his musical career as a child, playing the accordion on a train. He took up the flute at the Military Music School in Lahti,…
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Seven questions for Veli-Matti Puumala
Veli-Matti Puumala, who will be 60 on 18 July [2025], here answers questions about his composing process, work as a teacher of the new composer generation and the guiding stars in his life. 1. How do you set about composing a new work — and are there any “standard methods” in your composition process? The…
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Aulis Sallinen: music aims at a different humanity
Aulis Sallinen, who will turn 90 on 9 April 2025, kindly gave us permission to print the speech he made at the award-giving ceremony in September when he received the Honorary Award of the Finnish Music Publishers. “I would like to express my warmest thanks for the honour. It means a lot to me, because…
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Erkki Melartin jubilee
On 7 February next year [2025], 150 years will have passed since the birth of Finnish composer Erkki Melartin (1875–1937). The occasion will be celebrated each month during the jubilee year with events, exhibitions and concerts in different parts of Finland. Melartin was active in just about all walks of life: composer, conductor, music theory…
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The light behind the landscape
The music of Matthew Whittall opens up landscapes: vast silences, currents of melodies, arches of meditative sound that make time stand still. Since the mid-2000s, his soundscapes have dwelled on nature experiences, both personal and universal – one example being the 25-minute-long The Return of Light (2015) for chamber orchestra and choir, diving into polar…
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Old roots, new branches
Fennica Gehrman was founded in October 2002. Despite its young age it has roots stretching back a hundred years in Finnish music. The Swiss businessman Konrad Georg Fazer founded Fazer Music in 1897 by purchasing a music shop in Helsinki. His brothers were also active in their own fields: Edvard Fazer was the founder and director of the Finnish…
