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I Am a River - Choral Music by Kaija Saariaho & Elena Tulve

ContemporaryContemplative, serene, exotic, dramatic

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Details

Composer
Kaija Saariaho, Helena Tulve
Artist
Helsinki Chamber Choir
Format
SACD
Discs
1
Label
BIS
Released
Apr 17, 2026
Catalog #
BIS-2742
UPC
7318599927428

About

Finnish Kaija Saariaho and Estonian Helena Tulve, two composers with highly individual voices, both explore instrumental color as a core element of their work. Saariaho's vocal works particularly reveal the full expressive richness of her music. Early pieces like Suomenkielinen sekakuorokappale and Nej och inte established her unique grammar of disintegrating sonic and semantic units; later works such as Lumen valosta and Kesapaiva further develop this approach with extended vocal techniques. Tulve's music "grows out from simple primary impulses, being influenced by natural patterns, organics and synchronicity." I Am a River, based on verses by the 13th-century Persian scholar, poet and mystic Rumi, explores the connection between choral music in resonant church acoustics and sensorial mysticism. Nachtliche Gesange, based on texts by exiled German-speaking Jewish poets, draws it's sonic material from the phonetic properties of the German language. These works of unusual beauty are entrusted to the expert voices of the Helsinki Chamber Choir under Nils Schweckendiek. This GRAMMY-awarded collaboration, previously heralded for their Saariaho album Renaissance (BIS-2662), promises a profound interpretation of these contemporary works for choir.

Critic reviews

  • “Thousands of universes pass through the eye of a needle: Rūmī’s vision of the microcosm and the macrocosm finds its musical counterpart in Helena Tulve’s setting, with a sound world that is at once mystical and dramatic.”

    Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik, Quarterly critic’s choice, July 2026

  • “Finely performed and produced, ingenious works meet meticulous execution across the disc… the Helsinkians voice the trills and other ornaments so adroitly they sound like keyed instruments.”

    Choir & Organ, 5 stars, June 2026

Show 1 more review
  • “As with Reconnaissance, the Helsinki Chamber Choir and Nils Schweckendiek’s stunning disc of Saariaho’s music…this is compelling listening… decorated beauty that invites listening to the disc again.”

    BBC Music Magazine, 5 stars, May 2026

Tracklist 13 tracks

  1. 1 I am a River 14:09
    Track
    1
    Title
    I am a River
    Duration
    14:09
    Composer
    Helena Tulve
    Ensemble
    Helsinki Chamber Choir
    Conductor
    Nils Schweckendiek
  2. 2 Lumen valosta (On/From the Light of Snow) 01:07
    Track
    2
    Title
    Lumen valosta (On/From the Light of Snow)
    Duration
    01:07
    Composer
    Kaija Saariaho
    Ensemble
    members Helsinki Chamber Choir
    Conductor
    Nils Schweckendiek
  3. 3 I. Jag vill inte tala… (I do not want to talk…) 00:59
    Track
    3
    Title
    I. Jag vill inte tala… (I do not want to talk…)
    Duration
    00:59
    Composer
    Kaija Saariaho
    Ensemble
    Helsinki Chamber Choir
    Conductor
    Nils Schweckendiek
  4. 4 II. Och du gick, flög… (And you passed, flew…) 01:07
    Track
    4
    Title
    II. Och du gick, flög… (And you passed, flew…)
    Duration
    01:07
    Composer
    Kaija Saariaho
    Ensemble
    Helsinki Chamber Choir
    Conductor
    Nils Schweckendiek
  5. 5 III. Nej, vi fick ej… (No, we didn’t get to…) 01:12
    Track
    5
    Title
    III. Nej, vi fick ej… (No, we didn’t get to…)
    Duration
    01:12
    Composer
    Kaija Saariaho
    Ensemble
    Helsinki Chamber Choir
    Conductor
    Nils Schweckendiek
  6. 6 Suomenkielinen sekakuorokappale 09:13
    Track
    6
    Title
    Suomenkielinen sekakuorokappale
    Duration
    09:13
    Composer
    Kaija Saariaho
    Performer
    Joel Ward, Jukka Jokitalo
    Ensemble
    Helsinki Chamber Choir
    Conductor
    Nils Schweckendiek
  7. 7 I. 1. Hekti: Aamutuima (First hour: Daybreak) 02:22
    Track
    7
    Title
    I. 1. Hekti: Aamutuima (First hour: Daybreak)
    Duration
    02:22
    Composer
    Kaija Saariaho
    Performer
    Veera Kuusirati
    Ensemble
    Helsinki Chamber Choir
    Conductor
    Nils Schweckendiek
  8. 8 II. 2. Hekti: Työ (Second hour: Work) 01:56
    Track
    8
    Title
    II. 2. Hekti: Työ (Second hour: Work)
    Duration
    01:56
    Composer
    Kaija Saariaho
    Performer
    Veera Kuusirati
    Ensemble
    Helsinki Chamber Choir
    Conductor
    Nils Schweckendiek
  9. 9 III. 3. Hekti: Kaipausaika (Third hour: The Hour of Longing) 03:01
    Track
    9
    Title
    III. 3. Hekti: Kaipausaika (Third hour: The Hour of Longing)
    Duration
    03:01
    Composer
    Kaija Saariaho
    Ensemble
    Helsinki Chamber Choir
    Conductor
    Nils Schweckendiek
  10. 10 IV. 4. Hekti: Mystinen Aika (Fourth hour: The Mystic Hour) 03:21
    Track
    10
    Title
    IV. 4. Hekti: Mystinen Aika (Fourth hour: The Mystic Hour)
    Duration
    03:21
    Composer
    Kaija Saariaho
    Ensemble
    Helsinki Chamber Choir
    Conductor
    Nils Schweckendiek
  11. 11 V. 5. Hekti: Yön sarastus (Fifth hour: Evening Twilight) 03:33
    Track
    11
    Title
    V. 5. Hekti: Yön sarastus (Fifth hour: Evening Twilight)
    Duration
    03:33
    Composer
    Kaija Saariaho
    Performer
    Linnéa Sundfær Casserly
    Ensemble
    Helsinki Chamber Choir
    Conductor
    Nils Schweckendiek
  12. 12 I. Nachts, wenn das Pendel der Liebe schwingt… (At night, when the pendulum of love swings…) 09:40
    Track
    12
    Title
    I. Nachts, wenn das Pendel der Liebe schwingt… (At night, when the pendulum of love swings…)
    Duration
    09:40
    Composer
    Helena Tulve
    Ensemble
    Helsinki Chamber Choir
    Conductor
    Nils Schweckendiek
  13. 13 II. Zärtliche Nacht (Tender Night) 04:06
    Track
    13
    Title
    II. Zärtliche Nacht (Tender Night)
    Duration
    04:06
    Composer
    Helena Tulve
    Ensemble
    Helsinki Chamber Choir
    Conductor
    Nils Schweckendiek