This album presents an imaginative fusion of organ, orchestra, and electronic elements through the visionary works of Finnish composer Harri Viitanen. The featured compositions reflect Viitanen’s deep engagement with astronomy, birdsong, and digital sound analysis.
Images d’oiseau (1992) is an organ work shaped by birdsong recorded near Viitanen’s home. Using nightingale, blackbird, and other calls as raw material, the piece unfolds as a ten-part instrumental fantasia, gradually transforming its textures and motifs to evoke both natural sound and structural unity.
Firmamentum (1985–88) is a concerto for organ and symphony orchestra inspired by the cosmos. Viitanen translates astronomical data—such as distances between stars—into tonal relationships, resulting in three movements of vast musical architecture. The work blends Gregorian chorale, aleatoric rhythms, dynamic clusters, and virtuosic organ writing into a “Mass in space.”
Voyager (1988/97), an electroacoustic piece named after the space probe, revisits some of the same astronomical themes in a purely electronic form. Produced in the Sibelius Academy’s electronic music studio, it creates a sonic journey that expands like the cosmos itself.
Performed by Harri Viitanen on the Marcussen organ of Helsinki Cathedral, with the Avanti! Chamber Orchestra conducted by Hannu Lintu, this recording offers a bold and poetic encounter with contemporary Finnish soundscapes.
