With the exception of a few misguided Swedes, we all know that Santa Claus lives in Finland. So what could be more fitting than a disc of Finnish Christmas classics, in lavish orchestral arrangements performed by the Lahti Symphony Orchestra, only 240 miles south of Santa’s home in Rovaniemi. Just as the joyous season knows no boundaries, many of the favourite songs associated with the Finnish Christmas – or ‘Joulu’ – are international, and in the programme, hidden behind exotic-sounding titles, are Jingle bells as well as Rejoice, O Daughter of Zion from Handel’s Messiah. But there are also local products on offer – the most well-known probably being Jean Sibelius’s Christmas song ‘Giv mig ej glans’, which here is performed by Jukka Perko, the internationally known saxophonist who appears as soloist in four tracks on the disc. Other performers include the Lahti children’s choir ‘Laulupuu’ and Riki Sorsa, one of Finland’s most popular performers, who appears in the setting of the poem Tonttu (the Finnish name for Santa). All the arrangements are new – as indeed are a couple of the compositions themselves – and make full use of the eminent abilities of the Lahti Symphony Orchestra, here conducted by Esa Heikkilä.
