01	Veli (Brother)						05:03
	02	Mita Mina (What Do I Sing)						03:44
	03	Alkusanat (The Beginning Words)						03:01
	04	Neidon Laulu (The Song of a Maiden)						04:48
	05	Ukkonen (Thunder God)						05:31
	06	Metsan Tytto (Forest Maiden)						03:13
	07	Stapals						03:47
	08	Viima (Cold Wind)						05:02
	09	Heila (True Love)						05:13
	10	Vispolska (Song Polska)						01:29

This is Hedningarnas fifth album, released on February 3rd in 1999. The original "Nordic Supergroup" have returned from the studio with Finnish vocalists Sanna Kurki-Suonio and Anita Lehtola and crafted their most powerful album yet. Karelia Visa is inspired by their travels to the former Finnish Karelia (now part of Russia) in search of ancient culture. The story of the exiled Finns who remained in Karelia, their historic hardships and recent impoverishment (with the collapse of the Russian economy) give Karelia Visa an intense emotional energy that can be heard and felt in the music, and seen in the many color photographs which are part of the CD's deluxe 24-page book. While the music focuses on the songs and vocal tradition, Hedningarna once again infuse a contemporary approach and modern production with the ancient. The joining of antiquated Finnish "runesongs" and traditional Swedish instrumentation still somehow nets Hedningarna a curiously modern result.

Label: Silence Records (SRSCD 4744)

Songs
Veli / Brother (5:02)
Mita Mina / What Do I Sing (3:43)
Alkusanat / The Beginning Words (3:00)
Neidon Laulu / The Song of a Maiden (4:48)
Ukkonen / Thunder God (5:31)
Metsan Tytto / Forest Maiden (3:12)
Stapals (3:49)
Viima / Cold Wind (4:59)
Heila / True Love (5:08)
Vispolska / Song Polska (1:28)

Anders Norudde: fioler (fiddles), Moraharpor (keyed fiddles), strakharpa (bowed harp), svensk sackpipa (Swedish bagpipes), flojter (flutes).

Bjorn Tollin: tamburin (tambourine), rytminstrument (percussion), slagbordun, hummel, basmandora, sampling.

Hallbus Totte Mattsson: mandora, latluta (lute), hummel, Moraoud, lira (hurdy-gurdy), balgaspel (accordion).

Sanna Kurki-Suonio: sang (vocals).
Anita Lehtola: sang (vocals).

Guests:

Ulf "Rockis" Ivarsson: basmandora, Pro 1, sampling, druga.
Johan Liljemark: didgeridoo.


Produced by: Lasse Englund & Hedningarna
Recorded at: Visionen, Falun, & Silence Studio, Koppom, May-August 1998, by Lasse Englund & Pontus Ohlsson.
Mixed at MVG Studio, Stockholm, in September 1998 by Pontus Ohlsson & Lasse Englund
Executive producers: Eva Wilke & Nikolaj Steenstrup
Our warmest thanks to:
Maarie Lesonen, Santra Remsujeva, Jelena Pirhonen, Maria Fedorova, Iivana Lesonen, Arhippa Perttusen Saatio, Kuhmo Kulttuuri Kornitsa & Statens Kulturrad
Tack/Thanks/Kitos:
Instrument makers Gunnar Gustavsson, Pierre Lindstom, Leif Eriksson and Jan Aslund.
Also thanks to
Hakan Nilsson, Carlos Beceiro, Trond Korsmoe and Kikke Heikkinen


Printed facts from the front sleeve:

Karelia is a general designation for the area on each side of the common border between Finland and Russia. The western part of Karelia still belongs to Finland, but during the war in 1945 Finland lost a great part of it, the so called Ladoga Karelia and the Karelian isthmus. More than 400,000 inhabitants lost their homes and were evacuated as refugees to other parts of Finland. The lost part were incorporated into the Russian Karelia, which by 1920 had already become one of the republics in the Soviet Union.

Nowadays only 10% of the ethnic Karelian population remain in Russian Karelia (population 800,000). The Karelians are one of the seven Finnish Baltic Sea people. The others are the Finns, the Estonians, the Votes, the Ingermanlands, the Veps, and the Lifelanders. The Finnish, Karelian and Ingermanlandic languages are so closely related that they can be considered dialects of the same language.

The archaic culture of the runosong was kept alive for hundreds of years where people spoke the Baltic Sea Finnish languages. But in the 17th century the old song tradition started to change towards the Western European tradition of rhyming couplets. The old tradition of runosong was best preserved in Karelia as well in Russian Karelia. It was from this area Elias Lonnrot gathered the best songs to create the epic "Kalevala" in 1835, which later became the national epic of Finland. The influence of the Kalevala had a great influence for building an identity for the Finnish people over the last century. Karelia became a critical factor in this process.



Printed facts from the back sleeve:

"Over the years we have encountered the runosong through old wax recordings and books, and with that knowledge we have freely interpreted it on our own terms. Now we wanted to move beyond this, into the core and the source of the tradition.

Thanks to newly opened borders, great hospitality and a great help from organisations and individuals, it was possible for us to meet with the remnant of the people who have preserved this ancient art through the centuries.

We came home filled with strong pictures and feelings about life in general and about Karelia in particular. We hope that this Finnish minority will survive their difficult situation and carry on the traditions for future generations"

Hedningarna


Translations by R.Kanerva (English), S.M.Pechkin (Russian) & Jose Antonio Torres Almodovar (Spanish)

===================

Hedningarna, Karelia Visa (Northside, 1999)


It's an odd thing -- one of the words which keeps coming to mind when I listen to this CD is "evocative." But that raises the question, what exactly does it evoke? And I can't really give you an answer, as I am not of Nordic origin and have never visited the area. So, it is indeed an interesting phenomenon to listen to a CD of a Swedish band travelling to the now-Russian province of Karelia, collecting the songs from that region to include on this recording, and to find it both exotic and evocative at the same time. Ah, the mysteries of music:

A previous Hedningarna CD that I had the pleasure of hearing (Kaksi!) had far more of a folk-rock feel, which I believe is more typical of the band's style. On this album, however, they have chosen to interpret the pieces in a more traditional, acoustic style. This may be due to the respect they afford the material, which is localised to the Karelia region, on the border between Finland and Russia.

In fact, the members of Hedningarna stayed at the homes of the local people, from whom they learnt the tunes, and they have stayed reasonably true to the melodies they were given. Their arrangement skills certainly weren't disregarded in the process, though. The result is a recording that will easily appeal to lovers of that overly-general term "world music".

The opening track "Veli / Brother" sets the tone with its moody, mysterious feel. Yet, it also has a hopeful air about it which is apparent even without reading the lyrics (in both Swedish and English) concerning a lost brother.

The rhythms and format of these songs generally go in different directions than a Western ear may expect, which of course is part of its attraction to many people. The lyrics are also not restricted to the rhyming couplets so prevalent nowadays, with themes ranging from the joy of singing to an ode to Ukkonen (Thunder God). Even though many of the subjects are universal, the structure of the lyrics is unique enough to stand out. I particularly like the concept espoused in "Alkusanat / The Beginning Words" -- "When a wise one is the singer / she knows when to end her song, too / A good song ends at the right time / A short song is a song with beauty". Here is a band that practices what it preaches!

The combination of expected instruments such as fiddles, flute and accordion along with hurdy-gurdy, lute, Swedish bagpipe etc (even a ubiquitous didgeridoo) and the entirely suitable vocals of Sanna Kurki-Suonio and Anita Lehtola, make this a thoroughly impressive CD. What's the best way to describe it? Hmmm: what about "evocative"?

[Michael Hunter]



Karelia Visa by Hedningarna


Hedningarna are back! The original "Nordic Supergroup" have returned to the studio with Finnish vocalists Sanna Kurki-Suonio and Anita Lehtola and crafted their most powerful album yet.

Karelia Visa is inspired by their travels to the former Finnish Karelia (now part of Russia) in search of ancient culture.

The story of the exiled Finns who remained in Karelia, their historic hardships and recent impoverishment (with the collapse of the Russian economy) give Karelia Visa an intense emotional energy that can be heard and felt in the music, and seen in the many color photographs which are part of the CD's deluxe 24-page book.

While the music focuses on the songs and vocal tradition, Hedningarna once again infuse a contemporary approach and modern production with the ancient. The joining of antiquated Finnish "runesongs" and traditional Swedish instrumentation still somehow nets Hedningarna a curiously modern result.



"In typical 'heathen' style, the band reinterprets freely and inventively, pulling instruments from many Nordic and northern European countries, adding technology carefully but conspicuously, crafting an electric folk music that stays carefully out of the rock realm and holds true to the folk process." -- amazon.com


"an earthy, elegant expression of primal emotions." -- Chicago Reader


"Enhralling and compelling from first note to last." -- Al Riess, Dirty Linen


"Hedningarna pays tribute to a forgotten culture, bringing its traditional music alive with energy and excellence." -- Rhythm