The performance of the Finnish Vilma Jää captivates the United States.
Finn Vilma Jää tells NYT that she has received a lot of interview requests when “Innocence” has been performed in various parts of Europe and the United States. Timo Korhonen/AOP
Finnish singer Vilma Jää receives praise from an American From The New York Times (NOW).
The newspaper tells about the performance of 30-year-old Jää in an opera composed by Kaija Saariaho Innocence [suom. ”Viattomuus]. NYT is one of the largest, most traditional and respected newspapers in the United States.
The magazine describes how Jää, for example, “releases a bright youthful voice that is eerie and detached from the boundaries of tempo and musical time”.
According to NYT, Jää’s song is “so precious and touching that it is impossible to focus on anything else”.
– There is a disarming childishness in his voice, which becomes crushing, the newspaper writes.
Jää uses singing techniques based on folk songs in his performance. They are the cattle call and the Viennese joik.
Jää tells NYT that folk music often loses its soul and charm when it is used in the works of symphony orchestras. According to Saariaho, however, this did not happen, the singer says.
– Folk music is my everything, Jää tells NYT.
– It gives my life meaning, because when I sing these age-old traditions, I feel like I’m part of something bigger than myself, especially the continuum of female singers and storytellers.
According to Jää, Saariaho “gave us a new tool” to keep “beautiful history alive”.
Kaija Saariaho, one of Finland’s most famous and respected classical music composers, died at the age of 70 in 2023. PDO