Rajaton
Encyclopedia
Rajaton is a Finnish
a cappella
ensemble, founded in Helsinki
in 1997. The Finnish
word rajaton means "boundless", to indicate the breadth of their repertoire, from sacred classical to near Europop
Rajaton performs primarily in Finland but also tours around Europe and the rest of the world. Rajaton appears regularly in Canada
at the Festival 500
choral event in St. John's
, Newfoundland
as well as at MusicFest Vancouver in Vancouver
, British Columbia
, and was the guest artist at the Kaleid Choral Festival in Woodstock
, Ontario
in 2005, 2006 and 2010.
Rajaton's fan following has grown substantially since 2002. In 2005, Rajaton album sales reached 100,000 worldwide. They have earned eight gold records in total, with Rajaton Sings ABBA reaching platinum (30,000) and Joulu reaching double platinum (60,000).
Rajaton also includes original material in their repertoire: aside from works by composers such as Mia Makaroff, Laura Sippola
and Anna-Mari Kähärä, some of their pieces are written or arranged by members of the ensemble. Many lyrics are adapted from the Kanteletar
.
Soila's "Nouse Lauluni" was awarded 2008 for the best Folk-song of the Year 2007 by The Contemporary A cappella Recording Awards(CARA)
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
a cappella
A cappella
A cappella music is specifically solo or group singing without instrumental sound, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. It is the opposite of cantata, which is accompanied singing. A cappella was originally intended to differentiate between Renaissance polyphony and Baroque concertato...
ensemble, founded in Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
in 1997. The Finnish
Finnish language
Finnish is the language spoken by the majority of the population in Finland Primarily for use by restaurant menus and by ethnic Finns outside Finland. It is one of the two official languages of Finland and an official minority language in Sweden. In Sweden, both standard Finnish and Meänkieli, a...
word rajaton means "boundless", to indicate the breadth of their repertoire, from sacred classical to near Europop
Europop
Europop refers to a style of pop music that first developed in today's form in Europe, throughout the late 1970s. Europop topped the charts throughout the 1980s and ’90s...
Rajaton performs primarily in Finland but also tours around Europe and the rest of the world. Rajaton appears regularly in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
at the Festival 500
Festival 500
Festival 500:Sharing the Voices is an international biennial non-competitive choral music festival held in St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada.-History:...
choral event in St. John's
St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador
St. John's is the capital and largest city in Newfoundland and Labrador, and is the oldest English-founded city in North America. It is located on the eastern tip of the Avalon Peninsula on the island of Newfoundland. With a population of 192,326 as of July 1, 2010, the St...
, Newfoundland
Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada. Situated in the country's Atlantic region, it incorporates the island of Newfoundland and mainland Labrador with a combined area of . As of April 2011, the province's estimated population is 508,400...
as well as at MusicFest Vancouver in Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, and was the guest artist at the Kaleid Choral Festival in Woodstock
Woodstock, Ontario
Woodstock is a city and the county seat of Oxford County in Southern Ontario, Canada. Woodstock is located 128 km southwest of Toronto, north of Highway 401 along the historic Thames River...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
in 2005, 2006 and 2010.
Rajaton's fan following has grown substantially since 2002. In 2005, Rajaton album sales reached 100,000 worldwide. They have earned eight gold records in total, with Rajaton Sings ABBA reaching platinum (30,000) and Joulu reaching double platinum (60,000).
Rajaton also includes original material in their repertoire: aside from works by composers such as Mia Makaroff, Laura Sippola
Laura Sippola
Laura-Liina Sippola is a pianist and a singer-songwriter based in Helsinki, Finland.She works as a freelance musician and a composer.- Biography :...
and Anna-Mari Kähärä, some of their pieces are written or arranged by members of the ensemble. Many lyrics are adapted from the Kanteletar
Kanteletar
Kanteletar is a collection of Finnish folk poetry compiled by Elias Lönnrot. It is considered to be a sister collection to the Finnish national epic Kalevala...
.
Soila's "Nouse Lauluni" was awarded 2008 for the best Folk-song of the Year 2007 by The Contemporary A cappella Recording Awards(CARA)
Members
The six members of the group are:- SopranoSopranoA soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody...
: Essi WuorelaEssi WuorelaEssi Wuorela is a Finnish soprano. She is an original member of the ensemble Rajaton since 1997, but also began a solo career in 1994. She studied music at Sibelius High School and later Helsinki Pop & Jazz Conservatory, from which she graduated as a music teacher in 1999... - SopranoSopranoA soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody...
: Virpi MoskariVirpi MoskariVirpi Moskari is the Mezzo-soprano, and a founder member of the Finnish a-capella group, Rajaton.Virpi attended the East Helsinki Music School, learning how to play the Violin and Piano, undertaking voice training later... - Alto: Soila Sariola
- TenorTenorThe tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2...
: Hannu Lepola - BaritoneBaritoneBaritone is a type of male singing voice that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice. Originally from the Greek , meaning deep sounding, music for this voice is typically written in the range from the second F below middle C to the F above middle C Baritone (or...
: Ahti Paunu - Bass: Jussi ChydeniusJussi ChydeniusJussi Chydenius is a Finnish musician and composer. He is best known for singing bass in the vocal ensemble Rajaton.He is the son of composer Kaj Chydenius and director Kaisa Korhonen. His brother is music producer Kalle Chydenius. He played drums for the rock band Don Huonot from 1989–2001 and...
Discography
- NovaNova (Rajaton album)Nova is the debut album of Finnish a cappella ensemble Rajaton, released August 14, 2000. It consists of vocal arrangements of folk and contemporary Finnish poetry. The first takes were recorded in June 1999, after Rajaton won the Tampere Vocal Music Festival 1999.-Track listing:-External links:* *...
(2000) - BoundlessBoundlessBoundless is the second album of Finnish a cappella ensemble Rajaton, released on October 26, 2001. To reach out to a wider audience, Rajaton released this CD with all but two songs in English.-Tracks:Title ...
(2001) - SanatSanatSanat is the third album of Finnish a cappella ensemble Rajaton, released in 2002. The word sanat means "words" in Finnish, and "heals" in Latin. The album consists of sacred Christian songs and features music in Finnish, Latin, English, and Medieval Irish....
(2002) - JouluJoulu (album)Joulu is the fourth album of Finnish a cappella ensemble Rajaton, released on October 24, 2003. It is a double album, consisting of Christmas songs sung entirely in Finnish...
(2003) - KevätKevätKevät is an album by Finnish a cappella ensemble Rajaton, released in 2005. The word kevät means "spring" in Finnish. This Finnish pop album is decidedly different from the previous, more traditional albums. In each of the songs, one member acts as the soloist, with the other five as back up...
(2005) - Out of BoundsOut of Bounds (Rajaton)Out of Bounds is the sixth album of Finnish a cappella ensemble Rajaton, released in 2006. Like their 2001 album Boundless, this album is almost entirely in English, and was originally intended to be export only in order to reach out to foreign listeners...
(2006) - Rajaton sings ABBA (2006)
- MaaMaa (album)Maa is the eighth album of Finnish a cappella ensemble Rajaton released in 2007 in celebration of the ensemble's 10th anniversary. Maa, is a Finnish word which, depending on context, can be translated to mean country, earth, land, ground or soil...
(2007) - Rajaton sings QueenQueen (band)Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1971, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury , Brian May , John Deacon , and Roger Taylor...
with Lahti Symphony OrchestraLahti Symphony OrchestraThe Lahti Symphony Orchestra is a Finnish orchestra, based in the city of Lahti. It was founded in 1910 and placed under the control of the Lahti municipality in 1949. In Finland the orchestra performs in the Sibelius Hall, while it also performs abroad in concert halls and festivals...
(2008) - Best of Rajaton 1999-2009 (2009)
- Tarinoita (2010)
- Jouluyö (2011)
External links
- official Rajaton website
- The Recorded A Cappella Review Board -- reviews of Rajaton CDs
- Rajaton Fan Club -- free forum for Rajaton discussion and information