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All Finnish, all the time! Phenoms in Finland, Rajaton (which means "boundless" in Finnish) is a 6-person a cappella vocal group that consists of Essi Wuorela (soprano), Virpi Moskari (soprano), Soila Sariola (alto), Jussi Chydenius (bass), Hannu Lepola (tenor), and Ahti Paunu (baritone). Their holiday release Joulu includes two CDs, but the music on both discs totals a rather modest 67 minutes. The two discs do differ in tone; the first is relatively contemporary and jazzified pop fun, while the second is the more refined, contemplative, classical approach.

The music here is finely-crafted and slightly reminiscent of ABBA. The Finnish holiday music is largely unfamiliar--but still accessible and pleasing--to an American audience.

This is a cappella music; without musical instruments, the voices provide any necessary percussion or "instrumental" fluorishes. The entire package is impressive. My favorites on the first disc include the sweetly melodic Tonttu, the crazy Finnish "Jingle Bells" (Kulkuset), the mystical and melancholy Varpunen jouluaamuna, and the gentle Joululaulu ("The Christmas song"). The second disc is the more stately, exuding a solemn, classical feel. Just beautiful!

Sometimes reviewing holiday music exposes me to rare jewels that I would not have otherwise discovered. This is the case with Rajaton; their Joulu is exceptional. The musicality and execution are outstanding throughout. I do not know Finnish, but I love fine music, and Joulu is simply wonderful.

--Carol Swanson
(Reviewed in 2009)

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From the Website:

Countless vocal groups around the world sing Christmas songs and evergreens. Some a cappella groups base their approach on jazz, some on classical choral music, while others go for a more straight-forward pop sound. Other groups specialize in spiritual music. A few even sing original material.

And then there is a unique group that does all of the above. It's called Rajaton. The Finnish word Rajaton translates as "boundless" - and that's precisely the right word to describe the way this vocal ensemble approaches music. The six-piece a cappella group has performed around the world at concert halls, churches, and jazz festivals, singing everything from spiritual music to pop hits. In fact, it's hard to imagine an audience that Rajaton could not reach with its music, or a type of music Rajaton could not make its own.

Founded in Helsinki in 1997, Rajaton consists of Essi Wuorela (soprano), Virpi Moskari (soprano), Soila Sariola (alto), Jussi Chydenius (bass), Hannu Lepola (tenor), and Ahti Paunu (baritone). The singers have vastly different musical backgrounds from each other, ranging from classical to folk, pop, and rock.

"We all have different approaches to music, and that's where the Rajaton sound comes from. One thing we all do have in common, though, is ambition. We're serious about putting music first", group founder Jussi Chydenius says. This ambition has paid off. After several extensive tours, Rajaton has gained recognition and earned rave reviews across Europe. In recent years, the group has also made headways into the North American and Asian markets, with concerts in Canada, the U.S. and Korea among others.

... In their native Finland, Rajaton are a bona fide pop phenomenon. In 2003, the group rose to n:o 2 on the charts with their album Joulu ("Christmas"), a double-platinum-selling holiday collection featuring both original compositions and innovative versions of seasonal standards.

Rajaton

Joulu

Artist link

Track List