Ilari Laasko: Jam Pot Pia Freund, Anna Laakso, Chrys Salt

• Ilari Laakso (b. 1952): Villa:
• 1 Laakso: Villa: No. 1, Presto 01:02
• 2 Laakso: Villa: No. 2, In Three Tones 02:15
• 3 Laakso: Villa: No. 3, Kuka huntua huiskuttaa 00:55
• 4 Laakso: Villa: No. 4, Maestoso 04:37
• Jam Pot:
• 5 Laakso: Jam Pot: No. 1, The Gap Between My Fingers 03:29
• 6 Laakso: Jam Pot: No. 2, Survival 03:03
• 7 Laakso: Jam Pot: No. 3, The Family Jam Pot 02:36
• 8 Laakso: Jam Pot: No. 4, Villanelle 03:04
• 9 Laakso: Jam Pot: No. 5, The Kiss 02:52
• 10 Laakso: Jam Pot: No. 6, The Coda 03:35
• Beyond:
• 11 Laakso: Beyond 06:58
• Writing These Poems:
• 12 Laakso: Writing These Poems: No. 1, Writing These Poems 03:11
• 13 Laakso: Writing These Poems: No. 2, Punctuation 01:24
• 14 Laakso: Writing These Poems: No. 3, At the Casa de Rebolde 04:03
• 15 Laakso: Writing These Poems: No. 4, It Landed on My Page and I Killed It With the Penguin Book of Contemporary British Poetry 02:33
• From Behind the Wallpaper:
• 16 Laakso: From Behind the Wallpaper 09:49
• En tiedä milloin jäät ovat lähteneet:
• 17 Laakso: En tiedä milloin jäät ovat lähteneet: No. 1, Isä on kuollut 01:06
• 18 Laakso: En tiedä milloin jäät ovat lähteneet: No. 2, Kuljemme ketjussa 01:42
• 19 Laakso: En tiedä milloin jäät ovat lähteneet: No. 3, Lähdössä 01:26
• 20 Laakso: En tiedä milloin jäät ovat lähteneet: No. 4, Anemone nemorosa 03:32
• 21 Laakso: En tiedä milloin jäät ovat lähteneet: No. 5, Olen laulanut 03:30
• Total Runtime 01:06:42

Info for Ilari Laasko: Jam Pot

The soundtrack written by Ilari Laakso for piano and human voice has been recorded by soprano Pia Freund and pianist Anna Laakso. In addition, the poet-writer Chrys Salt, reciting his own texts, will bring his own presence. The whole is built from the alternation of instrumental music and sung words. The song sets are separated by three piano pieces. The villa is built from four different miniatures. From Behind the Wallpaper consists of surprising successions of counterpoint and timbre. Beyond is built from contrasting chords, when muted and more powerful soundscapes overlap.

The song series consisting of long-lasting songs from Ytimekka have been completed in recent years. In them, flexible vocal melodies integrate with versatile piano writing. The two song series Writing These Poems and Jam Pot are based on Chrys Salt texts. The focus of the publication is the song series Jam Pot, completed this year, where the song and Chrys Salt's speaking parts overlap in a great way. The jar of jam mentioned in the title is a symbol of the entire song series. The dish polished by the I-shaped narrator of the song series reflects, firstly, the legacy created by the family and the clan, and finally also its own place in that continuum. The theme of family and family continuity is also shown in Laakso's release, when his own daughter Anna is responsible for the piano interpretations, and the lyrics of the song series "I don't know when you're gone" are written by Ritva Pärssisen, Laakso's late sister. This personal experience, in turn, brings with it depth and meaning. Soprano Pia Freund and pianist Anna Laakso interpret Laakso's versatile means of expression with the devotion of a demanding voice.

Chrys Salt, narrator
Pia Freund, soprano
Anna Laakso, piano

Pia Freund
is an international artist known for her indulgent spirit as a musician and her ever-renewing ways of communication across all various fields of art.

”To me, curiosity is a life-sustaining force”. This curiosity has led her to active cooperation with contemporary composers (Kaija Saariaho, Lotta Wennäkoski, Libby Larsen), directors (Peter Sellars), dancers (Minna Tervamäki, Michael Schumacher, Satu Rekola), poets (Maritza Nunez, Chrys Salt), chamber musicians (Meta4), conductors (Ernest Martinez Izquierdo, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Susanna Mälkki), pianists (Anna Laakso, Kristian Attila, Adolf Pla), and actresses (Seela Sella, Kati Outinen). ​

Pia is quite in her element as a strong interpreter on opera stages or as a solo singer with big orchestras. She also works perfectly with chamber music assemblies and singing Lied interpreting music literature and poetry.

​ Pia’s motto: ”Art is a relationship of rendition where the world speaks to us through art”. Therefore, her passion is to make boldly outspoken artwork entities in which she loves to combine the potential possibilities of theatre, dance, visual arts, poetry, and music, in order to observe and shed light on even the most difficult social issues. The objective and ambition in all of Pia’s artistic activity is and will always be a true encountering and communication with her co-artists as well as the audience.

Anna Laakso
is a versatile musician and performer who works in diverse fields of art and entertainment.

As a pianist, Anna is especially competent in chamber music and Lied but she thrives also as a soloist. During her career, Anna has collaborated with a range of different art groups, such as theatre and dance groups. She has also worked with several composers recording and performing their work.

Anna has performed in multiple concerts and festivals in Finland. She has also performed internationally collaborating with artists such as Ivry Gitlis ja Zoltan Kocis.

Anna resides in Rovaniemi, Finland's northernmost province, Lapland.

From 2004, Anna has collaborated closely with Lapland Chamber Orchestra lead by conductor John Storgårds. Her work includes playing in the orchestra, performing as a chamber musician and a soloist as well as leading diverse projects as a pianist, singer and presenter.

Anna studied at the Sibelius Academy. Her teachers include Tuija Hakkila, Heini Kärkkäinen and Carlos Juris. Anna's passion towards chamber music was awakened by teachers such as Paavo Pohjola, Ralf Gothoni, Ilmo Ranta and Ilan Gronich. In 2008 Anna graduated with a Master in Music.

Anna has received artists' grants from the Finnish State and the Finnish Cultural Fund in the years 2013 and 2016. She is the founder of a music society called "Valoa Kamariin" (Light to the Chamber). She takes great pride in organising events and creating content for the society. Anna is the second artistic director of Nurmes Summer Academy& Summer concerts. Between the years of 2013-2015, Anna worked as the head of music at Rovaniemi Theatre and during 2017-2018 as the head of music for the town theatre of Kemi, Finland.

Booklet for Ilari Laasko: Jam Pot