You probably don’t speak Udmurtian. Or Vepsian. Or Ivorian, Karelian Finnish, or Livonian. They are all Finno-Ugric languages – relatives of Finnish and Hungarian – that are spoken in what was the former Soviet Union. Overwhelmed by Russian, they have not survived as well as Finnish, Hungarian, or even Estonian. Some only have a few dozen speakers. That’s why musicians like Veljo Tormis, the group Hedningarna, and Markku Ounaskari & Samuli Mikkonen have become so interested in the folk songs of these people. We’ll hear these songs in arrangements for chorus, rock band, and jazz ensemble on this New Sounds.
Go to program: New Sounds
