- country:Finland
- region:Nordic
- style(s):Folk, Pop
- label:Real World Records
- type:Band
- gender:male, female
- instrumentation:instrumental, vocal
- artist posted by:Ritmo Artists
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"An unbeatable "world-beat" combination: traditional music, given a contemporary twist and a post-modern point of view." - Rolling Stone
Vaerttinae is Finland's most successful contemporary folk music group, now celebrating their twenty-third year and the release of their eleventh album Miero. Vaerttinae's roots are in the Karelia region of Finland, specifically women's vocal traditions and ancient poems known as runos.
Fronted by three female singers and supported by six acoustic musicians, Vaerttinae composes most of their music and lyrics, based on traditional Karelian and other Finno-Ugric styles but with modern and thoroughly distinctive and original arrangements.
Since 1990, Vaerttinae has toured internationally and built a solid reputation as one the most inventive and uncompromising ensembles in the contemporary world music arena.
Fiona Talkington, BBC 3 Late Junction, said of the group; "Vaerttinae has seemingly unstoppable creative energy. They thrill, surprise and amaze audiences all over the world." New York's Newsday described their music as "a gale-force musical attack...beautifully poignant tunes...exotic but accessible, complex but exciting" and from Billboard magazine; "exquisite beauty...groundbreaking yet steeped in tradition, definitely Finnish, yet worldly."
Songlines Magazine (UK) voted their tenth album "iki" one of the "Top 50 World Music Albums You Should Own" and Utne Magazine (USA) voted Vaerttinae one of the "World's Most Soulful and Exciting Artists of 2003". Vaerttinae's latest studio album Miero, 2006, was released by Peter Gabriel's Real World Records. Reviews were unanimously positive with the album reaching Number 5 on the World Music Charts Europe and being picked Top 10 in Songlines Magazine "Top of the World".
Vaerttinae celebrates their 25th anniversary with the release of the compilation album, entitled 25, by Sony BMG Finland. The album includes songs from their eleven albums, plus their Archive Live DVD and a previously unreleased track from the Miero sessions. Vaerttinae's other latest high-profile achievement is the role of co-composer for the stage adaptation of The Lord of the Rings, with the Toronto World Premiere in spring 2006 and the London West End premiere in spring 2007.