I wanted to add something to the Klami thread and then noticed that there wasn't one - so here goes.
Klami was from Finland and like most Finnish composers of his generation lived rather in the shadow of Sibelius (in fact he only outlived Sibelius by four years although he was much younger). He studied in Paris and, for me, one of the attractions of Klami's music is the echoes of Ravel as well as Sibelius. Klami, it has been suggested, bought neoclassicism to Finnish music. If you want to sample his music I'd suggest the CD below. This is a (less expensive) reissue of a full price Chandos disc and the performances by Petri Sakari and the Iceland SO are excellent, as is the Chandos recording.
I especially like Klami's Kalevala Suite which opens in a very brooding, darkly atmospheric way. I heard it used as effective background music to a documentary film on the Finnish architect Alvar Aalto. Also, the Sea Pictures are very enjoyable. The last movement 'Force 3' is clearly influenced by Ravel's 'Bolero' but, for me, that is part of its appeal; it is an inspiriting conclusion. I think that Klami's music would also appeal to those who like the music of his compatriot Madetoja, as well as to admirers of Sibelius and Ravel.
An interesting composer; any other admirers out there?
