photo: Minna Leinonen

for string quartet 

(duration appr. 6 minutes)

Finland is the swampiest country in the world, which gave its name to the work. The word also refers to softness and allowance (in Finnish). 

In the work, swamp reflects opposites that can combine and coexist. The swamp is neither land nor water, but both: an element where the two meet. In folklore, the marsh is associated with something unknown and unconscious, a hidden, forgotten memory of the earth and a reach for the night-time. In different times, the swamp has symbolized what we fear and dislike on the one hand, and what we value and respect on the other. The swamp has also been used to describe the ultimate human emotions: when you have hard times, you wallow in the swamp or sink into the bottomless bog, and when you overcome difficulties, you emerge from the swamp. The dichotomy is one material of the work, following its own dramaturgy.

Soisin was co-commissioned by Kaustinen Chamber Music Week 2025 and Katrina Kammarmusik 2025. 

Thank you for supporting Soisin: Finnish Culture Foundation and Svenska Kulturfonden.

Review

Soisin contains violent, rapid outbursts and sudden changes, on the one hand, and a serene, delicate sound on the other. This dichotomy continues throughout the work.

Leinonen knows how to get different sounds out of a string quartet and a human being. The Valo Quartet played the piece skilfully. Perhaps the work could be thought of as an organic process in which the battle of life's opposing forces continues, always, in a new form"

- Anni Saari, Keski-Pohjanmaan sanomat 31st January 2025

Performances

30.1.2025 19.00 Kaustinen-sali, Kansantaiteenkeskus

Soisin (F.p.)

Valo quartet:

Maria Włoszczowska, violin

Tim Crawford, violin

Lilli Maijala, viola

Amy Norrington, cello