Monday, October 20, 2025

Suden Aika - Raudan Sinty


Suden Aika means "time of the wolves," with the wolf representing freedom, truth, and the wild for the four Finnish musicians. "We want our souls to resonate together. When you sing together and look into each other's eyes, you can experience the moment when you are in harmony with one another and when time stands still," say Suden Aika, thus describing the effect their music, deeply rooted in Finnish and Nordic tradition, has on their listeners. For Suden Aika, time truly stands still when the women's quartet celebrates its songs. The women sing a cappella or accompanied by Nordic folk instruments, such as the zither-like kantele or the key-shaped mora harp, but also by percussion and flutes. Yet they aren't a quartet in the traditional sense: "We don't have the classic division of two sopranos and two altos. We all sing both the very high and low notes, and our pieces often oscillate between quiet and explosive passages." This often results in exciting, unusual soundscapes. The ensemble has been on the road since 2003 and has gained a loyal fan base in Germany, at least since its performance at the Rudolstadt Dance & Folk Festival in 2006. "Sisaret" (Sisters) is the title of their latest studio album. In their recordings, the quartet draws on legends and poems dating back up to 1,000 years, which they have re-set to music in the tradition of runic chants and interpreted with their own musical approach. "Even if the listeners don't understand the sung texts, they quickly sense what they're about. Because ultimately, it's the music that tells the stories."  Translated from: https://www.deutschlandfunkkultur.de/das-quartett-suden-aika-folkige-frauenpower-aus-finnland-100.html