Einar Englund

The cultural cold war between the superpowers that began after the Second World War played a major role in shaping the international arts and culture scene as we know it today. This series of articles discusses the impacts of cultural diplomacy, particularly that of the USA, on Finnish music from the days of the Cold War to the present. The first part focuses on the years immediately after the war. Finnish music came back to life immediately after hostilities ceased, and a new international era dawned.

The wars fought in the early decades of Finland’s independence cast a long, dark shadow far into the second half of the 20th century. The voice of war in works by Finnish composers speaks of victory, defeat, grief and reconciliation.

Einar Englund’s Violin Concerto of 1981 is one of the major violin concertos of the past century – and not just from Finland.

The north is a regular theme in Finnish music. But it is also more. It is the main myth of the region’s inhabitants, an undertone that determines their thoughts and way of life. That is why the north can be heard in Finnish music even when it is not explicitly the theme.

Einar Englund is one of the most controversial composers in post-war Finland. Though regarded by some as a Classicist, he also acquired a reputation as a renegade Modernist. His musical legacy therefore merits reassessment in the permissive musical climate of the 21st century.