Katriina Korte - Sibelius: Piano Pieces / Vuori: Beyond Night and Frost (CD)

Release Date: 01/01/01

Lake Tuusulanjiirvi is a narrow piece of water about 10 km long, situated 30 km north of Helsinki. Jarvenpaa, the town a

Lake Tuusulanjiirvi is a narrow piece of water about 10 km long, situated 30 km north of Helsinki. Jarvenpaa, the town at the north end of the lake, has had a railway link with Helsinki since the late 19th century. Around that date, the peace of the countryside and the lake landscape typical of Finland, combined with the proximity of the capital, attracted several artists to settle in the area. This resulted in a unique artists' community on the eastern shore of the lake. The first to move in, in 1897, were author Juhani Aho and his artist wife Venny Soldan-Brofeldt. They were followed by artists Eero Jarnefelt and Pekka Halonen and, a few years later, composer Jean Sibelius. The Tuusulanjarvi artists' community was much more than justa place to live. It was a venue for arts and artists that hosted numerous distinguished Finnish and foreign visitors over the years. It was also a base for the 'young Finns', apolitical movement that strongly advocated independence from Czarist Russia. The groundwork for Finland becoming an independent nation was in fact laid on the shores of Tuusulanjarvi. Today, the area does not need to fall back on its illustrious past: new generations of artists have been attracted to Tuusulanjarvi too, finding even today the peace of the countryside that allowscreativity to thrive.