Jyrki Linjama (1962)

Picture: Saara Vuorjoki/Fimic

Jyrki Linjama studied composition with Einojuhani Rautavaara and Paavo Heininen at the Sibelius Academy, graduating with a Master’s degree in music in 1989. He also studied at the Royal Conservatoire in The Hague 1987–88, in Budapest 1989–91, and at the Hochschule der Künste in Berlin 1991–92, where his teacher was Witold Szalonek. Linjama taught in the Music Department at the University of Helsinki 1986–87, at the Sibelius Academy 1993–5, and has been on the teaching staff of the University of Turku since 1992. He has received a number of awards in recognition of his work as a composer and been commissioned to write works for the leading Finnish orchestras and festivals.

Jyrki Linjama: Helavalkea

The pioneering status of Aleksis Kivi in 19th century literature in Finnish can still be strongly sensed in the work by Jyrki Linjama (b. 1962), so compelling is the freshness of Kivi’s poetry: the vivid language is pure music in itself. The poem is about young people dancing in the spring night, at Whitsuntide. The madrigal walks a constant tightrope, to avoid underestimating the listener in translating the words into music. “The things that spoke to me in the text were the feeling of space, the colours, eroticism and youth. All is open: the nature, landscape and people richly merge with one another.” Helavalkea was Commissioned by the Nurmijärvi Music Festival.

www.fimic.fi/linjama