Whether or not one concurs – and I am not sure I do, entirely – with the assessment of Professor Erkki Salmenhaara (a notable composer himself, scandalously ignored on disc) that the music of Uuno Klami (1900-61) constitutes “one of the most glorious chapters in the post-Sibelius history of Finnish music”, it is heartening to see the sustained interest that record companies have shown in him in recent years. This reissue of Psalmus (1931-6) – the 1988 original not having been widely available before in this country – joins other releases from Finlandia (10/91), Chandos (8/94), BIS (12/94) and Ondine (8/93, 3/96, 9/96) covering many of his major works.
Klami is one of many Finnish composers whose music betrayed the influence of Sibelius by reacting away from it completely. He preferred Ravel and Stravinsky as stylistic godfathers, yet the oratorio Psalmus – at 50 minutes in duration his largest completed work for chorus and orchestra – bears little vestige of them. Despite its length – and it is overlong in places – Psalmus is one of his most integrated scores. If one or two passages sound a touch hackneyed now, that is not really his fault. Most of it is vivid and highly impressive, especially in this well-prepared and sympathetic performance, captured in fine sound (despite the odd instance where the chorus seem a bit cramped). With a minor dissertation from Salmenhaara in the booklet, playing time is the only drawback. Recommended, none the less.'