Five facets of Finnish winter: Simon Svoboda’s ‘Kaamos’

Featuring collaborations with Ukrainian violinist Varvara Vasylieva, Finnish organist William Häggblom, and vocalist Helen Svoboda.

Photo Credit: Simon Svoboda – Official

Australian-Finnish artist Simon Svoboda has released his latest EP, ‘Kaamos’, a collection of five ethereal classical tracks. This work draws inspiration from the stark beauty of Finnish winters.

The EP’s title, ‘Kaamos’, refers to the darkest period of the year in Finland when daylight is scarce. Svoboda explains, “There is something truly beautiful and eerie about this period of darkness, and I aimed to reflect this in the music. ‘Kaamos’ is essentially a sequence of arpeggiated chords on the cello, with my falsetto vocals hovering above.”

Each track of the release explores a different facet of the Finnish winter. Beyond the title track, listeners will experience ‘Halla’ (frost), ‘Savu’ (smoke), ‘Usva’ (mist), and ‘Valo’ (light). For this project, Svoboda collaborated with talented artists, including Ukrainian violinist Varvara Vasylieva, Finnish organist William Häggblom, and his sister Helen Svoboda, whose vocals feature on ‘Valo’.

Svoboda’s versatility shines through in this project, marrying his classical background with his penchant for minimalist experimentation.

Listen to ‘Kaamos’ below and secure your copy here.