Aho: Symphony No. 12 (Luosto Symphony). Written for a performance on the slopes of Mount Luosto in Finnish Lapland, it makes use of two orchestras, two vocal soloists and a number of brass players and percussionists placed at various distances from each other and the conductor, surrounding the audience. The primary inspiration for this four-movement work came from the natural surroundings and traditions of Lapland, and parts of it were actually composed during a bitterly cold spell in the solitude of a cottage at the foot of Orresokka, the mountain next to Luosto.
With Taina Piira, soprano; Aki Alamikkotervo, tenor; Lahti Symphony Orchestra; Chamber Orchestra of Lapland; John Storgårds, conductor.
Classics Today 10/10, highest rating; Music Web International: outstanding; International Record Review: outstanding: Klassik Heute: outstanding.