The kantele is the national instrument of Finland, and it belongs to a large family of string instruments called “zithers“. Zithers have a resonating body with a variable number of strings, which can be plucked, strummed, struck, or bowed. In the case of the kantele, the strings are plucked or strummed and the smallest kanteles can be held in the player’s lap. There are kanteles of many sizes: 5-string, 10-string, 11-string, all the way up to the 36-string concert kantele, like the one we recorded.

 Played by Emma Lomy
“Emma Lomy is a Finnish multidisciplinary artist, specialising in music, poetry, essays, theatre, dance, photography and performance art. Lomy’s works explore interlacing minimalistic impressionism into a study of the aesthetic acceptance of the beautiful through various means of art.”

 Recorded in Sibelius Academy Studios
The kantele was recorded in Sibelius Academy, the main conservatory of Finland. In the Folk Departement, the Kantele and other beautiful traditional instruments are still studied. The recording was made in a 105mq recording room, using only top end gear: DPA, Neumann and Gefell microphones, Grace Design preamps and RME converters.