Väinö Hannikainen : Orvokki (Pansies), from ballet ’Onnen Linna’, Op. 53

The Finnish harpist and composer Väinö Hannikainen (1900-60) came from a family of musicians - the children were schooled for musical careers from an early age. One brother, Ilmari, was also a composer, and another, Tauno, was a conductor. He studied in Helsinki, Paris and Berlin, and was principal harp in the Helsinki City Orchestra for some 34 years. He was the first Finnish composer to write a harp concerto, and was a notable folksong collector. This piece comes from his 1938 ballet ’Onnen Linna’ (T