The half-Finnish Sinikka sets The Half-Finished Heaven - and other verse by Tomas Tranströmer - on her fourth album for ECM. Despondency breaks off its course. / Anguish breaks off its course. / The vulture breaks off its flight. / The eager light streams out ... Such vivid images establish a tone for what is primarily an instrumental album this time, with a striking blend of sound-colors in music written by Langeland. Sinikka s kanteles - 10-string, 15-string, and 39-string table-harps - seem to carry archaic echoes older than folk tradition. Lars Anders Tomter has been described by string-players magazine The Strad as the giant of the Nordic viola . One of Norway s most distinguished classical soloists, he also has a history of collaborating with players of other idioms, and appeared on Sinikka s Maria s Song album (as well as on ECM discs with Terje Rypdal and Ketil Bjørnstad). Saxophonist Trygve Seim and drummer Markku Ounaskari were both members of Sinnika s quintet heard on Starflowers and The Land That Is Not and play together in contexts including the Kuára Trio. Out of this network of musical relationships Sinikka has created a characterful quartet with a strong identity of its own. Recorded January 29-30, 2013 / Rainbow Studio, Oslo Recording Engineer: Jan Erik Kongshaug DDD Produced by Manfred Eicher