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Performance Critique: Rajaton

Carrie Rong

I have never witnessed such an engaging, stunningly breathtaking musical performance than the
one put on by a Finnish a capella vocal group known as Rajaton. The act was part of a feature show in the
Canadian Rocky Mountain Music Festival, which the WCHS Grade 12 Wind Ensemble attended as a
group in Banff as part of their spring tour. They introduced themselves as a six-member ensemble,
rajaton meaning boundless in Finnish referring to the musical depths that they explored in their
performance. Their musical set mostly consisted of standalone pieces, a few of which were covers of
well-known modern tunes, others which took inspiration from native Finnish poems. Despite variations in
character and composition of each piece, every single second was a celebration of the beauty in the
human voice - what was so compelling about their performance was the remarkable clarity with which I
heard every note, which joined into harmonies that had the audience shiver in awe.
Each member of the ensemble was obviously an accomplished vocalist; each persons voice rang
with beautiful tone and expression. Together, however, they achieved something that each member
individually could not - they created chords of absolute purity that held us listeners in complete suspense.
From my experiences singing in amateur childrens choirs and playing in instrumental ensembles, the
focus was always on collective projection or volume; here, the presence of only six people allowed all of
them to be heard without harshness of tone. In addition, each note was precisely in tune (rarely heard) and
enhanced by the haunting quality of the human voice: all these elements held the audiences rapt
attention. The most remarkable participant in the harmony, to me, was the bass voice, sung by Jussi
Chydenius. This was a part that was wholly critical in completing the chord; the lack of his presence
could completely change the mood and when he was singing it added an anchor to the music through his
bass notes. He was also capable of deciding the humour: a number of the songs had parts where the
rhythm of the bass could add an element of surprise.
Their set began with a physical arrangement that reflected the piece that they were performing:
each member was dressed in an individually styled simple white outfit and stood in a diagonal line across
the stage so that every person could be seen clearly by the audience, marking the importance of each one
of them but highlighting their unity as a group. The song was also clear in sonority and featured one voice
over the rest which acted as accompaniment but were just as strong. Each number was evidently equally
well thought out, both in standing layout and musical arrangement. For example, in a Queen cover the six
members stood in a square formation with two members on each side of the stage - this effectively drew
attention to the accuracy of their hand claps as an element of the song. In some songs they would stand in
bowling-pin formations, adding to the depth and levels of the visual appeal. Each song was different from
the next, in terms of tempo, character, sound, voicing, and spacing. There were outfit additions and
complete variety between the pieces, avoiding boredom of repetition in the audience. One shocker was
when they began a piece in Chinese (a language known to be impossibly challenging for its multiple
tonalities) and each singers foreign language pronunciation was on the money. I also appreciated their
brief introductions before each new piece, helping the audience understand the background of the
storyline or the history of the inspiration.
As it was a performance that brought attention to what their voices could do, there was less
importance placed on the impact of staging elements such as lighting, costuming, and props. The standard
stage provided by the music festival was not modified much; the natural acoustics and sound system was
put to use in projecting the sound of the six singers. I would even say that the simplicity of the setup
enhanced the simplicity of the groups delivery of music and deflected any distractions that would have
resulted from elaborate costume changes or prop use. Their main tools to capture interest were their
voices and their physical organization across the stage.
It was a life-changing experience to hear such power in the clarity of Rajatons voices; for me it
was another peek into the creative magic that was possible with a lifetime of dedication towards a
particular skill. The audiences thunderous, never-ending applause for an encore was proof that the
performance was enjoyed by all, but particularly endearing for me because I was in awe of their ability to
command such excitement with just six voices. I left the concert hall unable to form words to describe the
artistry I had just seen and heard; their refinement, attention to detail, and pure control over their music
will remain an inspiration to my own music into the very far future.

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