Review: Iiris Viljanen’s Spiritual Awakening at Slussen

The presentation on the website is wonderfully dry and matter-of-fact: “Swedish-speaking Finnish composer and pianist based in Stockholm”. One could of course add that she also sings. And that she does it in Ostrobothnian. The Finnish Swedish dialect is, it must be said, intimately associated with the unique artistic expression.

After four albums, one of which is instrumental and one with Christmas songs, Iiris Viljanen is established in both Sweden and Finland. Not that she sells out the big arenas, but she probably has her audience and, not least, the music critics on her side.