TARJA TURUNEN
The brightest star of the Finnish rock scene, the soprano singer known as Tarja has become one of the most well known Finnish faces in the world of music.
The path lying ahead of Tarja Soile Susanna Turunen-Cabuli certainly could never have been guessed from its humble origins. She was born on August 17th, 1977 in the tiny Finnish village of Puhos, near to the town of Kitee, the middle child amongst two brothers; a green-eyed Karelian girl from a village of five hundred inhabitants.
Music marked her life from the very beginning. Her parents would humorously reminisce that Tarja had begun to sing even before she learned how to walk, and were fond of retelling her fearless exploits climbing up tables at family parties to perform for indulgent relatives… sometimes with rather inventive lyrics. It was clear that drama and limelight were things that Tarja already understood very well – unsurprisingly, it did not take her long to realize her calling.
I had no other girls to play with before I went to school since we had no neighbours close by, so I was very independent in the early age. I loved theatre and arts in general and wanted to be an artist. I remember that every time somebody of our family friends came to visit my parents, I was performing a play with my puppets behind the big TV that we had in our living room. I made up the stories in an instant. Anyway, music was number one for me always. My parents were very supportive and they bought me my first piano when I was 6 years old. I still have it.
Encouraged from the outset, Tarja started her musical studies at the age of six, and continued them in a musical institute in her home town until she moved to picturesque Savonlinna at fifteen, where, paying her own rent and existing on a meagre diet, she attended the Senior Secondary School of Art and Music. There she was the first student to pass all singing exams with top grades in the college’s history – an achievement that elicited tears from both student and teachers alike!
The school’s own musical project, ‘Romeo ja Julia’ presented the first opportunity for Tarja to unleash her voice in the recording studio. She participated in two songs, and hearing herself on playback for the first time, the young Finn was filled with a great sense of… distress. In fact she couldn’t bear to listen to herself at all. It took a long time for the future star to acquaint herself with her own-recorded vocals.
The next step in her education was to apply to the prestigious Sibelius Academy of Kuopio city, specializing in church music and classical singing. As well as developing her vocal technique, she was forced to study piano seriously, not merely as a hobby, and the gruelling practice finally paid off with a certificate of perfect marks at the end of the year. She even picked up skills such as playing the organ and choir directing – though it is rare to hear her admit to it these days.
Tarja’s home village was a small one, and by then her singing talents were somewhat renowned. A few months after being accepted at the Academy, she was invited to record three songs for an acoustic project. Her acceptance breathed life into a band that would change her outlook on music entirely.
Nightwish began as an acoustic mood project hatched around the embers of a campfire – gentle, ambient music composed to the strum of a guitar. However, the bombastic, majestic timbre of Tarja’s voice overpowered the other instruments, and soon the acoustic guitar was being replaced with an electric one, and drums were brought into the mix. The band’s first demo-tape was enough to get them a recording deal with Spinefarm Records. In 1997, they released their debut album, ‘Angels Fall First’. The reaction of listeners and media alike was unbelievably positive, and Nightwish were soon performing their first live shows. For Tarja, however, the world of metal was unfamiliar and unwelcoming territory, dominated by males, in which she was a complete stranger. The soprano who would go on to conquer the hearts of a nation knew absolutely nothing about the sea into which she was about to dive… but dive she did.
I never thought of being a singer in a heavy metal band. My dream was always to be a singer, but since my studies were completely built around classical music, I thought that was my way. Anyway, I have always loved challenges and been brave, so I thought “Why not to try out?” It was exciting to see the reaction of the listeners of Nightwish´s first album and how people accepted the fact that I was classically trained singer singing melodic heavy metal. It was something that didn’t happen every day at that time!
From then on, Nightwish was a serious occupation – gradually, Tarja’s studies were swept away with the band’s success, and her keen motivation for her scholarly pursuits was cast into turmoil. Despite sacrificing her studies, the young woman showed an admirable determination to make time for her other commitments. That summer she sang as part of the Savonlinna Opera Festival choir, switching from the riffs of Nightwish to the melodies of Verdi and Wagner.
I remember being the youngest singer in the Opera Festival Choir at the age of 18. I was so thrilled to be part of the magnificent talent and sound of this very famous choir. I was blown away when I heard the male choir singing their pilgrimage part in the Wagner’s opera Tannhäuser for the first time. Tears in my eyes, I was sitting and listening quietly their rehearsals. I was so proud of them! It was a fantastic summer and a great experience for me, who was willing to learn everything about opera.
It seemed that what Tarja really needed to learn about opera was how to incorporate it into metal – a daunting task. The ‘symphonic metal’ genre was still unexplored, and Tarja had become its unanticipated figurehead. A fork appeared in what had been a smoothly unfolding future of classical music. Tarja found herself facing an uncertain compromise as she struggled to balance two contrasting styles in her voice, her career, and her life.
Their debut was followed in 1998 by Nightwish’s breakthrough album, the platinum selling ‘Oceanborn’, which carried the band away from the shores of Finland, and into international fame, combing the breadth of Germany as support for the German trio of metal-heads, Rage.
Another indicator of their burgeoning notoriety, Tarja was able to balance the ‘Oceanborn’ tour with a secondary project in 1999, when she was asked to sing a solo part in the modern rock ballet ‘Evankeliumi’, staged at the Finnish National Opera House.
It was such an experience to be singing in the main hall of the National Opera House. All the participants of the project were so nervous before the premiere including me, because we hadn’t had too many rehearsals and we received the scores only few days before our first performance. It was magnificent from the National Opera to approve a modern ballet, which was based in heavy metal music in their seasonal program. I can assure you that this kind of thing is not happening in every opera house!
The show was directed by the famous Finnish choreographer Jorma Uotinen and written by Kärtsy Hatakka of the Finnish band Waltari. It was certainly a unique production (and indeed, Tarja certainly sported a very unique costume), but it was received well by the audience, with tickets selling out each and every night.
In the beginning of 2000, Nightwish took part in the Finnish qualification of the Eurovision Song Contest with the song ‘Sleepwalker’. Despite an overwhelming win in the public televoting, Nightwish was placed second – much to Tarja’s relief.
I need to admit that I really hated that Nightwish was taking part in the Eurovision contest. I was against it since the idea started. I was at that time performing in the “Evangelicum” when I received a call and got to know that our song was going for the finals in Finland. I was crying, since I thought it was the biggest mistake of my life to be part of it. I didn’t want that people would remember me as a singer from Eurovision contest. In the end, I did my part and sang the song and the event eventually made the bigger audience aware of Nightwish´s music. It is a song that I won’t be performing live ever again…
This wasn’t the first nor the last TV appearance from Tarja, who also starred in some well-known Finnish programmes as a guest, performer, judge… and here and there taking on a cameo appearance as an actress. As with all elements of show business, the acclimatisation to fame was a learning curve. A wave of interviews, photo shootings and press recordings accompanied Nightwish’s rise. Tarja’s image was splashed across the covers of countless music magazines across Europe. Even so, selling neither scandals to the tabloids nor skin to the cameras, she never quite managed to fit the mould of a stereotypical rock star.
In May 2000, Nightwish released their third album, ‘Wishmaster’, which immediately rose to the charts all over the world and went platinum in Finland in a matter of weeks. It featured a bombastic choir and an altogether bigger, bolder sound: the symphonic, trademark style Nightwish is recognised by today.
The year 2000 was very busy for Tarja and Nightwish, who set off on a tour around Europe, Canada and South America. There was more demand for gigs than the band could handle, and so on New Years’ Eve, Nightwish filmed their gig at the Pakkahuone club in Tampere, Finland, and put together their first live DVD.
It was exciting to play a concert while there were cameras around. We had few gigs behind us already, but we had not that much experience yet being surrounded by the cameras while people were screaming in front of us. How awful it was to check the live recordings for the first time, hear my voice and see my performance.
‘From Wishes to Eternity’ reached gold status in Finland in CD format and in Germany as a DVD. Onstage, the small woman exuded a presence that burst with confidence and charisma. Her movements no longer betrayed any kind of anxiety or nerves; gone was the skinny Karelian girl from the quiet village of Puhos. In her place, Tarja walked with a buoyant step and smiled with an infectious candour that dominated the strobe-lit stage.
Before making their next album, the band released a mini-CD, ‘Over the Hills And Far Away’, which achieved double platinum status in their home country. After the EP, the band started working on their fourth full-length studio album, ‘Century Child’, but while the musicians were recording and writing the album, Tarja decided to go one step forward with her vocal studies by enrolling in the Music University of Karlsruhe in Germany.
I wanted to get deeper in my classical singing studies and to breathe some fresh air. I knew that I wanted to study somewhere in Germany, but I wasn’t sure where. That’s why I visited many music universities in Germany before I went to Karlsruhe. When I saw the magnificent pink-orange castle of the University where some of the studies are held, I fell in love with the place immediately. My goal was to study with a teacher specialised in chamber music, particularly in German Lied. By being accepted as a student of lady Mitsuko Shirai was a dream come true for me.
The move helped her to develop not only her technique, but also her confidence. There was a more Bohemian vibe to her surroundings now, where all manner of voices and ranges were catered to and accepted. The scene was bigger, broader; she was no longer the conspicuous girl who forsook her classical training to throw in her lot as a rock star – in Germany she was equally respected as both a metal and a classical singer.
Although the studying schedule in Karlsruhe was very tight, Tarja managed to find time not only to record her vocals for ‘Century Child’, but also to record vocals for the Argentinean bassist Beto Vazquez’s album ‘Infinity’ and for Anssi Tikanmäki’s album ‘Perinteinen Pop-Levy’.
Before hitting the road once more with Nightwish, Tarja found some time to nurture her classical career. After some rehearsal concerts in Germany, she toured the classical stages of South America in Chile and Argentina performing a Lied concert named ‘Noche Escandinava’.
I got truly wonderful and talented friends in Karlsruhe. It was so much fun to bring flavours from Scandinavia to Southern American audience. Northern music is very much loved there even though the knowledge of the repertoire of Scandinavian and Finnish artists is not that known yet in that continent. It was great to see the mixture of different music lovers in our concerts. Heavy metal and classical music listeners under the same roof!
The concerts, sponsored by the embassies of all participating countries, brought songs to South America from an array of Nordic composers. Thrillingly, the concerts were sold out; an intimate connection was established between the artists and the South American audience, one that Tarja would go on to develop in her classical career in years to come.
Noche Escandinava means Scandinavian Night in Spanish. The reason why we chose this name was obvious at that time: the concerts were going to happen in Argentina and Chile, both Spanish-speaking countries. As well, the program was going to be based in Scandinavian songs (Norway, Sweden, etc).
During their first tour with ‘Noche Escandinava’ in May – June 2002, Tarja sang in the company of Marjut Paavilainen (Finnish mezzo-soprano), Ingvild Storhaug (Norwegian mezzo-soprano) and Izumi Kaawakatsu (Japanese pianist).
Nightwish’s fourth album, ‘Century Child’, was released in the spring of 2002 and was followed by the massive ‘World Tour of the Century’, which was three months long. Exhausted from the world tour, Nightwish chose to take a long break to give its members some time of their own. Unfamiliar with the concept of rest, Tarja went back to Karlsruhe before the end of the year to continue her studies.
It was a hard for me to study and do gigs at the same time. Especially when I have always been perfectionist in everything I do and never have wanted to fail. There were times when I was so tired of everything happening around, that I just cried myself to sleep. Anyway, I knew that I needed to manage on my own without getting any help from anybody else. Luckily I got to marry a man who started to help me so that I could concentrate in making the music that I loved.
Following the supposed relaxation period, Nightwish jumped into the ‘Summer of Innocence’ tour, beginning in June 2003. The experience left its mark on 14 countries and 400.000 enraptured pairs of eyes. In the fall of that year, a documentary, ‘End of Innocence’, was released, charting the band’s journey from simple school friends in Kitee to their formidable position atop the charts, cresting the waves of the rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle.
For Tarja, however, even greater éclat lay in store before the year’s end. She received an invitation from Finnish President Tarja Halonen and her husband Dr. Arajärvi to the Finnish Independence Day Party at the President’s Palace, the most important social event of the country, and an incredible honour for Tarja, whose charming presence caused a storm amongst the media. Finnish broadcasting stations hailed her as the most impressively dressed lady of the entire gathering, while leading Finnish newspapers crowned her ‘the queen of the night’.
It was unbelievable honour to receive the invitation from the President Halonen. It is an event that gathers most of the Finns around the TV and makes them talk in the next days. I was surprised by the amount of press in the event and unfortunately didn’t have even a chance to taste the famous food buffet, since there was all the time somebody from the media requesting for an interview.
To end an astonishing year, in December 19th, 2003 Tarja gave her own Christmas concert before an audience of 600 in a small church in Valkeala. There were no effects and trimmings here, merely a handful of talented musicians, a microphone, and Tarja herself. After sixty minutes of traditional Finnish Christmas music, the audience rose as one to deliver its warm applause. This was to form a tradition of intimate, classical church concerts – drastically at odds with her rock career – that continues to this day.
How nice it was to see people sitting on the floor of the church when I tried to find my way to the front of the church through the people. The little church was completely packed.
Nightwish started recording a brand new studio album and after Tarja had recorded her parts, she travelled to Buenos Aires, Argentina to offer a one-month singing course to trained musicians.
There were singing students from all ages coming to take lessons from me. It was lovely to be able to be helpful and to see how pure the love towards music can be. I enjoyed teaching and I am planning to teach in the future too when there is enough time for it.
The lull between the album release and the beginning of the tour gave Tarja time to fit in a second tour with her classical friends from Karlsruhe: ‘Noche Escandinava II’. They flew to Chile, Argentina, Brazil, and Romania in a second tour that was equally successful as the first. There was a change in the line-up: Ingvild Storhaug was replaced by Finnish baritone Juha Koskela and the program, this time, consisted entirely of songs by Finnish composers such as Oskar Merikanto, Yrjö Kilpinen, Jean Sibelius, Toivo Kuula, Erkki Melartin and Finnish folk artists. As a memory of this tour, the performance in Buenos Aires was recorded and released as a limited souvenir CD for fans.
We didn’t want to change the name of the tour anymore, because so many people knew us already from Noche Escandinava. As you know, Finland is not a part of Scandinavia, but despite of that, we decided to keep our touring name as it was before.
2004, the busiest year for Tarja so far, was the first milestone of her fledgling solo career, culminating in a long-planned seasonal project, an EP called ‘Yhden Enkelin Unelma’ (One Angel’s Dream), that featured different versions of two traditional Finnish Christmas carols known to Tarja from childhood, ‘En Etsi Valtaa, Loistoa’ and ‘Kun Joulu On’. It sold platinum in Finland, the single becoming a winter favourite of popular radio stations.
It was lovely to work with well-known Finnish producer Esa Nieminen. He was always very positive and supportive. The recordings of the EP were a good starting point for a longer collaboration with Esa.
Amidst her other projects, Tarja was given the opportunity to co-write the song ‘Tired Of Being Alone’, with the German artist Schiller. The album, ‘Tag Und Nacht’, received a gold record. Four years later, the song was released in the USA version of Schiller’s current album and was pre-nominated for the Grammy Awards under the category ‘Best Song’.
I have had a great time performing this song live with my band with which I made my own version of it. We have truly enjoyed it very much and it has become one of our favourites. The collaboration with Christopher was a nice experience for me and it gave me a chance to write music that was going to be published for the first time in my career. It was truly exciting.
In another participation, Tarja made a guest appearance in the song and video for ‘Leaving You For Me’, with German singer Martin Kesici, the filming of which was quite eventful…
I didn’t know Martin’s music before, but when I heard his voice, I really liked it very much. I thought he was very talented and charismatic, so I loved to sing a duet with such a charming guy! We had a great time in Finland shooting a video together even though we didn’t manage to avoid some trouble during the filming. A goat attacked me leaving me some bruises in my leg and then Martin pressed my fingers between the door and the handle, of course without knowing that I was in pain. Well, after the day was finished, the result was that I had swollen fingers and aching leg. Could have been worse!
Their next album, ‘Once’, was Nightwish’s biggest success yet – it hit the number one spot in five countries, reached triple platinum in Finland and triple Gold in Germany, and took Tarja to uncountable photo sessions, press conferences and interviews worldwide. The upcoming world tour was expected to be the biggest so far for any Finnish act.
The last show of the tour took place on October 21st, 2005 in Helsinki’s Hartwall Arena. It was to be an extended performance, with extensive costume changes from Tarja. The entire show was recorded for the purpose of another live DVD. After the final bow her band mates dismissed her from the band with a letter. The DVD was titled ‘End of an Era’.
A media storm surrounded Tarja for a considerable time after the split. Nightwish was one of the first metal bands to utilise a female lead vocalist, and one of the pioneers of the so-called ‘opera-metal’ sub-genre thanks to Tarja. Critics and fans from all over the world had praised Tarja’s “Valkyrian” vocals regardless of her inexperience in the field of metal music. Her unique voice and classical technique adapted to metal music was a milestone in the history of metal, and the genre was blossoming. The decision to continue in that direction was instinctive.
There is a certain Finnish word, the equivalent of which does not exist in the English language. It is the concept of ‘sisu’, a characteristic said to be possessed by all Finns. It is not bravery nor resilience, but the enduring, gritty perseverance that can only rise to the surface in times of great hardship. It is the last reserve of strength that exhorts you to keep going through the darkest hour. Tarja focused on her solo career, touring in December 2005 with a series of pre-planned Christmas concerts that took her to Finland, Spain, Germany and Romania. Performing traditional Finnish and international Christmas songs, Tarja could tackle her situation by doing what she was best at – plunging into new challenges.
It was very hard to perform shortly after being fired from the band, but I didn’t see any other way to continue. Music is my way of life; I sing for the joy of it. The tour was a success and made me understand that I have an audience on my own and people have place for my music in their hearts. I am truly grateful for this gift.
2006 found Tarja participating in many projects, guest-starring in the Swedish ‘SPIN-The Musical’ and Robert Wells’ ‘Rhapsody in Rock’, where she sang a diverse range of songs, from classical to 1960s rock. In July of that year, Tarja performed again at the Savonlinna Opera Festival, but this time as a soloist, together with the famous Finnish tenor Raimo Sirkiä and the Symphonic Orchestra of Kuopio conducted by Maestro Riku Niemi in two sold out concerts. The audience and critics alike praised these crossover concerts, covering pieces from “Rusalka” to “Proud Mary”.
I was so happy to be again in the beautiful city of Savonlinna where I had been studying when I was a teenager. I have great memories from those times and I still treasure them. The castle of Olavinlinna is a wonderful, mysterious place and since I was a kid, wanted to perform there. Once again, it was a dream come true. People enjoyed our concert program, which was a challenge for all of us. I hope to return to Olavinlinna again one day.
Another special concert took place that August at Lahti Organ Festival. Backed by international concert organist Kalevi Kiviniemi, guitarist Marzi Nyman, and percussionist Markku Krohn, Tarja put together another vibrant set list that varied between the classical and the contemporary. The performance, ‘Cross Over Organ’, included ‘Ave Maria’s as well as songs by Nirvana, Andrew Lloyd Webber and Deep Purple.
I have been a lucky girl to be able to sing with famous and talented musicians like Kalevi is. These are the things that I will never ever forget. I hope to tell my story one day to my grandchildren, who might not believe their ears! It is hard to find soul mates in today’s music business, but with Kalevi, Marzi and Markku everything works perfectly. We want to create something new for people to discover. The world would become a very boring place to live in, if everybody would do things the usual way. I don’t fit in that picture.
The mellifluous bending of genres was something that came very naturally by now. As she prefers to say: “I am not crossing over different music styles, but melting them together.” Two more successful Lied concerts with tenor Raimo Sirkiä and pianist Maija Weitz were performed in October in the churches of Seinäjoki and Kauhajoki in Finland.
In the fall, Tarja performed with the Tapiola Choir in Espoo for the concert ‘Tomorrow’s Child’, organised by UNICEF. Espoo had the honour of being named as the UNICEF city of 2006, at the same time as UNICEF celebrated its 60 years of helping children. Tarja and the Tapiola Choir donated their fees and the ticket income of the concert reached a stunning 18.688 Euros, which was directed untouched to the Espoo UNICEF account. Tarja and the Choir brought the biggest income of any singular event during that year in Finland!
Besides her singing projects Tarja also found some time to appear briefly in Finnish TV series Studio Impossible and Pääroolissa.
I had a time of my life in these TV comedy series. I was laughing so much that I think I will live at least 20 years longer because of the joy they gave me! I would love to do more things like that, since I learned a lot from the professional actors during those days. It is a hard job, my respect to them!
The hard-earned end to a hectic year, she was nominated as Best Soloist of 2006 in the Finnish Emma Awards. And, with the release of her much anticipated Christmas album, the soprano’s diligence was rewarded with a gratifying wave of enthusiasm from the public. Quickly ascending to platinum – and eventually double platinum – in Finland, ‘Henkäys Ikuisuudesta’ (‘Breath from Heaven’) was a mixture of traditional Finnish carols and covers of holiday releases. Tarja sang in several different languages, and composed her own Christmas song as the opening track. The following Christmas tour spanned both Finland and Russia, gently concluding a chaotic but fulfilling year.
Tarja dedicated the whole of 2007 to working on her long awaited first solo album. Well, almost – she still found time to record vocals for Nuclear Blast’s anniversary album ‘Into the Light’, appearing on a single song called ‘In the Picture’, and took part in MTV3′s 50th Anniversary Gala Concert together with other famous Finnish Artists, to an audience of diplomats and Finnish politicians including president Tarja Halonen.
Nobody quite knew the nature Tarja’s musical firstborn would take until the day of its release. Even when that day arrived in November 2007, Tarja’s debut was not an easy album to classify. Nine years in the world of metal had left their mark, and so too the symphonic elements could be found, yet it was not exclusively a metal album. Tarja introduced new sounds, new moods, reaching across into the landscapes of ambience and pop to lend hues to her palette.
A stellar ensemble of guest musicians and artists were gathered on the recording, among them Doug Wimbish, Alex Scholpp, Earl Harvin, Torsten Stenzel, Martin Tillman, Mel Wesson and many more. The famous soundtrack composer Hans Zimmer made his Remote Studios available for her, where further recordings and mixings took place.
When I visited for the first time the ladies’ room at Remote Control Studios, I saw that Mr. Zimmer had put his gold- platinum awards hanging on the walls of the toilet! I have to admit I was enjoying the moment! Over all, the experience of being working in those studios was overwhelming for me. I think I learned more about music in few weeks than I had learned in years earlier. I am lucky to be able still today to work with same people and have them participating in my music.
‘My Winter Storm’ was released internationally in more than 80 countries on November 16th, 2007 by Universal Music, and achieved its first gold record on the very first day in her homeland, Finland, soon reaching the top of the charts. The commercial success didn’t take long: Tarja’s first album reached gold status in Hungary, Czech Republic and Germany and platinum in Finland and in Russia.
At the end of the year, having been nominated for both an Echo Award as Best Newcomer and an Emma for Best Finnish Artist, she kicked off the promotion for her new album with a warm up tour across Europe.
I had been waiting for the moment so long, that I could go for a rock tour on my own and with my own band. I guess the people could see me really smiling during the concerts and I think that smile has not faded away since. Everything is different when supporting and loving people surround me. There is nothing else I need to think rather than music itself.
The world tour continued into and throughout 2008 and 2009, passing through Europe and America with barely a pause for breath, reaching a total of 82 shows in 33 different countries for Tarja and her band. Many new fans greeted her in countries where Tarja had never performed before – Belarus, Ukraine, Israel, Bulgaria, Serbia, Luxembourg, Venezuela, Croatia and Turkey all saw her for the first time.
The touring with “My Winter Storm” was such a great experience for me as an artist. I have amazing memories from my concerts, visits to new countries, and meetings with my fans all over the world.
During 2008 Tarja visited the recording studios once again to lay down new songs ‘Wisdom of Wind’ and ‘Enough’, as well as a duet for the newest album of legendary German singer Doro Pesch, who she sang alongside as a guest at her special 25-year anniversary concert in the same year. The UK was treated to an exclusive EP, ‘The Seer’, which contained both live tracks and new remixes. In 2009, performing as a guest for Argentinean rock band Rata Blanca, she dazzled a fresh audience with a breath-taking cover of Deep Purple’s classic ‘Child in Time’ in the Luna Park Stadium, Buenos Aires. Back in Finland, Tarja filmed her first cameo for the Finnish black comedy movie, ‘Mad Rush’, which later won ‘Best Movie Award’ at the International Film Festival of Madrid.
On Saturday, August 29th, Tarja participated in a very special Gala Concert that took place in Stockholm, Sweden, to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the separation between Sweden and Finland in 1809. Swedish and Finnish people enjoyed the Live TV broadcast, attended by the Victoria Crown Princess of Sweden, which featured star performers from both countries, and the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by John Storgårds.
The day after, August 30th, Tarja performed in Mäntyharju Church as the main attraction of the Soi Suvessa Classical Festival in Finland together with pianist Sonja Fräki, flutist Emilia Kauppinen and cellist Max Lilja. The program consisted of Finnish and Argentinean Lied and Tarja’s own compositions.
By the end of October, shortly after finishing the Final Storm Tour 2009 in Europe, Tarja performed as a soloist with the Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra. This special Halloween concert gave Tarja another great opportunity to present some of her new songs.
At the end of the year, she recorded vocals for three songs on the charity Christmas album ‘Maailman Kauneimmat Joululaulut’ (‘Most Beautiful Christmas Songs’) and embarked on another Christmas tour with Kalevi, Marzi and Markku that took them through sold out churches in several cities. Tarja composed her own ‘Ave Maria’ for this tour, a piece consisting of the traditional Latin text sung to minimalistic accompaniment. After touring in Finland, Tarja gave a single Christmas concert in Moscow, Russia, with the symphonic orchestra Globalis, which ended a very successful 2009.
Since already many years I have enjoyed finishing my year with performing Christmas songs. It feels nice, after a long and hard working year, to sing songs that are telling pure stories of love, friendship and family. This year was not an exception. I was truly amazed how many people came to my concerts this time and how wonderful was the atmosphere in the churches where the acoustics were helping us to create different moods.
In March 2010, German hard rock veterans Scorpions released their final studio album, ‘Sting In The Tail’. The album included a guest appearance from Tarja herself in the song ‘The Good Die Young’. It was for Tarja a gratifying sign that her talent and emotion were reaching more ears and hearts than ever before.
It is such an honour to be invited to take part in the Scorpions last album. I received a phone call from Klaus that was very kind to extend the band’s wishes to have me performing one of their songs. I was not aware it was going to be their last recordings until they announce it, so I have mixed feeling of happiness and bit of sadness too when I got the news. I can only thank them for the invitation and for letting me be a part of their last effort as a band. I am sure they will keep this particular album in their hearts the same way the fans and I will do.
Tarja performed together with Scorpions on the most successful European TV show, “Wetten Dass…?” at the end of the month for 9.000.000 viewers in Europe.
Before her world tour had even finished, Tarja had already filled her well of inspiration for the next album. Three years had taught her many lessons; she had grown a lot, and not only musically; there was a shift in her attitude as well. If she had stepped back in some of the decisions regarding ‘My Winter Storm’, now she fought for her freedom – and fought hard. Unable to find the producer she wanted, Tarja demonstrated her indomitable, gritty resolve once again, and simply produced the new album by herself. It was a hugely challenging responsibility, but she had already proven herself a Spartan in every other aspect of her career, and showed the same level of dedication in her new role.
I remember being very nervous on the first day of the recordings, because I was not sure if I could pull everything through smoothly, without problems and if I were able to make decisions needed. But the nervousness disappeared right after I heard the first beats of drummer Mike Terrana. All the musicians respected me and those sessions were unbelievable fun.
Before the release of the album, there was time for a very special concert in Hungary. Backed by a full orchestra and choir, Tarja performed at Miskolc Opera Festival, to fans travelling from all over the world. In this resplendent setting, amongst old songs and classical arias, she treated her listeners to a glimpse of what was to come, playing a small selection of songs from the upcoming album, which was finally released on September 1st 2010, titled ‘What Lies Beneath’.
It was Tarja herself who best described the transformation from ‘My Winter Storm’. If those were the first steps, with ‘What Lies Beneath’ I learned to run.
In ‘What Lies Beneath’, the influences reached further, with allusions to Baroque and classic rock, and novel, experimental embellishments – double drums, Turkish chanting, and a star-studded list of guest appearances all contributed to raise ‘What Lies Beneath’ to a whole new level. The riffs were more aggressive; the hooks were catchier; the theme was darker. Through ‘What Lies Beneath’, Tarja explored the twilight zone of human nature, approaching the subject of her songs unflinchingly.
After the album release, the tour kicked off for real. In July, she became the first woman to appear on an apartment building in the town of Kavarna, Bulgaria – the latest in a line of portraits featuring rock artists such as Klaus Meine, Billy Idol, and Ronnie James Dio. In November, she was given the chance to mine a new fan base, as support for the king of shock rock himself – Alice Cooper. After storming Europe (not forgetting to slow down in December with her usual Christmas concerts in Finland), Tarja set off to reconquer South America in early 2011.
Following the tragic events that struck Japan in early 2011, she was inspired to release the beautiful ballad ‘Underneath’ as a charity single, featuring Jyrki from The 69 Eyes. The duet was performed live on a special charity show, ‘Idols Give Back’, broadcast to Finnish TV.
During the summer, Tarja made an appearance at several prominent festivals across Europe. In France, her set opened right before headliners Metallica at Sonisphere. A full orchestra and choir backed her at Masters of Rock in Czech Republic. At Rock on Volga, besides performing with her band, she sang a beautiful duet with rock legend Valery Kipelov – in his own native language, Russian in front of the biggest audience in one single event: 245.000 people. Her classical roots also received a privileged nod of recognition, when she was invited once again to return to Savonlinna Opera Festival, to sing alongside the sensational tenor José Cura in Olavinlinna castle, accompanied by the Kuopio Symphony Orchestra. A few days after sharing the stage with Mr Cura, she was singing with Scorpions again at Saimaa Open Air.
It was magnificent, challenging summer. All the events were very different from each other. I enjoyed very much travelling through various kinds of sceneries and working with people that I respect.
That September, a truly unique event took place in Bulgaria. ‘Beauty and the Beat’ combined a symphonic orchestra, choir, and the monstrous drum kit of Mr Mike Terrana, all on the same stage – that stage being no less than an ancient Roman amphitheatre. The two hours show was split between classical compositions and more light-hearted contemporary pieces, interspersed with Tarja’s own material. The event was so successfully received by fans and media that an entire tour was scheduled for 2012.
That night showed to Mike and me that we needed to continue with this classical project further. It was amazing success and such a pleasure to both of us to see our fans together with ordinary people enjoying classical music in one single event. We will definitely make more concerts like this again.
Tarja predictably found the time to fit other projects into her year alongside all the touring. She formed a new project with German producer Torsten Stenzel and Argentinean guitarist Walter Giardino, both of whom, like Tarja, live far from their home countries, lending the collaboration its name: Outlanders. The song they made together bore the same name, and took its words from the works of writer Paulo Coelho. Tarja was able to present the song on Paulo Coelho day, November 26th, at Helsinki’s Suomalainen Kirjakauppa, with the blessing of the author himself.
Paulo Coelho has been one of the greatest inspirations to me in my career. The song was my way of telling him how much he means to me.
At the prompting of Kalevi Kiviniemi, she recorded a classical album, ‘Ave Maria’, a collection of pieces revolving around that central theme, compositions old and new, famous and little-known, amongst them Tarja’s own personal ‘Ave Maria’, which she had been singing in concerts for two years. The album itself, featuring Kalevi on organ, Marius Järvi on cello and Kirsi Kiviharju on harp, is awaiting release.
This is the first, pure classical recording of mine. It was challenging to go through hundreds of Ave Maria’s and to choose the ones that are suitable for the album. Actually there are thousands of compositions existing! I love chamber music and I think my voice suits well for this kind of music.
As 2011′s Christmas concerts approached, Tarja and her classical band released a live DVD from Sibelius Hall’s beautiful Christmas concert in 2009. It would be the first release from Tarja, Kalevi, Markku and Marzi, even though they had been working together for many years it seemed an ideal opportunity to christen the partnership. The classical band found the inspiration for its name in a peculiar Finnish word. Harus, the tensor that keeps the mast from falling in a sailing boat, or those that hold together a tent, was felt to be an apt metaphor for the solidarity and companionship between the four unique artists. ‘In Concert – Live at Sibelius Hall’ was the first release from Tarja Turunen & Harus – the next, they hope, would feature their own music, the efforts of a mutual collaboration.
2012 saw the ‘What Lies Beneath’ world tour finally draw to a close, and Tarja disappearing into the studio with a new album already up her sleeve. To shorten the wait, she had planned a live DVD of her own, this one an ambitious undertaking filmed with no less than ten HD cameras, over the course of two full length concerts that took place in the majestic El Circulo Theatre in Rosario, Argentina. A throwback to her classical roots, the DVD was aptly titled, ‘Act I’.
Those two nights in Rosario were truly magical to me personally. I was excited to finally film and record my first live rock DVD. This DVD shows you how great is my relationship with my fans. They have been extremely supportive throughout the years and on this release they play a big role.
Tarja made only one promise about her upcoming album, set for release in 2013: it would be sure to surprise.
That statement was perhaps less of a novelty than she hoped. The unruly girl from a rural village who grew into the only artist you could possibly expect to find singing in a rock club one night, and a cathedral the next… surprising her listeners is one thing Tarja Turunen has always been rather good at.
This story will certainly be continued.
This biography was revised, updated and completed with the invaluable cooperation of Melanie Surma, Nicola Bakovic, Diana Racila and Tosca Bell. Our gratitude towards them and all others who sent their own versions of Tarja’s bio.
The photos were taken from www.tarjaturunenenkeli.net, www.voices-of-enchantment.com and from Tarja’s private archives.
TARJA TURUNEN
La estrella más brillante de la escena del rock finés, la cantante soprano conocida como Tarja, se ha convertido en una de las caras finlandesas más reconocidas en el mundo de la música.
Probablemente nadie pudo haber previsto qué camino forjaría la vida para Tarja Soile Susanna Turunen-Cabuli desde sus humildes orígenes. Segunda entre dos hermanos, esta niña Karelia de ojos verdes nació el 17 de Agosto de 1977 en Puho, un pequeño pueblo finés de, en ese entonces, 500 habitantes, cercano a la ciudad de Kitee.
La música marcó su vida desde el comienzo. Sus padres recuerdan con humor que Tarja comenzó a cantar incluso antes de que aprendiera a caminar y gustaban contar cómo se subía a la mesa en las fiestas familiares para cantar a sus indulgentes parientes…a veces con letras muy ocurrentes. Estaba claro que el drama y estar en primer plano eran cosas que Tarja entendía muy bien – como era de esperar, no le llevó mucho tiempo darse cuenta de su vocación.
No tenía otras chicas con quienes jugar antes de comenzar a ir al colegio dado que no teníamos vecinos cerca, así que yo era bastante independiente desde pequeña. Amaba el teatro y el arte en general y quería ser artista. Recuerdo que cada vez que algún amigo de la familia venía a visitar a mis padres yo me encontraba interpretando una obra con mis títeres detrás de la gran TV que teníamos en nuestro living. Inventaba historias en instantes.
De todas formas, la música ocupaba para mí el número uno. Mis padres me apoyaron mucho y me compraron mi primer piano cuando yo tenía 6 años. Aún lo conservo.
Alentada desde el comienzo, Tarja comenzó sus estudios musicales a la edad de seis años, y los continuó en un instituto musical en su pueblo natal hasta que, a los quince años, se mudó a la hermosa Savonlinna donde cursó en la Escuela Secundaria de Arte y Música mientras pagaba su propio alquiler y subsistía con una dieta exigua. Allí fue la primera estudiante en aprobar todos los exámenes de canto con altas calificaciones en toda la historia de la Escuela – ¡una hazaña que derramó lágrimas tanto de estudiantes cuanto de profesores!
El proyecto musical propio de la escuela “Romeo ja Julia” fue la primera oportunidad para Tarja de liberar su voz en un estudio. Participó en dos canciones, y al escucharse por primera vez la joven Finesa se sintió…consternada. A decir verdad, no podía soportar escucharse a sí misma. Le tomó un largo tiempo a la futura estrella acostumbrarse a su propia voz grabada.
El paso siguiente en su educación era postularse para el ingreso a la prestigiosa Academia Sibelius en Kuopio, para estudiar Música Eclesiástica y canto clásico. Además de desarrollar su técnica vocal, fue forzada a estudiar piano seriamente, no como un mero pasatiempo. La agotadora práctica derivó a finales de año en un certificado con notas perfectas. Incluso desarrolló habilidades para tocar el órgano y dirigir coro aunque es raro escucharla admitir eso en la actualidad.
El pueblo natal de Tarja era pequeño y para ese entonces su talento para el canto tenía ya cierto renombre. Unos meses después de haber sido aceptada en la Academia, Tarja fue invitada a grabar tres canciones para un proyecto acústico. Al aceptar, dio vida a una banda que cambiaría su visión de la música completamente.
Nightwish comenzó como un proyecto acústico urdido en las brasas de una fogata en un campamento – música ambiental, gentil, compuesta por el rasgueo de una guitarra. Sin embargo, el grandilocuente, magnífico timbre de voz de Tarja se imponía sobre los demás instrumentos y pronto la guitarra acústica fue reemplazada por una eléctrica, a la que se sumó una batería. La primera cinta – demo de la banda bastó para conseguirles un contrato de grabación con Spinefarm Records. En 1997, lanzaron su álbum debut Angels Fall First. La reacción de los oyentes y de la prensa fue increíblemente positiva, y Nightwish comenzó incluso a dar sus primeros shows en vivo. Para Tarja, sin embargo, el mundo del Metal algo desconocido y poco acogedor, dominado por hombres y donde ella era una completa extraña. La soprano que conquistaría los corazones de una nación no sabía absolutamente nada sobre el mar en el cual estaba a punto de bucear…pero buceó.
Nunca pensé en ser cantante de una banda de heavy metal. Mi sueño era ser cantante pero, dado que mis estudios se centraron en la música clásica, creí que ese era mi camino. En cualquier caso, siempre me gustaron los desafíos, así que pensé “¿por qué no intentarlo?” Era excitante ver la reacción de los oyentes del primer álbum de Nightwish y cómo la gente aceptó el hecho de que yo era una cantante con entrenamiento clásico que cantaba heavy metal. ¡Eso es algo que no se veía a diario en esa época!
Desde ese entonces Nightwish fue una ocupación seria – gradualmente los estudios de Tarja se fueron barridos por el éxito de la banda y su entusiasta motivación por sus objetivos académicos se vio completamente confundida. Más allá de sacrificar sus estudios, la joven mostraba una admirable determinación para hacerse tiempo para sus otros compromisos. En el verano Tarja integraba el Coro del Festival de Ópera de Savonlinna, saltando entre los riffs de Nightwish a las melodías de Verdi y Wagner.
Recuerdo ser la cantante más joven en el Coro del Festival de Ópera, a la edad de 18 años. Estaba encantada de ser parte del magnífico talento y del sonido de este famosísimo coro. Quedé deslumbrada cuando escuché por primera vez al coro masculino cantando la parte del peregrinaje en la ópera de Wagner, Tannhäuser. Estaba sentada con lágrimas en los ojos, en silencio, escuchando sus ensayos. ¡Estaba tan orgullosa de ellos! Fue un verano fantástico y una gran experiencia para mí, que ansiaba aprender todo sobre la ópera.
Parecía que lo que Tarja tenía que aprender de la Ópera era cómo incorporarla al Metal – una tarea sobrecogedora. El género del Metal Sinfónico aún permanecía inexplorado y Tarja se había convertido en su imprevista figura insigne. Una bifurcación había aparecido en lo que había sido un tranquilo camino hacia un futuro de música Clásica. Tarja se encontró enfrentando una situación comprometida, incierta, mientras intentaba balancear dos estilos contrastantes en su voz, su carrera y su vida.
El debut fue seguido en 1998 por su álbum platino, la revelación Oceanborn, que llevó a la banda a escenarios fuera de Finlandia y hacia la fama internacional, abarcando el ancho de Alemania como soportes del trío Alemán Rage.
Otro indicador de su creciente notoriedad, Tarja pudo equilibrar la gira de Oceanborn con un proyecto secundario en 1999, cuando se le ofreció cantar una parte solista en el ballet de rock moderno “Evankeliumi” que se presentó en la Ópera Nacional Finesa.
Fue toda una experiencia cantar en la sala principal de la Casa Nacional de Ópera. Todos los participantes del proyecto estábamos muy nerviosos antes del estreno porque no habíamos tenido muchos ensayos y recibimos las partituras apenas unos días antes de nuestra primera presentación. Fue magnífico que la Ópera Nacional aprobara un ballet moderno, basado en música heavy metal, en su programa de temporada. ¡Puedo asegurarles que este tipo de cosas no suceden en todas las casas de ópera!
El espectáculo fue dirigido por el famoso coreógrafo Finés Jorma Uotinen y escrito por Kärtsy Hatakka de la banda Finesa Waltari. Fue ciertamente una producción única (y Tarja ostentaba en verdad un vestuario único) pero fue recibido bien por la audiencia, con entradas completamente vendidas en cada noche.
A comienzos de 2000, Nightwish formó parte de la clasificación Finlandesa del Eurovision Song Contest con la canción “Sleepwalker”. Nightwish salió segundo a pesar de la sobrecogedora victoria en los votos telefónicos del público, para alivio de Tarja.
Debo admitir que odié que Nightwish formara parte del concurso de Eurovision. Estaba en contra desde que surgió la idea. En esa época yo estaba participando en el “Evangelicum”, cuando recibí un llamado que me informó que nuestra canción competía por la final en Finlandia. Yo lloraba, porque creía que era el error más grande de mi vida formar parte de eso. No quería que la gente me recordara como una cantante del concurso de Eurovision. Al final, hice mi parte y canté la canción y el show eventualmente hizo que la audiencia grande conociera la música de Nightwish. Es una canción que no volveré a cantar en vivo nunca más…
Esta no fue la primera ni la última aparición de Tarja en la TV, quien también se presentó en reconocidos programas Fineses como invitada, música, jueza…aquí y allá con un cameo como actriz. Como con todos los elementos del mundo del espectáculo, la aclimatación a la fama es una curva de aprendizaje.
Una ola de entrevistas, sesiones de fotos y grabaciones de prensa acompañaron el despertar de Nightwish. La imagen de Tarja se reflejaba en las tapas de incontables revistas de música alrededor de Europa. Aún así, ella nunca entró en el molde de una estrella de rock estereotípica, sin vender escándalos a los periódicos ni piel a las cámaras.
En Mayo de 2000 Nightwish lanzó su tercer álbum, Wishmaster, que inmediatamente escaló los charts en todo el mundo y fue disco de platino en Finlandia en cuestión de semanas. Con coros bombásticos y un sonido en general más grande y audaz se definió el estilo sinfónico característico de Nightwish reconocido en la actualidad.
El año 2000 fue un año muy ocupado para Tarja y Nightwish, quienes estaban constantemente en gira por Europa, Finlandia, Canadá y Sudamérica.
Había más demanda de recitales de la que la banda podía manejar, así que se hizo la primera filmación en vivo de Nightwish, durante la noche de fin de año, cuando la banda tocó en un club en Pakkahuone, en Tampere, Finlandia.
Fue emocionante dar un concierto mientras había cámaras alrededor. Ya teníamos algunos shows detrás pero no teníamos experiencia en estar rodeados por cámaras mientras la gente gritaba frente a nosotros. Fue horrible ver la grabación por primera vez, escuchar mi voz y ver mi presentación.
From Wishes to Eternity alcanzó el estatus de oro en Finlandia en CD y en Alemania en DVD.
En escena, la pequeña mujer exudaba una presencia que explotaba de confianza y carisma. Sus movimientos ya no poseían nervios o ansiedad; la flaca chica Karelia de la tranquila villa de Puhos se había desvanecido. En su lugar, Tarja caminaba con paso optimista y sonreía con un candor infeccioso que dominaba el escenario.
Antes de grabar su próximo álbum larga duración, la banda editó un mini CD llamado Over the Hills and Far Away, el cual ha alcanzado el status de doble platino en su tierra natal. Después de Over the Hills and Far Away - EP, la banda comenzó a trabajar en su cuarto álbum larga duración de estudio, Century Child. Mientras los músicos estaban escribiendo y grabando el disco, Tarja decidió avanzar un paso en sus estudios vocales al anotarse en la Music University of Karlsruhe, Alemania.
Quería profundizar mis estudios de canto clásico y respirar algo de aire puro. Sabía que quería estudiar en algún lugar en Alemania, pero no estaba segura dónde. Por ese motivo visité muchas universidades de música en Alemania antes de ir a Karlsruhe. Cuando vi el magnífico castillo naranja-rosado de la universidad donde se toman algunos de los cursos me enamoré del lugar inmediatamente. Mi idea era estudiar con una profesora especializada en Lied Alemana. Ser aceptada como estudiante por Mitsuko Shirai fue un sueño hecho realidad para mi.
El traslado ayudó a que Tarja desarrollara no sólo su técnica, sino también su confianza. Había un entorno más bohemio a su alrededor, donde todos los tipos de voces y rangos eran aceptados. La escena era más grande y ancha; ella ya no era la chica que brillaba y había renunciado al entrenamiento clásico para ser una estrella de rock – en Alemania era igualmente respetada como cantante Clásica y de Metal.
A pesar de que el calendario de estudios de Karlsruhe era muy ajustado, Tarja se hizo tiempo no solo para grabar las voces de su disco Century Child, sino también para grabar las voces para Infinity, el álbum del bajista argentino Beto Vázquez y para el disco de Anssi Tikanmäki, Perinteinen Pop-Levy.
Antes de salir de gira nuevamente con Nightwish, Tarja se hizo tiempo para nutrir su carrera Clásica. Después de unos conciertos de precalentamiento en Alemania, también giró por los escenarios tradicionales de Sudamérica: Chile y Argentina, brindando conciertos de Lied llamados “Noche Escandinava” en teatros.
Me hice de amigos verdaderamente talentosos y maravillosos en Karlsruhe. Fue muy divertido llevar los sabores de Escandinavia a la audiencia Sudamericana. La música del Norte es muy apreciada allí aunque el repertorio de artistas escandinavos y fineses aún no es tan conocido en ese continente. Fue genial ver la mezcla de diferentes amantes de la música en nuestros conciertos. ¡Oyentes de heavy metal y de música clásica bajo el mismo techo!
Los conciertos, patrocinados por las Embajadas de los países participantes, llevaron a Sudamérica canciones de una selección de compositores Nórdicos. Para hacerlo más emocionante, los conciertos fueron completamente vendidos y se estableció una conexión íntima entre los artistas y la audiencia que más tarde vería a Tarja, una vez más, desarrollar su carrera clásica en esos países.
El motivo por el que elegimos llamar Noche Escandinava a los conciertos era obvio en ese momento: los conciertos iban a realizarse en Argentina y Chile, ambos países hispanohablantes. Además, el programa se basaría en canciones Escandinavas (Noruegas, Suecas, etc.)
Durante su primera gira con Noche Escandinava, en Mayo-Junio de 2002, Tarja cantó en compañía de Marjut Paavilainen (mezzo-soprano Finlandesa), Ingvild Storhaug (mezzo-soprano Noruega) e Izumi Kaawakatsu (pianista Japonesa).
El cuarto disco de Nightwish, Century Child fue lanzado en la primavera de 2002 seguido por el popular “World Tour of the Century”, de tres meses de duración. Exhaustos de la gira mundial, Nightwish decidió tomarse un largo descanso para que sus miembros tuvieran algo de tiempo para sí mismos. Poco familiarizada con el concepto de descanso, Tarja volvió a Karlsruhe antes del final de ese año para continuar sus estudios.
Fue duro para mi estudiar y dar recitales al mismo tiempo. Especialmente porque siempre he sido perfeccionista en todo y nunca quiero fallar. Hubo ocasiones en las que estaba tan cansada de todo que lloraba hasta quedarme dormida. De todas formas, sabía que necesitaba arreglármelas por mi cuenta, sin ayuda de nadie. Afortunadamente me casé con un hombre que comenzó a ayudarme para que pudiera concentrarme en hacer la música que amo.
Cuando el impasse oficial se dio por culminado, Nightwish ingresó al tour “Summer of Innocence”, que comenzaba en junio de 2003. La experiencia dejó catorce países y 400 000 ojos como testigos de esas noches increíbles. En Otoño de ese año fue editado el documental End of Innocence, que muestra el camino que la banda realizó, de ser simples amigos en la escuela secundaria en Kitee hasta su formidable posición en lo alto de los rankings, en la cima de las olas del estilo de vida rockero.
Para Tarja, sin embargo, se avenía un mayor esplendor antes del final del año con la invitación que recibió por parte de la Presidenta de Finlandia, Tarja Halonen, y su marido, el Dr. Arajärvi para asistir al Palacio Presidencial para la fiesta del Día de la Independencia Finesa, el evento social más importante del país, y un honor increíble para Tarja, cuya encantadora presencia causó una tormenta en la prensa. Las estaciones Finesas de transmisión la consagraron como la mujer más impresionantemente vestida de la celebración mientras que los periódicos más importantes de Finlandia la coronaron “reina de la noche”.
Fue un honor increíble recibir la invitación de la Presidenta Halonen. Es un evento que reúne a la mayoría de los fineses alrededor de la TV y los hace hablar sobre eso los días siguientes. Estaba sorprendida por la cantidad de prensa en el evento y desafortunadamente no pude ni siquiera probar el famoso buffet dado que siempre había alguien de prensa pidiéndome una entrevista.
Para culminar un año extraordinario, el 19 de diciembre de 2003 Tarja Turunen interpretó su propio concierto de Navidad ante una audiencia de seiscientas personas en una pequeña iglesia en Valkeala. No hubo efectos ni adornos, solamente un puñado de músicos talentosos, un micrófono y Tarja. Después de sesenta minutos de música tradicional Finesa, la audiencia se puso de pie para un cálido aplauso. Esto conformaría una tradición de conciertos clásicos, íntimos, en iglesias – drásticamente extraños con su carrera en el rock – que continúa hasta el día de hoy.
Fue muy agradable ver a la gente sentada en el piso de la iglesia cuando yo trataba de llegar al frente a través de la gente. La pequeña iglesia estaba completamente llena.
Nightwish comenzó a grabar un nuevo álbum de estudio y Tarja, después de haber grabado sus partes, viajó a Buenos aires, Argentina, para impartir un curso de canto de un mes de duración a músicos ya entrenados.
Había estudiantes de canto de todas las edades que venían a tomar clases conmigo. Fue muy agradable poder ser de ayuda y ver cuán puro puede ser el amor hacia la música . Disfruté enseñando y planeo hacerlo nuevamente en el futuro, cuando haya tiempo para eso.
El período de calma entre el lanzamiento del álbum y el comienzo de la gira le dio a Tarja tiempo para emprender una segunda gira clásica con sus amigos de Karlsruhe: “Noche Escandinava II”. Volaron a Chile, Argentina, Brasil y Rumania en un Tour que fue igualmente exitoso que el primero. Hubo un cambio en la formación: Ingvild Storhaug fue reemplazada por el barítono Finlandés Juha Koskela y el programa consistió, en esta ocasión, en canciones compuestas por los fineses Oskar Merikanto, Yrjö Kilpinen, Jean Sibelius, Toivo Kuula, Erkki Melartin y en canciones folklóricas finesas. Como recuerdo de esta gira, la presentación en Buenos Aires fue grabada y editada como un CD limitado para los fans.
No quisimos cambiar el nombre de la gira ya que mucha gente nos conocía de Noche Escandinava. Como ustedes saben, Finlandia no es parte de Escandinavia pero, a pesar de eso, decidimos dejar el nombre de la gira como era antes.
2004, el año más ocupado para Tarja Turunen hasta entonces, marcó también el inicio de su carrera solista con un álbum de Navidad largamente planeado; un EP llamado Yhden Enkelin Unlema (One Angel´s Deam), que incluyó diferentes versiones de las canciones tradicionales Finesas de Navidad que Tarja conocía de su niñez: “En atsi valtaa, loistoa” y “Kun joulu on”. Fue disco de platino en Finlandia y el corte fue un favorito invernal en las estaciones de radio más populares.
Fue hermoso trabajar con el reconocido productor finlandés Esa Nieminen. Siempre fue muy positivo y me apoyó mucho. Las grabaciones del EP fueron un buen punto de partida para una colaboración mas larga con Esa.
Por primera vez, Tarja co-escribió la música para la canción “Tired of being alone” con el artista alemán Schiller. El álbum, Tag und Nacht, significó otro disco de oro para Tarja. Cuatro años después, la canción fue editada en la versión para USA del actual álbum de Schiller y fue nominada en los Premios Grammy en la categoría “Mejor canción”.
La he pasado muy bien interpretando esta canción en vivo con mi banda, con la que he hecho mi propia versión. Realmente la disfrutamos mucho y se ha transformado en una de nuestras favoritas. La colaboración con Christopher fue una linda experiencia para mí, y me dio la oportunidad de escribir música para publicarla por primera vez en mi carrera. Fue verdaderamente emocionante.
En otra participación, Tarja aparece como invitada en la canción y video de “Leaving You for Me” del cantante Alemán Martin Kesici. La filmación fue rica en experiencias…
No conocía la música de Martin antes, pero cuando escuché su voz realmente me gustó mucho. ¡Pensé que tenía mucho talento y carisma, y amé cantar a dúo con alguien tan encantador! Nos divertimos mucho en Finlandia grabando el video juntos, aunque no nos las ingeniamos para evadir algunos problemas durante la filmación. Una cabra me atacó y me dejó algunos moretones en la pierna y después Martin me apretó los dedos entre la puerta y el picaporte, sin saber, claro, que yo estaba sufriendo. Para cuando terminó el día, el resultado fue que tenía los dedos hinchados y una pierna dolorida. ¡Pudo haber sido peor!
El próximo álbum, Once, fue el gran éxito de Nightwish – llegó a número uno en cinco países y alcanzó el triple platino en Finlandia y triple oro en Alemania y llevó a Tarja a incontables sesiones de fotos, conferencias de prensa y entrevistas en todo el mundo. Se esperaba que la próxima gira fuera la más grande hasta el momento para cualquier banda Finesa.
El último show de la gira, el 21 de Octubre de 2005, un concierto en el Hartwall Arena en Helsinki, iba a ser una presentación extendida con varios cambios de vestuario para Tarja. El show completo iba a ser filmado para editar un nuevo DVD en vivo. Después del saludo final los demás miembros de la banda despidieron a Tarja a través de una carta. El DVD se llamó End of an Era.
Una tormenta mediática rodeó a Tarja por un tiempo considerable después de la separación. Nightwish fue una de las primeras bandas de metal en tener una voz principal femenina, y unos de los pioneros del subgénero llamado “opera-metal” gracias a Tarja. Los medios y los fans de todo el mundo rápidamente apreciaron la voz de “valquiria” de Tarja, aunque ella no tuviera ningún conocimiento previo sobre el metal. Su voz única y la técnica clásica adaptada al metal fueron una piedra fundamental en la historia del metal, género que floreció pronto. La decisión de continuar en esa dirección fue instintiva.
Hay una palabra Finesa cuyo equivalente no existe en idioma Inglés: es el concepto de “sisu”, una característica que, se dice, poseen todos los Fineses. No es valentía ni capacidad de resistencia, sino la persistente, enérgica perseverancia que solo puede salir a la superficie en la hora más oscura. Tarja se enfocó en su carrera solista y salió de gira en Diciembre de 2005 con una serie de conciertos de Navidad que la llevaron a Finlandia, España, Alemania y Rumania. Interpretó canciones tradicionales finlandesas y canciones internacionales de Navidad. Tarja pudo afrontar su situación haciendo aquello en lo que es mejor – zambullirse en nuevos desafíos.
Era muy difícil cantar poco después de haber sido despedida de la banda, pero no veía otra forma de continuar. La música es mi forma de vida; canto por la dicha de hacerlo. La gira fue un éxito y me hizo comprender que tengo una audiencia propia y que la gente tiene lugar para mi música en sus corazones. Estoy realmente agradecida por este regalo.
2006 encontró a Tarja participando en muchos proyectos, incluyendo al sueco “SPIN – The Musical” y a “Rhapsody in Rock” de Robert Wells, en los que cantó repertorios muy diferentes; desde Clásico hasta Rock de los sesentas. En Julio de ese año Tarja se presentó nuevamente en el Savonlinna Opera Festival, pero esta vez como solista junto al famoso tenor finés Raimo Srkiä y la Orquesta Sinfónica de Kuopio dirigida por el Maestro Riku Niemi en dos conciertos completamente vendidos. Estos recitales que unen dos mundos, cubriendo desde Rusalka hasta Proud Mary, fueron aclamados por la audiencia y los críticos.
Estaba muy feliz de estar nuevamente en la hermosa ciudad de Savonlinna, donde estudié siendo adolescente. Tengo grandes recuerdos de esas épocas y aún los atesoro. El castillo de Olavinlinna es un lugar maravilloso y misterioso, y desde que era niña quise cantar allí. Una vez más, era un sueño hecho realidad. La gente disfrutó el programa del concierto, que fue un desafío para todos nosotros. Espero regresar a Olavinlinna algún día.
En Agosto Tarja montó un concierto muy especial, esta vez en el Festival de Órgano en Lahti, junto al mundialmente conocido organista Kalevi Kiviniemi, el guitarrista Marzu Nyman y el percusionista Markku Krohn. Tarja volvió a ensamblar otra vibrante lista de temas que variaban entre lo clásico y lo contemporáneo. El concierto, llamado Cross Over Organ, incluía Ave Marías así como canciones de Nirvana, Lloyd Weber y Deep Purple.
He sido afortunada por poder cantar con músicos famosos y talentosos como Kalevi. Estas son las cosas que jamás olvidaré. ¡Espero contarle mi historia a mis nietos algún día, quienes tal vez no crean lo que escuchan! Es difícil encontrar almas gemelas en la industria de la música, pero con Kalevi, Marzi y Markku todo funciona perfectamente. Queremos crear algo nuevo para que la gente descubra. El mundo se transformaría en un lugar muy aburrido para vivir si todos hiciéramos las cosas de la forma habitual. No entro en esa imagen.
La dulce torsión de géneros era algo que le venía naturalmente ahora. Como ella prefiere decirlo: “No estoy entrecruzando distintos estilos musicales, los estoy fundiendo”. Otros dos conciertos de lied con Raimo Sirkiä y la pianista Maija Weitz se realizaron en Octubre en las iglesias de Seinäjoki y Kauhajoki en Finlandia.
En Otoño Tarja participó junto con el Coro de Tapiola en Espoo del concierto “Tomorrow’s Child”, organizado por UNICEF. Espoo tuvo el honor de ser nombrada Ciudad UNICEF de 2006, a la vez que UNICEF festejaba sus 60 años ayudando a los niños. Tarja y el Coro de Tapiola donaron sus cachets y el ingreso por entradas del concierto alcanzó la importante suma de 18 688 Euros, que fueron donados a la cuenta de UNICEF de Espoo. ¡Tarja y el Coro donaron el monto más importante obtenido en un solo evento durante ese año en Finlandia!
Además de sus proyectos de canto, Tarja también se hizo tiempo para participar como actriz en series de la TV finesa como Studio Impossible y Pääroolissa.
Me divertí como nunca en mi vida en esas comedias de TV. ¡Me reí tanto que creo que voy a vivir al menos 20 años más solo por la dicha que me dieron! Me encantaría hacer más cosas así ya que aprendí mucho de los actores profesionales durante esos días. Es un trabajo duro ¡mis respetos hacia ellos!
El año 2006 terminó con un gran éxito: Tarja fue nominada como Mejor Solista en los premios Fineses Emma y, con la edición de su anticipado álbum de Navidad, fue recompensada por el público con una gratificante ola de entusiasmo. El álbum Henkäys Ikuisuudesta (Breath From Heaven), que rápidamente llegó a Platino y luego a doble Platino en Finlandia era una mezcla de canciones Finesas de Navidad y covers de canciones de canciones de estación. Tarja cantó en varios idiomas y compuso su propia canción de Navidad para abrir el disco. La gira por Finlandia y Rusia concluyó un año caótico pero satisfactorio.
Tarja dedicó el año 2007 a trabajar en su largamente esperado primer álbum solista. Bueno, casi – se hizo tiempo para grabar la voz en la canción “In the picture” para el álbum del 20° aniversario de Nuclear Blast, Into the Light. Tarja formó parte del Concierto de Gala del 50° Aniversario de MTV3 junto a famosísimos artistas Fineses entre cuya audiencia se encontraban diplomáticos y políticos fineses, incluida la presidenta Tarja Halonen.
Nadie supo la cuál era la naturaleza del primogénito musical de Tarja hasta el día de su lanzamiento. Incluso cuando llegó el día del lanzamiento en Noviembre de 2007, el debut de Tarja no era algo fácil de clasificar. Nueve años en el mundo del Metal habían dejado su marca y los elementos sinfónicos estaban ahí aunque no era un disco de Metal exclusivamente. Tarja introducía nuevos sonidos, nuevos climas, a través de paisajes ambientales y pop en su paleta.
Tarja reunió un ensamble estelar de músicos invitados y artistas, entre ellos Doug Wimbish, Alex Scholpp, Earl Harvin, Torsten Stenzel, Martin Tillman, Mel Wesson y muchos más. El famoso compositor de música de películas Hans Zimmer puso a su disposición los Remote Studios, donde se realizaron más grabaciones y mezclas.
Cuando visité el tocador por primera vez en Remote Control Studios, vi que el Sr. Zimmer había puesto sus premios por discos de oro y platino ¡en las paredes del baño! ¡Tengo que admitir que disfruté el momento! La experiencia de trabajar en esos estudios fue sobrecogedora para mi. Creo que aprendí más sobre música en esas pocas semanas que lo que había aprendido en los años anteriores. Tengo hoy la suerte de poder continuar trabajando con la misma gente y que participen en mi música.
My Winter Storm fue lanzado internacionalmente en más de ochenta países el 16 de Noviembre de 2007 por Universal Music y alcanzó el disco de oro el primer día en su tierra natal y en seguida llegó a la cima de los rankings. El éxito comercial no tardó en llegar: el álbum alcanzó el oro en Hungría, República Checa y Alemania y platino en Finlandia y Rusia.
Al final del año, habiendo sido nominada a un Premio Echo como Mejor Artista Nueva y a un Emma por Mejor Artista Finesa, comenzó con la promoción de su álbum con una gira de precalentamiento por Europa.
Había estado esperando el momento en el cual pudiera hacer un tour de rock por mi cuenta y con mi propia banda. Creo que la gente podía verme sonriendo realmente durante los conciertos y creo que esa sonrisa no se ha desvanecido desde ese momento. Todo es diferente cuando gente que te rodea te apoya y te ama. No hay nada más en lo que necesite pensar más allá de la música en si misma.
La gira mundial continuó durante 2008 y 2009 a través de Europa y América con apenas una pausa para respirar, y llegó a un total de ochenta y dos shows en treinta y tres países diferentes. Muchos fans nuevos le dieron la bienvenida en países en los que Tarja nunca antes se había presentado – Bielorusia, Ucrania, Israel, Bulgaria, Serbia, Luxemburgo, Venezuela, Croacia y Turquía a vieron por primera vez.
La gira con “My Winter Storm” fue una gran experiencia para mí como artista. Tengo fantásticos recuerdos de mis conciertos, visitas a nuevos países y encuentros con mis fans de todo el mundo.
Durante 2008 Tarja visitó nuevamente los estudios de grabación para plasmar las nuevas canciones “Enough” y “Widsom of Wind” como así también una colaboración para el próximo álbum de la legendaria cantante Alemana Doro Pesch, con quien cantó como invitada en el concierto especial por sus 25 años en la música. El EP The Seer, que contenía temas en vivo y nuevas mezclas, fue editado exclusivamente en Inglaterra. En 2009, Tarja dejó sin aliento a la audiencia como invitada de la banda Argentina de Rock Rata Blanca en Estadio Luna Park en Buenos Aires. De vuelta en Finlandia, Tarja filmó su primer cameo para la comedia negra Finesa Mad Rush, que luego ganó el premio a Mejor Película en el Festival Internacional de Cine de Madrid.
El sábado 29 de agosto Tarja participó en una Gala muy especial que se realizó en Estocolmo, Suecia, para conmemorar el 200° aniversario de la separación entre Suecia y Finlandia en 1809. Suecos y Fineses disfrutaron la televisación en vivo con la presencia de la Princesa de la Corona Sueca, Victoria, presentadores estrella de ambos países y la Orquesta Sinfónica Sueca de Radio, dirigida por John Storgårds.
Al día siguiente, 30 de Agosto, Tarja se presentó en la Iglesia Mäntyharju como acto principal del Festival Clásico Soi Suvessa en Finlandia junto con la pianista Sonja Fräki, la flautista Emilia Kauppinen y el cellista Max Lilja. El programa consistió en lied argentinas y finesas y en composiciones originales de Tarja.
Hacia finales de Octubre, apenas luego de terminar su gira Final Storm Tour 2009 en Europa, Tarja dio un concierto como solista con la Orquesta Filarmónica de Tampere. Este concierto especial de Halloween fue otra gran oportunidad para que Tarja presentara algunas de sus nuevas canciones.
En el final del año grabó las voces para tres canciones en el álbum de caridad de Navidad ‘Maailman Kauneimmat Joululaulut’ (‘Most Beautiful Christmas Songs’) y se embarcó en otra gira de Navidad en iglesias finesas junto a Kalevi, Marzi y Markku, quienes dieron conciertos realmente exitosos, completamente vendidos, en varias ciudades. Tarja compuso su propio Ave María para esta gira, que consiste en un texto en Latín y un acompañamiento minimalista. Después de la gira en Finlandia, Tarja realizó un concierto de Navidad en Moscú, Rusia, con la Orquesta Sinfónica Globalis. Ese concierto finalizó un muy exitoso 2009.
Desde hace ya varios años disfruto culminar mi año interpretando canciones de Navidad. Se siente bien, después de un largo año de trabajo duro, cantar canciones que cuentan historias puras de amor, amistad y familia. Este año no fue la excepción. Estaba realmente sorprendida por la cantidad de gente que vino a mis conciertos esta vez y por lo maravillosa que era la atmósfera en las iglesias donde la acústica nos ayudaba a crear diferentes atmósferas.
En marzo de 2010 la banda alemana de veteranos del rock, Scorpions, lanzó su disco de despedida, Sting In The Tail. El álbum incluyó una aparición invitada de Tarja en la canción “The Good Die Young”. Fue una experiencia gratificante para Tarja, un signo de que su talento y emoción estaban llegando a más corazones que antes.
Es un gran honor formar parte del álbum de despedida de Scorpions. Recibí una llamada de Klaus que fue tan amable de extenderme los deseos de la banda de tenerme cantando una de sus canciones. Yo no sabía que iba a ser su última grabación hasta que lo anunciaron, así que se me mezclaron sentimientos de felicidad y algo de tristeza cuando me enteré. Solo puedo agradecerles por la invitación y por dejarme ser parte de sus últimos esfuerzos como banda. Estoy segura de que mantendrán este álbum en su corazón de la misma forma que sus fans y yo lo haremos.
Tarja se presentó junto a Scorpions en el show más exitoso de la televisón europea, “Wetten Dass..?” a fines de ese mes, para nueve millones de espectadores en Europa.
Antes de que hubiera terminado la gira mundial, Tarja ya se había llenado de inspiración para su próximo álbum. Tres años le habían enseñado muchas lecciones; había crecido mucho y no solo musicalmente; hubo un cambio en su actitud también. Si se había echado atrás en alguna de las decisiones sobre My Winter Storm, ahora luchaba por su libertad – y lo hacía duro. Sin poder dar con el productor que ella quería, Tarja demostró su indomable, enérgica resolución una vez más y simplemente produjo el álbum ella misma. Era una responsabilidad inmensamente desafiante, pero ella ya había probado ser una Espartana en todos los demás aspectos de su carrera y le otorgó el mismo nivel de dedicación a su nuevo rol.
Recuerdo estar muy nerviosa el primer día de grabación porque no estaba segura de si podría atravesar todo sin complicaciones, en calma y si podría tomar las decisiones necesarias. Sin embargo, los nervios desaparecieron justo en el momento en el que escuché los primeros golpes de Mike Terrana, el baterista. Todos los músicos me respetaron y las sesiones fueron increíblemente divertidas.
Antes del lanzamiento del álbum, había tiempo para un muy especial concierto en Hungría. Respaldada por una orquesta y un coro completos, Tarja se presentó frente a fans de todo el mundo en el Festival de Ópera de Miskolc. En este entorno resplandeciente, entre canciones viejas y arias clásicas, le dio a probar a los oyentes una pizca de lo que estaba por venir, interpretando una pequeña selección del próximo álbum que, finalmente, titulado What Lies Beneath, fue lanzado el 1° de Septiembre de 2010.
Es Tarja misma quien mejor describe la transformación desde My Winter Storm. Si esos fueron los primeros pasos, con “What Lies Beneath” aprendí a correr.
En What Lies Beneath las influencias llegaron más allá, con alusiones al Barroco y al Rock Clásico y originales adornos experimentales – dobles baterías, cantos Turcos y una estudiada lista de estrellas invitadas contribuyeron a elevar What Lies Beneath un nivel completamente nuevo. Los riffs eran más agresivos, los ganchos más pegadizos, la temática más oscura. A través de What Lies Beneath Tarka exploró la zona en penumbras de la naturaleza humana, aproximandose al tema de sus canciones resueltamente.
Después del lanzamiento del disco, comenzó la gira. En Julio, se convirtió en la primera mujer en aparecer en un edificio de departamentos en Kavarna, Bulgaria – la última en una línea de retratos que mostraban estrellas de rock como Klaus Meine, Billy Idol y Ronnie James Dio. En Noviembre tuvo la oportunidad de cosechar una nueva base de fans, como soporte del Rey del Rock Shock, Alice Copper. Después de atravesar Europa (sin olvidar sus habituales conciertos de Navidad en Finlandia en Diciembre), Tarja viajó a reconquistar Sud América a comienzos de 2011.
Luego de la tragedia que asedó Japón en los inicios de 2011, Tarja editó la bella balada “Underneath” como un simple de caridad, con Jyrki de 69 Eyes como invitado. El dueto se presentó en vivo en un show especial de caridad, “Idols Give Back”, en la TV Finlandesa.
En el verano Tarja se presentó en muchos festivales prominentes de Europa. En Francia, en Sonisphere, su set comenzó justo antes del acto principal, Metallica. Una orquesta completa y un coro la respaldaron en Masters of Rock en República Checa. En Rock on Volga, además de tocar con su banda, cantó un bello dueto con la leyenda del rock Valery Kipelov – en su idioma natal, Ruso, frente a la audiencia más grande en un solo evento: doscientas cuarenta y cinco mil personas. Sus raíces clásicas también recibieron un reconocimiento cuando fue invitada a regresar una vez más al Festival de Ópera de Savonlinna para cantar junto con el sensacional tenor José Cura en el Castillo de Olavinlinna acompañados por la Orquesta Sinfónica de Kuopio. Unos días después de compartir el escenario con el Sr. Cura, Tarja estaba cantando con Scorpions en Saimaa Open Air.
Fue un magnífico y desafiante verano. Todos los eventos eran muy diferentes el uno del otro. Disfruté mucho de viajar a través de varias clases de escenarios y de trabajar con gente que yo respeto.
En Septiembre, se realizó un evento único en Bulgaria. “Beauty and the Beat” combinó una orquesta sinfónica, coro y el monstruoso baterista Mike Terrana, todo en un mismo escenario – que no era otro que un antiguo anfiteatro Romano. El show de dos horas se dividió entre composiciones clásicas y piezas contemporáneas más livianas, intercaladas con material propio de Tarja. El evento fue tan exitosamente recibido por los fans que ya se ha reservado una gira completa para 2012.
Esa noche nos demostró a Mike y a mí que debíamos continuar con este proyecto clásico. Fue un éxito increíble y un enorme placer para ambos ver a nuestros fans junto a gente común en un mismo evento disfrutando música clásica. Vamos a hacer más conciertos como este, definitivamente.
Predeciblemente, Tarja encontró el tiempo para hacer otros proyectos aparte de la gira. Conformó un nuevo grupo con el productor Alemán Torsten Stenzel y el guitarrista Argentino Walter Giardino. Ambos, como Tarja, viven lejos de sus países natales – de ahí el nombre de la colaboración: Outlanders. La canción que hicieron juntos lleva el mismo nombre y toma sus palabras del trabajo del escritor Paulo Coelho. Tarja pudo presentar la canción en el Día de Paulo Coelho, 26 de Noviembre, el el Suomalainen Kirjakauppa en Helsiki, con la bendición del autor.
Paulo Coelho ha sido una de las más grandes inspiraciones en mi carrera. La canción fue mi forma de decirle cuánto significa para mí.
Incitada por Kalevi Kiviniemi, Tarja grabó un álbum clásico: “Ave María”, una colección de piezas que giran alrededor de ese tema central, con composiciones nuevas y viejas, famosas y desconocidas, entre las que se encuentra el “Ave Maria” compuesto por Tarja, que ha estado interpretando en conciertos por dos años. El álbum, con las interpretaciones de Kalevi en órgano, Marius Järvi en cello y Kirsi Kiviharju en arpa, está aguardando fecha de salida.
Esta es mi primera grabación puramente clásica. Fue un desafío repasar cientos de Ave Marías y elegir aquellas que podían incluirse en el álbum. En realidad, existen miles de composiciones y amo la música de cámara y creo que mi voz encaja perfectamente con este tipo de música.
Mientras se aproximaba el momento de realizar los conciertos de Navidad, Tarja y su banda clásica editaron un DVD en vivo grabado en el concierto de Navidad del hermoso Sibelius Hall en 2009. Sería la primera grabación de Tarja, Kalevi, Markku y Marzi, aunque han estado trabajando juntos desde hace muchos años, pareció ser la oportunidad ideal para bautizar a la asociación. La banda encontró la inspiración para el nombre de una peculiar palabra Finesa: Harus, el tensor que mantiene el mástil en posición e impide que se caiga en un barco o los que mantienen una carpa erguida. Se sintió como una metáfora sobre la solidaridad y el compañerismo entre los cuatro artistas. In Concert – Live at Sibelius Hall fue el primer lanzamiento de Tarja Turunen & Harus – el próximo, esperan, contendrá música propia y los esfuerzos de una colaboración mutua.
En 2012 la gira de What Lies Beneath finalmente terminó y Tarja desaparece en el estudio con un nuevo álbum bajo el brazo. Para acortar la espera, planeó un DVD en vivo propio, una ambiciosa filmación con no menos de diez cámaras HD en el curso de dos conciertos de larga duración que se realizaron en el fantástico Teatro El Círculo de Rosario, Argentina. Una vuelta a sus raíces clásicas, el DVD fue acertadamente titulado ACT I
Esas dos noches en Rosario fueron realmente mágicas para mi personalmente. Estaba entusiasmada de finalmente grabar y filmar mi primer DVD de rock en vivo. Este DVD muestra cuán maravillosa es mi relación con mis fans. Me han apoyado extremadamente durante todos estos años, y en este lanzamiento juegan un importante papel.
Tarja hizo solo una promesa sobre su próximo álbum, a ser editado en 2013: seguramente sorprenderá.
Esa sentencia es tal vez menos original de lo que ella espera. La ingobernable niña de un pueblo rural que creció para ser la única artista que se pueda encontrar cantando en un club de rock una noche y en una catedral a la siguiente…sorprender a sus oyentes es algo en lo que Tarja Turunen siempre ha sido bastante buena.
Esta historia ciertamente será continuada.
Esta biografía fue revisada, actualizada y completada con la invaluable colaboración de Melanie Surma, Nicola Bakovic y Diana Racila. Nuestra gratitud hacia ellos y hacia todos aquellos que nos enviaron sus versiones de la biografía de Tarja
Las fotografías fueron tomadas de www.tarjaturunenenkeli.net, www.voices-of-enchantment.com y de los archivos privados de Tarja.
TARJA TURUNEN
The brightest star of the Finnish rock scene, the soprano singer known as Tarja has become one of the most well known Finnish faces in the world of music.
The path lying ahead of Tarja Soile Susanna Turunen-Cabuli certainly could never have been guessed from its humble origins. She was born on August 17th, 1977 in the tiny Finnish village of Puhos, near to the town of Kitee, the middle child amongst two brothers; a green-eyed Karelian girl from a village of five hundred inhabitants.
Music marked her life from the very beginning. Her parents would humorously reminisce that Tarja had begun to sing even before she learned how to walk, and were fond of retelling her fearless exploits climbing up tables at family parties to perform for indulgent relatives… sometimes with rather inventive lyrics. It was clear that drama and limelight were things that Tarja already understood very well – unsurprisingly, it did not take her long to realize her calling.
I had no other girls to play with before I went to school since we had no neighbours close by, so I was very independent in the early age. I loved theatre and arts in general and wanted to be an artist. I remember that every time somebody of our family friends came to visit my parents, I was performing a play with my puppets behind the big TV that we had in our living room. I made up the stories in an instant. Anyway, music was number one for me always. My parents were very supportive and they bought me my first piano when I was 6 years old. I still have it.
Encouraged from the outset, Tarja started her musical studies at the age of six, and continued them in a musical institute in her home town until she moved to picturesque Savonlinna at fifteen, where, paying her own rent and existing on a meagre diet, she attended the Senior Secondary School of Art and Music. There she was the first student to pass all singing exams with top grades in the college’s history – an achievement that elicited tears from both student and teachers alike!
The school’s own musical project, ‘Romeo ja Julia’ presented the first opportunity for Tarja to unleash her voice in the recording studio. She participated in two songs, and hearing herself on playback for the first time, the young Finn was filled with a great sense of… distress. In fact she couldn’t bear to listen to herself at all. It took a long time for the future star to acquaint herself with her own-recorded vocals.
The next step in her education was to apply to the prestigious Sibelius Academy of Kuopio city, specializing in church music and classical singing. As well as developing her vocal technique, she was forced to study piano seriously, not merely as a hobby, and the gruelling practice finally paid off with a certificate of perfect marks at the end of the year. She even picked up skills such as playing the organ and choir directing – though it is rare to hear her admit to it these days.
Tarja’s home village was a small one, and by then her singing talents were somewhat renowned. A few months after being accepted at the Academy, she was invited to record three songs for an acoustic project. Her acceptance breathed life into a band that would change her outlook on music entirely.
Nightwish began as an acoustic mood project hatched around the embers of a campfire – gentle, ambient music composed to the strum of a guitar. However, the bombastic, majestic timbre of Tarja’s voice overpowered the other instruments, and soon the acoustic guitar was being replaced with an electric one, and drums were brought into the mix. The band’s first demo-tape was enough to get them a recording deal with Spinefarm Records. In 1997, they released their debut album, ‘Angels Fall First’. The reaction of listeners and media alike was unbelievably positive, and Nightwish were soon performing their first live shows. For Tarja, however, the world of metal was unfamiliar and unwelcoming territory, dominated by males, in which she was a complete stranger. The soprano who would go on to conquer the hearts of a nation knew absolutely nothing about the sea into which she was about to dive… but dive she did.
I never thought of being a singer in a heavy metal band. My dream was always to be a singer, but since my studies were completely built around classical music, I thought that was my way. Anyway, I have always loved challenges and been brave, so I thought “Why not to try out?” It was exciting to see the reaction of the listeners of Nightwish´s first album and how people accepted the fact that I was classically trained singer singing melodic heavy metal. It was something that didn’t happen every day at that time!
From then on, Nightwish was a serious occupation – gradually, Tarja’s studies were swept away with the band’s success, and her keen motivation for her scholarly pursuits was cast into turmoil. Despite sacrificing her studies, the young woman showed an admirable determination to make time for her other commitments. That summer she sang as part of the Savonlinna Opera Festival choir, switching from the riffs of Nightwish to the melodies of Verdi and Wagner.
I remember being the youngest singer in the Opera Festival Choir at the age of 18. I was so thrilled to be part of the magnificent talent and sound of this very famous choir. I was blown away when I heard the male choir singing their pilgrimage part in the Wagner’s opera Tannhäuser for the first time. Tears in my eyes, I was sitting and listening quietly their rehearsals. I was so proud of them! It was a fantastic summer and a great experience for me, who was willing to learn everything about opera.
It seemed that what Tarja really needed to learn about opera was how to incorporate it into metal – a daunting task. The ‘symphonic metal’ genre was still unexplored, and Tarja had become its unanticipated figurehead. A fork appeared in what had been a smoothly unfolding future of classical music. Tarja found herself facing an uncertain compromise as she struggled to balance two contrasting styles in her voice, her career, and her life.
Their debut was followed in 1998 by Nightwish’s breakthrough album, the platinum selling ‘Oceanborn’, which carried the band away from the shores of Finland, and into international fame, combing the breadth of Germany as support for the German trio of metal-heads, Rage.
Another indicator of their burgeoning notoriety, Tarja was able to balance the ‘Oceanborn’ tour with a secondary project in 1999, when she was asked to sing a solo part in the modern rock ballet ‘Evankeliumi’, staged at the Finnish National Opera House.
It was such an experience to be singing in the main hall of the National Opera House. All the participants of the project were so nervous before the premiere including me, because we hadn’t had too many rehearsals and we received the scores only few days before our first performance. It was magnificent from the National Opera to approve a modern ballet, which was based in heavy metal music in their seasonal program. I can assure you that this kind of thing is not happening in every opera house!
The show was directed by the famous Finnish choreographer Jorma Uotinen and written by Kärtsy Hatakka of the Finnish band Waltari. It was certainly a unique production (and indeed, Tarja certainly sported a very unique costume), but it was received well by the audience, with tickets selling out each and every night.
In the beginning of 2000, Nightwish took part in the Finnish qualification of the Eurovision Song Contest with the song ‘Sleepwalker’. Despite an overwhelming win in the public televoting, Nightwish was placed second – much to Tarja’s relief.
I need to admit that I really hated that Nightwish was taking part in the Eurovision contest. I was against it since the idea started. I was at that time performing in the “Evangelicum” when I received a call and got to know that our song was going for the finals in Finland. I was crying, since I thought it was the biggest mistake of my life to be part of it. I didn’t want that people would remember me as a singer from Eurovision contest. In the end, I did my part and sang the song and the event eventually made the bigger audience aware of Nightwish´s music. It is a song that I won’t be performing live ever again…
This wasn’t the first nor the last TV appearance from Tarja, who also starred in some well-known Finnish programmes as a guest, performer, judge… and here and there taking on a cameo appearance as an actress. As with all elements of show business, the acclimatisation to fame was a learning curve. A wave of interviews, photo shootings and press recordings accompanied Nightwish’s rise. Tarja’s image was splashed across the covers of countless music magazines across Europe. Even so, selling neither scandals to the tabloids nor skin to the cameras, she never quite managed to fit the mould of a stereotypical rock star.
In May 2000, Nightwish released their third album, ‘Wishmaster’, which immediately rose to the charts all over the world and went platinum in Finland in a matter of weeks. It featured a bombastic choir and an altogether bigger, bolder sound: the symphonic, trademark style Nightwish is recognised by today.
The year 2000 was very busy for Tarja and Nightwish, who set off on a tour around Europe, Canada and South America. There was more demand for gigs than the band could handle, and so on New Years’ Eve, Nightwish filmed their gig at the Pakkahuone club in Tampere, Finland, and put together their first live DVD.
It was exciting to play a concert while there were cameras around. We had few gigs behind us already, but we had not that much experience yet being surrounded by the cameras while people were screaming in front of us. How awful it was to check the live recordings for the first time, hear my voice and see my performance.
‘From Wishes to Eternity’ reached gold status in Finland in CD format and in Germany as a DVD. Onstage, the small woman exuded a presence that burst with confidence and charisma. Her movements no longer betrayed any kind of anxiety or nerves; gone was the skinny Karelian girl from the quiet village of Puhos. In her place, Tarja walked with a buoyant step and smiled with an infectious candour that dominated the strobe-lit stage.
Before making their next album, the band released a mini-CD, ‘Over the Hills And Far Away’, which achieved double platinum status in their home country. After the EP, the band started working on their fourth full-length studio album, ‘Century Child’, but while the musicians were recording and writing the album, Tarja decided to go one step forward with her vocal studies by enrolling in the Music University of Karlsruhe in Germany.
I wanted to get deeper in my classical singing studies and to breathe some fresh air. I knew that I wanted to study somewhere in Germany, but I wasn’t sure where. That’s why I visited many music universities in Germany before I went to Karlsruhe. When I saw the magnificent pink-orange castle of the University where some of the studies are held, I fell in love with the place immediately. My goal was to study with a teacher specialised in chamber music, particularly in German Lied. By being accepted as a student of lady Mitsuko Shirai was a dream come true for me.
The move helped her to develop not only her technique, but also her confidence. There was a more Bohemian vibe to her surroundings now, where all manner of voices and ranges were catered to and accepted. The scene was bigger, broader; she was no longer the conspicuous girl who forsook her classical training to throw in her lot as a rock star – in Germany she was equally respected as both a metal and a classical singer.
Although the studying schedule in Karlsruhe was very tight, Tarja managed to find time not only to record her vocals for ‘Century Child’, but also to record vocals for the Argentinean bassist Beto Vazquez’s album ‘Infinity’ and for Anssi Tikanmäki’s album ‘Perinteinen Pop-Levy’.
Before hitting the road once more with Nightwish, Tarja found some time to nurture her classical career. After some rehearsal concerts in Germany, she toured the classical stages of South America in Chile and Argentina performing a Lied concert named ‘Noche Escandinava’.
I got truly wonderful and talented friends in Karlsruhe. It was so much fun to bring flavours from Scandinavia to Southern American audience. Northern music is very much loved there even though the knowledge of the repertoire of Scandinavian and Finnish artists is not that known yet in that continent. It was great to see the mixture of different music lovers in our concerts. Heavy metal and classical music listeners under the same roof!
The concerts, sponsored by the embassies of all participating countries, brought songs to South America from an array of Nordic composers. Thrillingly, the concerts were sold out; an intimate connection was established between the artists and the South American audience, one that Tarja would go on to develop in her classical career in years to come.
Noche Escandinava means Scandinavian Night in Spanish. The reason why we chose this name was obvious at that time: the concerts were going to happen in Argentina and Chile, both Spanish-speaking countries. As well, the program was going to be based in Scandinavian songs (Norway, Sweden, etc).
During their first tour with ‘Noche Escandinava’ in May – June 2002, Tarja sang in the company of Marjut Paavilainen (Finnish mezzo-soprano), Ingvild Storhaug (Norwegian mezzo-soprano) and Izumi Kaawakatsu (Japanese pianist).
Nightwish’s fourth album, ‘Century Child’, was released in the spring of 2002 and was followed by the massive ‘World Tour of the Century’, which was three months long. Exhausted from the world tour, Nightwish chose to take a long break to give its members some time of their own. Unfamiliar with the concept of rest, Tarja went back to Karlsruhe before the end of the year to continue her studies.
It was a hard for me to study and do gigs at the same time. Especially when I have always been perfectionist in everything I do and never have wanted to fail. There were times when I was so tired of everything happening around, that I just cried myself to sleep. Anyway, I knew that I needed to manage on my own without getting any help from anybody else. Luckily I got to marry a man who started to help me so that I could concentrate in making the music that I loved.
Following the supposed relaxation period, Nightwish jumped into the ‘Summer of Innocence’ tour, beginning in June 2003. The experience left its mark on 14 countries and 400.000 enraptured pairs of eyes. In the fall of that year, a documentary, ‘End of Innocence’, was released, charting the band’s journey from simple school friends in Kitee to their formidable position atop the charts, cresting the waves of the rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle.
For Tarja, however, even greater éclat lay in store before the year’s end. She received an invitation from Finnish President Tarja Halonen and her husband Dr. Arajärvi to the Finnish Independence Day Party at the President’s Palace, the most important social event of the country, and an incredible honour for Tarja, whose charming presence caused a storm amongst the media. Finnish broadcasting stations hailed her as the most impressively dressed lady of the entire gathering, while leading Finnish newspapers crowned her ‘the queen of the night’.
It was unbelievable honour to receive the invitation from the President Halonen. It is an event that gathers most of the Finns around the TV and makes them talk in the next days. I was surprised by the amount of press in the event and unfortunately didn’t have even a chance to taste the famous food buffet, since there was all the time somebody from the media requesting for an interview.
To end an astonishing year, in December 19th, 2003 Tarja gave her own Christmas concert before an audience of 600 in a small church in Valkeala. There were no effects and trimmings here, merely a handful of talented musicians, a microphone, and Tarja herself. After sixty minutes of traditional Finnish Christmas music, the audience rose as one to deliver its warm applause. This was to form a tradition of intimate, classical church concerts – drastically at odds with her rock career – that continues to this day.
How nice it was to see people sitting on the floor of the church when I tried to find my way to the front of the church through the people. The little church was completely packed.
Nightwish started recording a brand new studio album and after Tarja had recorded her parts, she travelled to Buenos Aires, Argentina to offer a one-month singing course to trained musicians.
There were singing students from all ages coming to take lessons from me. It was lovely to be able to be helpful and to see how pure the love towards music can be. I enjoyed teaching and I am planning to teach in the future too when there is enough time for it.
The lull between the album release and the beginning of the tour gave Tarja time to fit in a second tour with her classical friends from Karlsruhe: ‘Noche Escandinava II’. They flew to Chile, Argentina, Brazil, and Romania in a second tour that was equally successful as the first. There was a change in the line-up: Ingvild Storhaug was replaced by Finnish baritone Juha Koskela and the program, this time, consisted entirely of songs by Finnish composers such as Oskar Merikanto, Yrjö Kilpinen, Jean Sibelius, Toivo Kuula, Erkki Melartin and Finnish folk artists. As a memory of this tour, the performance in Buenos Aires was recorded and released as a limited souvenir CD for fans.
We didn’t want to change the name of the tour anymore, because so many people knew us already from Noche Escandinava. As you know, Finland is not a part of Scandinavia, but despite of that, we decided to keep our touring name as it was before.
2004, the busiest year for Tarja so far, was the first milestone of her fledgling solo career, culminating in a long-planned seasonal project, an EP called ‘Yhden Enkelin Unelma’ (One Angel’s Dream), that featured different versions of two traditional Finnish Christmas carols known to Tarja from childhood, ‘En Etsi Valtaa, Loistoa’ and ‘Kun Joulu On’. It sold platinum in Finland, the single becoming a winter favourite of popular radio stations.
It was lovely to work with well-known Finnish producer Esa Nieminen. He was always very positive and supportive. The recordings of the EP were a good starting point for a longer collaboration with Esa.
Amidst her other projects, Tarja was given the opportunity to co-write the song ‘Tired Of Being Alone’, with the German artist Schiller. The album, ‘Tag Und Nacht’, received a gold record. Four years later, the song was released in the USA version of Schiller’s current album and was pre-nominated for the Grammy Awards under the category ‘Best Song’.
I have had a great time performing this song live with my band with which I made my own version of it. We have truly enjoyed it very much and it has become one of our favourites. The collaboration with Christopher was a nice experience for me and it gave me a chance to write music that was going to be published for the first time in my career. It was truly exciting.
In another participation, Tarja made a guest appearance in the song and video for ‘Leaving You For Me’, with German singer Martin Kesici, the filming of which was quite eventful…
I didn’t know Martin’s music before, but when I heard his voice, I really liked it very much. I thought he was very talented and charismatic, so I loved to sing a duet with such a charming guy! We had a great time in Finland shooting a video together even though we didn’t manage to avoid some trouble during the filming. A goat attacked me leaving me some bruises in my leg and then Martin pressed my fingers between the door and the handle, of course without knowing that I was in pain. Well, after the day was finished, the result was that I had swollen fingers and aching leg. Could have been worse!
Their next album, ‘Once’, was Nightwish’s biggest success yet – it hit the number one spot in five countries, reached triple platinum in Finland and triple Gold in Germany, and took Tarja to uncountable photo sessions, press conferences and interviews worldwide. The upcoming world tour was expected to be the biggest so far for any Finnish act.
The last show of the tour took place on October 21st, 2005 in Helsinki’s Hartwall Arena. It was to be an extended performance, with extensive costume changes from Tarja. The entire show was recorded for the purpose of another live DVD. After the final bow her band mates dismissed her from the band with a letter. The DVD was titled ‘End of an Era’.
A media storm surrounded Tarja for a considerable time after the split. Nightwish was one of the first metal bands to utilise a female lead vocalist, and one of the pioneers of the so-called ‘opera-metal’ sub-genre thanks to Tarja. Critics and fans from all over the world had praised Tarja’s “Valkyrian” vocals regardless of her inexperience in the field of metal music. Her unique voice and classical technique adapted to metal music was a milestone in the history of metal, and the genre was blossoming. The decision to continue in that direction was instinctive.
There is a certain Finnish word, the equivalent of which does not exist in the English language. It is the concept of ‘sisu’, a characteristic said to be possessed by all Finns. It is not bravery nor resilience, but the enduring, gritty perseverance that can only rise to the surface in times of great hardship. It is the last reserve of strength that exhorts you to keep going through the darkest hour. Tarja focused on her solo career, touring in December 2005 with a series of pre-planned Christmas concerts that took her to Finland, Spain, Germany and Romania. Performing traditional Finnish and international Christmas songs, Tarja could tackle her situation by doing what she was best at – plunging into new challenges.
It was very hard to perform shortly after being fired from the band, but I didn’t see any other way to continue. Music is my way of life; I sing for the joy of it. The tour was a success and made me understand that I have an audience on my own and people have place for my music in their hearts. I am truly grateful for this gift.
2006 found Tarja participating in many projects, guest-starring in the Swedish ‘SPIN-The Musical’ and Robert Wells’ ‘Rhapsody in Rock’, where she sang a diverse range of songs, from classical to 1960s rock. In July of that year, Tarja performed again at the Savonlinna Opera Festival, but this time as a soloist, together with the famous Finnish tenor Raimo Sirkiä and the Symphonic Orchestra of Kuopio conducted by Maestro Riku Niemi in two sold out concerts. The audience and critics alike praised these crossover concerts, covering pieces from “Rusalka” to “Proud Mary”.
I was so happy to be again in the beautiful city of Savonlinna where I had been studying when I was a teenager. I have great memories from those times and I still treasure them. The castle of Olavinlinna is a wonderful, mysterious place and since I was a kid, wanted to perform there. Once again, it was a dream come true. People enjoyed our concert program, which was a challenge for all of us. I hope to return to Olavinlinna again one day.
Another special concert took place that August at Lahti Organ Festival. Backed by international concert organist Kalevi Kiviniemi, guitarist Marzi Nyman, and percussionist Markku Krohn, Tarja put together another vibrant set list that varied between the classical and the contemporary. The performance, ‘Cross Over Organ’, included ‘Ave Maria’s as well as songs by Nirvana, Andrew Lloyd Webber and Deep Purple.
I have been a lucky girl to be able to sing with famous and talented musicians like Kalevi is. These are the things that I will never ever forget. I hope to tell my story one day to my grandchildren, who might not believe their ears! It is hard to find soul mates in today’s music business, but with Kalevi, Marzi and Markku everything works perfectly. We want to create something new for people to discover. The world would become a very boring place to live in, if everybody would do things the usual way. I don’t fit in that picture.
The mellifluous bending of genres was something that came very naturally by now. As she prefers to say: “I am not crossing over different music styles, but melting them together.” Two more successful Lied concerts with tenor Raimo Sirkiä and pianist Maija Weitz were performed in October in the churches of Seinäjoki and Kauhajoki in Finland.
In the fall, Tarja performed with the Tapiola Choir in Espoo for the concert ‘Tomorrow’s Child’, organised by UNICEF. Espoo had the honour of being named as the UNICEF city of 2006, at the same time as UNICEF celebrated its 60 years of helping children. Tarja and the Tapiola Choir donated their fees and the ticket income of the concert reached a stunning 18.688 Euros, which was directed untouched to the Espoo UNICEF account. Tarja and the Choir brought the biggest income of any singular event during that year in Finland!
Besides her singing projects Tarja also found some time to appear briefly in Finnish TV series Studio Impossible and Pääroolissa.
I had a time of my life in these TV comedy series. I was laughing so much that I think I will live at least 20 years longer because of the joy they gave me! I would love to do more things like that, since I learned a lot from the professional actors during those days. It is a hard job, my respect to them!
The hard-earned end to a hectic year, she was nominated as Best Soloist of 2006 in the Finnish Emma Awards. And, with the release of her much anticipated Christmas album, the soprano’s diligence was rewarded with a gratifying wave of enthusiasm from the public. Quickly ascending to platinum – and eventually double platinum – in Finland, ‘Henkäys Ikuisuudesta’ (‘Breath from Heaven’) was a mixture of traditional Finnish carols and covers of holiday releases. Tarja sang in several different languages, and composed her own Christmas song as the opening track. The following Christmas tour spanned both Finland and Russia, gently concluding a chaotic but fulfilling year.
Tarja dedicated the whole of 2007 to working on her long awaited first solo album. Well, almost – she still found time to record vocals for Nuclear Blast’s anniversary album ‘Into the Light’, appearing on a single song called ‘In the Picture’, and took part in MTV3′s 50th Anniversary Gala Concert together with other famous Finnish Artists, to an audience of diplomats and Finnish politicians including president Tarja Halonen.
Nobody quite knew the nature Tarja’s musical firstborn would take until the day of its release. Even when that day arrived in November 2007, Tarja’s debut was not an easy album to classify. Nine years in the world of metal had left their mark, and so too the symphonic elements could be found, yet it was not exclusively a metal album. Tarja introduced new sounds, new moods, reaching across into the landscapes of ambience and pop to lend hues to her palette.
A stellar ensemble of guest musicians and artists were gathered on the recording, among them Doug Wimbish, Alex Scholpp, Earl Harvin, Torsten Stenzel, Martin Tillman, Mel Wesson and many more. The famous soundtrack composer Hans Zimmer made his Remote Studios available for her, where further recordings and mixings took place.
When I visited for the first time the ladies’ room at Remote Control Studios, I saw that Mr. Zimmer had put his gold- platinum awards hanging on the walls of the toilet! I have to admit I was enjoying the moment! Over all, the experience of being working in those studios was overwhelming for me. I think I learned more about music in few weeks than I had learned in years earlier. I am lucky to be able still today to work with same people and have them participating in my music.
‘My Winter Storm’ was released internationally in more than 80 countries on November 16th, 2007 by Universal Music, and achieved its first gold record on the very first day in her homeland, Finland, soon reaching the top of the charts. The commercial success didn’t take long: Tarja’s first album reached gold status in Hungary, Czech Republic and Germany and platinum in Finland and in Russia.
At the end of the year, having been nominated for both an Echo Award as Best Newcomer and an Emma for Best Finnish Artist, she kicked off the promotion for her new album with a warm up tour across Europe.
I had been waiting for the moment so long, that I could go for a rock tour on my own and with my own band. I guess the people could see me really smiling during the concerts and I think that smile has not faded away since. Everything is different when supporting and loving people surround me. There is nothing else I need to think rather than music itself.
The world tour continued into and throughout 2008 and 2009, passing through Europe and America with barely a pause for breath, reaching a total of 82 shows in 33 different countries for Tarja and her band. Many new fans greeted her in countries where Tarja had never performed before – Belarus, Ukraine, Israel, Bulgaria, Serbia, Luxembourg, Venezuela, Croatia and Turkey all saw her for the first time.
The touring with “My Winter Storm” was such a great experience for me as an artist. I have amazing memories from my concerts, visits to new countries, and meetings with my fans all over the world.
During 2008 Tarja visited the recording studios once again to lay down new songs ‘Wisdom of Wind’ and ‘Enough’, as well as a duet for the newest album of legendary German singer Doro Pesch, who she sang alongside as a guest at her special 25-year anniversary concert in the same year. The UK was treated to an exclusive EP, ‘The Seer’, which contained both live tracks and new remixes. In 2009, performing as a guest for Argentinean rock band Rata Blanca, she dazzled a fresh audience with a breath-taking cover of Deep Purple’s classic ‘Child in Time’ in the Luna Park Stadium, Buenos Aires. Back in Finland, Tarja filmed her first cameo for the Finnish black comedy movie, ‘Mad Rush’, which later won ‘Best Movie Award’ at the International Film Festival of Madrid.
On Saturday, August 29th, Tarja participated in a very special Gala Concert that took place in Stockholm, Sweden, to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the separation between Sweden and Finland in 1809. Swedish and Finnish people enjoyed the Live TV broadcast, attended by the Victoria Crown Princess of Sweden, which featured star performers from both countries, and the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by John Storgårds.
The day after, August 30th, Tarja performed in Mäntyharju Church as the main attraction of the Soi Suvessa Classical Festival in Finland together with pianist Sonja Fräki, flutist Emilia Kauppinen and cellist Max Lilja. The program consisted of Finnish and Argentinean Lied and Tarja’s own compositions.
By the end of October, shortly after finishing the Final Storm Tour 2009 in Europe, Tarja performed as a soloist with the Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra. This special Halloween concert gave Tarja another great opportunity to present some of her new songs.
At the end of the year, she recorded vocals for three songs on the charity Christmas album ‘Maailman Kauneimmat Joululaulut’ (‘Most Beautiful Christmas Songs’) and embarked on another Christmas tour with Kalevi, Marzi and Markku that took them through sold out churches in several cities. Tarja composed her own ‘Ave Maria’ for this tour, a piece consisting of the traditional Latin text sung to minimalistic accompaniment. After touring in Finland, Tarja gave a single Christmas concert in Moscow, Russia, with the symphonic orchestra Globalis, which ended a very successful 2009.
Since already many years I have enjoyed finishing my year with performing Christmas songs. It feels nice, after a long and hard working year, to sing songs that are telling pure stories of love, friendship and family. This year was not an exception. I was truly amazed how many people came to my concerts this time and how wonderful was the atmosphere in the churches where the acoustics were helping us to create different moods.
In March 2010, German hard rock veterans Scorpions released their final studio album, ‘Sting In The Tail’. The album included a guest appearance from Tarja herself in the song ‘The Good Die Young’. It was for Tarja a gratifying sign that her talent and emotion were reaching more ears and hearts than ever before.
It is such an honour to be invited to take part in the Scorpions last album. I received a phone call from Klaus that was very kind to extend the band’s wishes to have me performing one of their songs. I was not aware it was going to be their last recordings until they announce it, so I have mixed feeling of happiness and bit of sadness too when I got the news. I can only thank them for the invitation and for letting me be a part of their last effort as a band. I am sure they will keep this particular album in their hearts the same way the fans and I will do.
Tarja performed together with Scorpions on the most successful European TV show, “Wetten Dass…?” at the end of the month for 9.000.000 viewers in Europe.
Before her world tour had even finished, Tarja had already filled her well of inspiration for the next album. Three years had taught her many lessons; she had grown a lot, and not only musically; there was a shift in her attitude as well. If she had stepped back in some of the decisions regarding ‘My Winter Storm’, now she fought for her freedom – and fought hard. Unable to find the producer she wanted, Tarja demonstrated her indomitable, gritty resolve once again, and simply produced the new album by herself. It was a hugely challenging responsibility, but she had already proven herself a Spartan in every other aspect of her career, and showed the same level of dedication in her new role.
I remember being very nervous on the first day of the recordings, because I was not sure if I could pull everything through smoothly, without problems and if I were able to make decisions needed. But the nervousness disappeared right after I heard the first beats of drummer Mike Terrana. All the musicians respected me and those sessions were unbelievable fun.
Before the release of the album, there was time for a very special concert in Hungary. Backed by a full orchestra and choir, Tarja performed at Miskolc Opera Festival, to fans travelling from all over the world. In this resplendent setting, amongst old songs and classical arias, she treated her listeners to a glimpse of what was to come, playing a small selection of songs from the upcoming album, which was finally released on September 1st 2010, titled ‘What Lies Beneath’.
It was Tarja herself who best described the transformation from ‘My Winter Storm’. If those were the first steps, with ‘What Lies Beneath’ I learned to run.
In ‘What Lies Beneath’, the influences reached further, with allusions to Baroque and classic rock, and novel, experimental embellishments – double drums, Turkish chanting, and a star-studded list of guest appearances all contributed to raise ‘What Lies Beneath’ to a whole new level. The riffs were more aggressive; the hooks were catchier; the theme was darker. Through ‘What Lies Beneath’, Tarja explored the twilight zone of human nature, approaching the subject of her songs unflinchingly.
After the album release, the tour kicked off for real. In July, she became the first woman to appear on an apartment building in the town of Kavarna, Bulgaria – the latest in a line of portraits featuring rock artists such as Klaus Meine, Billy Idol, and Ronnie James Dio. In November, she was given the chance to mine a new fan base, as support for the king of shock rock himself – Alice Cooper. After storming Europe (not forgetting to slow down in December with her usual Christmas concerts in Finland), Tarja set off to reconquer South America in early 2011.
Following the tragic events that struck Japan in early 2011, she was inspired to release the beautiful ballad ‘Underneath’ as a charity single, featuring Jyrki from The 69 Eyes. The duet was performed live on a special charity show, ‘Idols Give Back’, broadcast to Finnish TV.
During the summer, Tarja made an appearance at several prominent festivals across Europe. In France, her set opened right before headliners Metallica at Sonisphere. A full orchestra and choir backed her at Masters of Rock in Czech Republic. At Rock on Volga, besides performing with her band, she sang a beautiful duet with rock legend Valery Kipelov – in his own native language, Russian in front of the biggest audience in one single event: 245.000 people. Her classical roots also received a privileged nod of recognition, when she was invited once again to return to Savonlinna Opera Festival, to sing alongside the sensational tenor José Cura in Olavinlinna castle, accompanied by the Kuopio Symphony Orchestra. A few days after sharing the stage with Mr Cura, she was singing with Scorpions again at Saimaa Open Air.
It was magnificent, challenging summer. All the events were very different from each other. I enjoyed very much travelling through various kinds of sceneries and working with people that I respect.
That September, a truly unique event took place in Bulgaria. ‘Beauty and the Beat’ combined a symphonic orchestra, choir, and the monstrous drum kit of Mr Mike Terrana, all on the same stage – that stage being no less than an ancient Roman amphitheatre. The two hours show was split between classical compositions and more light-hearted contemporary pieces, interspersed with Tarja’s own material. The event was so successfully received by fans and media that an entire tour was scheduled for 2012.
That night showed to Mike and me that we needed to continue with this classical project further. It was amazing success and such a pleasure to both of us to see our fans together with ordinary people enjoying classical music in one single event. We will definitely make more concerts like this again.
Tarja predictably found the time to fit other projects into her year alongside all the touring. She formed a new project with German producer Torsten Stenzel and Argentinean guitarist Walter Giardino, both of whom, like Tarja, live far from their home countries, lending the collaboration its name: Outlanders. The song they made together bore the same name, and took its words from the works of writer Paulo Coelho. Tarja was able to present the song on Paulo Coelho day, November 26th, at Helsinki’s Suomalainen Kirjakauppa, with the blessing of the author himself.
Paulo Coelho has been one of the greatest inspirations to me in my career. The song was my way of telling him how much he means to me.
At the prompting of Kalevi Kiviniemi, she recorded a classical album, ‘Ave Maria’, a collection of pieces revolving around that central theme, compositions old and new, famous and little-known, amongst them Tarja’s own personal ‘Ave Maria’, which she had been singing in concerts for two years. The album itself, featuring Kalevi on organ, Marius Järvi on cello and Kirsi Kiviharju on harp, is awaiting release.
This is the first, pure classical recording of mine. It was challenging to go through hundreds of Ave Maria’s and to choose the ones that are suitable for the album. Actually there are thousands of compositions existing! I love chamber music and I think my voice suits well for this kind of music.
As 2011′s Christmas concerts approached, Tarja and her classical band released a live DVD from Sibelius Hall’s beautiful Christmas concert in 2009. It would be the first release from Tarja, Kalevi, Markku and Marzi, even though they had been working together for many years it seemed an ideal opportunity to christen the partnership. The classical band found the inspiration for its name in a peculiar Finnish word. Harus, the tensor that keeps the mast from falling in a sailing boat, or those that hold together a tent, was felt to be an apt metaphor for the solidarity and companionship between the four unique artists. ‘In Concert – Live at Sibelius Hall’ was the first release from Tarja Turunen & Harus – the next, they hope, would feature their own music, the efforts of a mutual collaboration.
2012 saw the ‘What Lies Beneath’ world tour finally draw to a close, and Tarja disappearing into the studio with a new album already up her sleeve. To shorten the wait, she had planned a live DVD of her own, this one an ambitious undertaking filmed with no less than ten HD cameras, over the course of two full length concerts that took place in the majestic El Circulo Theatre in Rosario, Argentina. A throwback to her classical roots, the DVD was aptly titled, ‘Act I’.
Those two nights in Rosario were truly magical to me personally. I was excited to finally film and record my first live rock DVD. This DVD shows you how great is my relationship with my fans. They have been extremely supportive throughout the years and on this release they play a big role.
Tarja made only one promise about her upcoming album, set for release in 2013: it would be sure to surprise.
That statement was perhaps less of a novelty than she hoped. The unruly girl from a rural village who grew into the only artist you could possibly expect to find singing in a rock club one night, and a cathedral the next… surprising her listeners is one thing Tarja Turunen has always been rather good at.
This story will certainly be continued.
This biography was revised, updated and completed with the invaluable cooperation of Melanie Surma, Nicola Bakovic, Diana Racila and Tosca Bell. Our gratitude towards them and all others who sent their own versions of Tarja’s bio.
The photos were taken from www.tarjaturunenenkeli.net, www.voices-of-enchantment.com and from Tarja’s private archives.
TARJA TURUNEN
The brightest star of the Finnish rock scene, the soprano singer known as Tarja has become one of the most well known Finnish faces in the world of music.
The path lying ahead of Tarja Soile Susanna Turunen-Cabuli certainly could never have been guessed from its humble origins. She was born on August 17th, 1977 in the tiny Finnish village of Puhos, near to the town of Kitee, the middle child amongst two brothers; a green-eyed Karelian girl from a village of five hundred inhabitants.
Music marked her life from the very beginning. Her parents would humorously reminisce that Tarja had begun to sing even before she learned how to walk, and were fond of retelling her fearless exploits climbing up tables at family parties to perform for indulgent relatives… sometimes with rather inventive lyrics. It was clear that drama and limelight were things that Tarja already understood very well – unsurprisingly, it did not take her long to realize her calling.
I had no other girls to play with before I went to school since we had no neighbours close by, so I was very independent in the early age. I loved theatre and arts in general and wanted to be an artist. I remember that every time somebody of our family friends came to visit my parents, I was performing a play with my puppets behind the big TV that we had in our living room. I made up the stories in an instant. Anyway, music was number one for me always. My parents were very supportive and they bought me my first piano when I was 6 years old. I still have it.
Encouraged from the outset, Tarja started her musical studies at the age of six, and continued them in a musical institute in her home town until she moved to picturesque Savonlinna at fifteen, where, paying her own rent and existing on a meagre diet, she attended the Senior Secondary School of Art and Music. There she was the first student to pass all singing exams with top grades in the college’s history – an achievement that elicited tears from both student and teachers alike!
The school’s own musical project, ‘Romeo ja Julia’ presented the first opportunity for Tarja to unleash her voice in the recording studio. She participated in two songs, and hearing herself on playback for the first time, the young Finn was filled with a great sense of… distress. In fact she couldn’t bear to listen to herself at all. It took a long time for the future star to acquaint herself with her own-recorded vocals.
The next step in her education was to apply to the prestigious Sibelius Academy of Kuopio city, specializing in church music and classical singing. As well as developing her vocal technique, she was forced to study piano seriously, not merely as a hobby, and the gruelling practice finally paid off with a certificate of perfect marks at the end of the year. She even picked up skills such as playing the organ and choir directing – though it is rare to hear her admit to it these days.
Tarja’s home village was a small one, and by then her singing talents were somewhat renowned. A few months after being accepted at the Academy, she was invited to record three songs for an acoustic project. Her acceptance breathed life into a band that would change her outlook on music entirely.
Nightwish began as an acoustic mood project hatched around the embers of a campfire – gentle, ambient music composed to the strum of a guitar. However, the bombastic, majestic timbre of Tarja’s voice overpowered the other instruments, and soon the acoustic guitar was being replaced with an electric one, and drums were brought into the mix. The band’s first demo-tape was enough to get them a recording deal with Spinefarm Records. In 1997, they released their debut album, ‘Angels Fall First’. The reaction of listeners and media alike was unbelievably positive, and Nightwish were soon performing their first live shows. For Tarja, however, the world of metal was unfamiliar and unwelcoming territory, dominated by males, in which she was a complete stranger. The soprano who would go on to conquer the hearts of a nation knew absolutely nothing about the sea into which she was about to dive… but dive she did.
I never thought of being a singer in a heavy metal band. My dream was always to be a singer, but since my studies were completely built around classical music, I thought that was my way. Anyway, I have always loved challenges and been brave, so I thought “Why not to try out?” It was exciting to see the reaction of the listeners of Nightwish´s first album and how people accepted the fact that I was classically trained singer singing melodic heavy metal. It was something that didn’t happen every day at that time!
From then on, Nightwish was a serious occupation – gradually, Tarja’s studies were swept away with the band’s success, and her keen motivation for her scholarly pursuits was cast into turmoil. Despite sacrificing her studies, the young woman showed an admirable determination to make time for her other commitments. That summer she sang as part of the Savonlinna Opera Festival choir, switching from the riffs of Nightwish to the melodies of Verdi and Wagner.
I remember being the youngest singer in the Opera Festival Choir at the age of 18. I was so thrilled to be part of the magnificent talent and sound of this very famous choir. I was blown away when I heard the male choir singing their pilgrimage part in the Wagner’s opera Tannhäuser for the first time. Tears in my eyes, I was sitting and listening quietly their rehearsals. I was so proud of them! It was a fantastic summer and a great experience for me, who was willing to learn everything about opera.
It seemed that what Tarja really needed to learn about opera was how to incorporate it into metal – a daunting task. The ‘symphonic metal’ genre was still unexplored, and Tarja had become its unanticipated figurehead. A fork appeared in what had been a smoothly unfolding future of classical music. Tarja found herself facing an uncertain compromise as she struggled to balance two contrasting styles in her voice, her career, and her life.
Their debut was followed in 1998 by Nightwish’s breakthrough album, the platinum selling ‘Oceanborn’, which carried the band away from the shores of Finland, and into international fame, combing the breadth of Germany as support for the German trio of metal-heads, Rage.
Another indicator of their burgeoning notoriety, Tarja was able to balance the ‘Oceanborn’ tour with a secondary project in 1999, when she was asked to sing a solo part in the modern rock ballet ‘Evankeliumi’, staged at the Finnish National Opera House.
It was such an experience to be singing in the main hall of the National Opera House. All the participants of the project were so nervous before the premiere including me, because we hadn’t had too many rehearsals and we received the scores only few days before our first performance. It was magnificent from the National Opera to approve a modern ballet, which was based in heavy metal music in their seasonal program. I can assure you that this kind of thing is not happening in every opera house!
The show was directed by the famous Finnish choreographer Jorma Uotinen and written by Kärtsy Hatakka of the Finnish band Waltari. It was certainly a unique production (and indeed, Tarja certainly sported a very unique costume), but it was received well by the audience, with tickets selling out each and every night.
In the beginning of 2000, Nightwish took part in the Finnish qualification of the Eurovision Song Contest with the song ‘Sleepwalker’. Despite an overwhelming win in the public televoting, Nightwish was placed second – much to Tarja’s relief.
I need to admit that I really hated that Nightwish was taking part in the Eurovision contest. I was against it since the idea started. I was at that time performing in the “Evangelicum” when I received a call and got to know that our song was going for the finals in Finland. I was crying, since I thought it was the biggest mistake of my life to be part of it. I didn’t want that people would remember me as a singer from Eurovision contest. In the end, I did my part and sang the song and the event eventually made the bigger audience aware of Nightwish´s music. It is a song that I won’t be performing live ever again…
This wasn’t the first nor the last TV appearance from Tarja, who also starred in some well-known Finnish programmes as a guest, performer, judge… and here and there taking on a cameo appearance as an actress. As with all elements of show business, the acclimatisation to fame was a learning curve. A wave of interviews, photo shootings and press recordings accompanied Nightwish’s rise. Tarja’s image was splashed across the covers of countless music magazines across Europe. Even so, selling neither scandals to the tabloids nor skin to the cameras, she never quite managed to fit the mould of a stereotypical rock star.
In May 2000, Nightwish released their third album, ‘Wishmaster’, which immediately rose to the charts all over the world and went platinum in Finland in a matter of weeks. It featured a bombastic choir and an altogether bigger, bolder sound: the symphonic, trademark style Nightwish is recognised by today.
The year 2000 was very busy for Tarja and Nightwish, who set off on a tour around Europe, Canada and South America. There was more demand for gigs than the band could handle, and so on New Years’ Eve, Nightwish filmed their gig at the Pakkahuone club in Tampere, Finland, and put together their first live DVD.
It was exciting to play a concert while there were cameras around. We had few gigs behind us already, but we had not that much experience yet being surrounded by the cameras while people were screaming in front of us. How awful it was to check the live recordings for the first time, hear my voice and see my performance.
‘From Wishes to Eternity’ reached gold status in Finland in CD format and in Germany as a DVD. Onstage, the small woman exuded a presence that burst with confidence and charisma. Her movements no longer betrayed any kind of anxiety or nerves; gone was the skinny Karelian girl from the quiet village of Puhos. In her place, Tarja walked with a buoyant step and smiled with an infectious candour that dominated the strobe-lit stage.
Before making their next album, the band released a mini-CD, ‘Over the Hills And Far Away’, which achieved double platinum status in their home country. After the EP, the band started working on their fourth full-length studio album, ‘Century Child’, but while the musicians were recording and writing the album, Tarja decided to go one step forward with her vocal studies by enrolling in the Music University of Karlsruhe in Germany.
I wanted to get deeper in my classical singing studies and to breathe some fresh air. I knew that I wanted to study somewhere in Germany, but I wasn’t sure where. That’s why I visited many music universities in Germany before I went to Karlsruhe. When I saw the magnificent pink-orange castle of the University where some of the studies are held, I fell in love with the place immediately. My goal was to study with a teacher specialised in chamber music, particularly in German Lied. By being accepted as a student of lady Mitsuko Shirai was a dream come true for me.
The move helped her to develop not only her technique, but also her confidence. There was a more Bohemian vibe to her surroundings now, where all manner of voices and ranges were catered to and accepted. The scene was bigger, broader; she was no longer the conspicuous girl who forsook her classical training to throw in her lot as a rock star – in Germany she was equally respected as both a metal and a classical singer.
Although the studying schedule in Karlsruhe was very tight, Tarja managed to find time not only to record her vocals for ‘Century Child’, but also to record vocals for the Argentinean bassist Beto Vazquez’s album ‘Infinity’ and for Anssi Tikanmäki’s album ‘Perinteinen Pop-Levy’.
Before hitting the road once more with Nightwish, Tarja found some time to nurture her classical career. After some rehearsal concerts in Germany, she toured the classical stages of South America in Chile and Argentina performing a Lied concert named ‘Noche Escandinava’.
I got truly wonderful and talented friends in Karlsruhe. It was so much fun to bring flavours from Scandinavia to Southern American audience. Northern music is very much loved there even though the knowledge of the repertoire of Scandinavian and Finnish artists is not that known yet in that continent. It was great to see the mixture of different music lovers in our concerts. Heavy metal and classical music listeners under the same roof!
The concerts, sponsored by the embassies of all participating countries, brought songs to South America from an array of Nordic composers. Thrillingly, the concerts were sold out; an intimate connection was established between the artists and the South American audience, one that Tarja would go on to develop in her classical career in years to come.
Noche Escandinava means Scandinavian Night in Spanish. The reason why we chose this name was obvious at that time: the concerts were going to happen in Argentina and Chile, both Spanish-speaking countries. As well, the program was going to be based in Scandinavian songs (Norway, Sweden, etc).
During their first tour with ‘Noche Escandinava’ in May – June 2002, Tarja sang in the company of Marjut Paavilainen (Finnish mezzo-soprano), Ingvild Storhaug (Norwegian mezzo-soprano) and Izumi Kaawakatsu (Japanese pianist).
Nightwish’s fourth album, ‘Century Child’, was released in the spring of 2002 and was followed by the massive ‘World Tour of the Century’, which was three months long. Exhausted from the world tour, Nightwish chose to take a long break to give its members some time of their own. Unfamiliar with the concept of rest, Tarja went back to Karlsruhe before the end of the year to continue her studies.
It was a hard for me to study and do gigs at the same time. Especially when I have always been perfectionist in everything I do and never have wanted to fail. There were times when I was so tired of everything happening around, that I just cried myself to sleep. Anyway, I knew that I needed to manage on my own without getting any help from anybody else. Luckily I got to marry a man who started to help me so that I could concentrate in making the music that I loved.
Following the supposed relaxation period, Nightwish jumped into the ‘Summer of Innocence’ tour, beginning in June 2003. The experience left its mark on 14 countries and 400.000 enraptured pairs of eyes. In the fall of that year, a documentary, ‘End of Innocence’, was released, charting the band’s journey from simple school friends in Kitee to their formidable position atop the charts, cresting the waves of the rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle.
For Tarja, however, even greater éclat lay in store before the year’s end. She received an invitation from Finnish President Tarja Halonen and her husband Dr. Arajärvi to the Finnish Independence Day Party at the President’s Palace, the most important social event of the country, and an incredible honour for Tarja, whose charming presence caused a storm amongst the media. Finnish broadcasting stations hailed her as the most impressively dressed lady of the entire gathering, while leading Finnish newspapers crowned her ‘the queen of the night’.
It was unbelievable honour to receive the invitation from the President Halonen. It is an event that gathers most of the Finns around the TV and makes them talk in the next days. I was surprised by the amount of press in the event and unfortunately didn’t have even a chance to taste the famous food buffet, since there was all the time somebody from the media requesting for an interview.
To end an astonishing year, in December 19th, 2003 Tarja gave her own Christmas concert before an audience of 600 in a small church in Valkeala. There were no effects and trimmings here, merely a handful of talented musicians, a microphone, and Tarja herself. After sixty minutes of traditional Finnish Christmas music, the audience rose as one to deliver its warm applause. This was to form a tradition of intimate, classical church concerts – drastically at odds with her rock career – that continues to this day.
How nice it was to see people sitting on the floor of the church when I tried to find my way to the front of the church through the people. The little church was completely packed.
Nightwish started recording a brand new studio album and after Tarja had recorded her parts, she travelled to Buenos Aires, Argentina to offer a one-month singing course to trained musicians.
There were singing students from all ages coming to take lessons from me. It was lovely to be able to be helpful and to see how pure the love towards music can be. I enjoyed teaching and I am planning to teach in the future too when there is enough time for it.
The lull between the album release and the beginning of the tour gave Tarja time to fit in a second tour with her classical friends from Karlsruhe: ‘Noche Escandinava II’. They flew to Chile, Argentina, Brazil, and Romania in a second tour that was equally successful as the first. There was a change in the line-up: Ingvild Storhaug was replaced by Finnish baritone Juha Koskela and the program, this time, consisted entirely of songs by Finnish composers such as Oskar Merikanto, Yrjö Kilpinen, Jean Sibelius, Toivo Kuula, Erkki Melartin and Finnish folk artists. As a memory of this tour, the performance in Buenos Aires was recorded and released as a limited souvenir CD for fans.
We didn’t want to change the name of the tour anymore, because so many people knew us already from Noche Escandinava. As you know, Finland is not a part of Scandinavia, but despite of that, we decided to keep our touring name as it was before.
2004, the busiest year for Tarja so far, was the first milestone of her fledgling solo career, culminating in a long-planned seasonal project, an EP called ‘Yhden Enkelin Unelma’ (One Angel’s Dream), that featured different versions of two traditional Finnish Christmas carols known to Tarja from childhood, ‘En Etsi Valtaa, Loistoa’ and ‘Kun Joulu On’. It sold platinum in Finland, the single becoming a winter favourite of popular radio stations.
It was lovely to work with well-known Finnish producer Esa Nieminen. He was always very positive and supportive. The recordings of the EP were a good starting point for a longer collaboration with Esa.
Amidst her other projects, Tarja was given the opportunity to co-write the song ‘Tired Of Being Alone’, with the German artist Schiller. The album, ‘Tag Und Nacht’, received a gold record. Four years later, the song was released in the USA version of Schiller’s current album and was pre-nominated for the Grammy Awards under the category ‘Best Song’.
I have had a great time performing this song live with my band with which I made my own version of it. We have truly enjoyed it very much and it has become one of our favourites. The collaboration with Christopher was a nice experience for me and it gave me a chance to write music that was going to be published for the first time in my career. It was truly exciting.
In another participation, Tarja made a guest appearance in the song and video for ‘Leaving You For Me’, with German singer Martin Kesici, the filming of which was quite eventful…
I didn’t know Martin’s music before, but when I heard his voice, I really liked it very much. I thought he was very talented and charismatic, so I loved to sing a duet with such a charming guy! We had a great time in Finland shooting a video together even though we didn’t manage to avoid some trouble during the filming. A goat attacked me leaving me some bruises in my leg and then Martin pressed my fingers between the door and the handle, of course without knowing that I was in pain. Well, after the day was finished, the result was that I had swollen fingers and aching leg. Could have been worse!
Their next album, ‘Once’, was Nightwish’s biggest success yet – it hit the number one spot in five countries, reached triple platinum in Finland and triple Gold in Germany, and took Tarja to uncountable photo sessions, press conferences and interviews worldwide. The upcoming world tour was expected to be the biggest so far for any Finnish act.
The last show of the tour took place on October 21st, 2005 in Helsinki’s Hartwall Arena. It was to be an extended performance, with extensive costume changes from Tarja. The entire show was recorded for the purpose of another live DVD. After the final bow her band mates dismissed her from the band with a letter. The DVD was titled ‘End of an Era’.
A media storm surrounded Tarja for a considerable time after the split. Nightwish was one of the first metal bands to utilise a female lead vocalist, and one of the pioneers of the so-called ‘opera-metal’ sub-genre thanks to Tarja. Critics and fans from all over the world had praised Tarja’s “Valkyrian” vocals regardless of her inexperience in the field of metal music. Her unique voice and classical technique adapted to metal music was a milestone in the history of metal, and the genre was blossoming. The decision to continue in that direction was instinctive.
There is a certain Finnish word, the equivalent of which does not exist in the English language. It is the concept of ‘sisu’, a characteristic said to be possessed by all Finns. It is not bravery nor resilience, but the enduring, gritty perseverance that can only rise to the surface in times of great hardship. It is the last reserve of strength that exhorts you to keep going through the darkest hour. Tarja focused on her solo career, touring in December 2005 with a series of pre-planned Christmas concerts that took her to Finland, Spain, Germany and Romania. Performing traditional Finnish and international Christmas songs, Tarja could tackle her situation by doing what she was best at – plunging into new challenges.
It was very hard to perform shortly after being fired from the band, but I didn’t see any other way to continue. Music is my way of life; I sing for the joy of it. The tour was a success and made me understand that I have an audience on my own and people have place for my music in their hearts. I am truly grateful for this gift.
2006 found Tarja participating in many projects, guest-starring in the Swedish ‘SPIN-The Musical’ and Robert Wells’ ‘Rhapsody in Rock’, where she sang a diverse range of songs, from classical to 1960s rock. In July of that year, Tarja performed again at the Savonlinna Opera Festival, but this time as a soloist, together with the famous Finnish tenor Raimo Sirkiä and the Symphonic Orchestra of Kuopio conducted by Maestro Riku Niemi in two sold out concerts. The audience and critics alike praised these crossover concerts, covering pieces from “Rusalka” to “Proud Mary”.
I was so happy to be again in the beautiful city of Savonlinna where I had been studying when I was a teenager. I have great memories from those times and I still treasure them. The castle of Olavinlinna is a wonderful, mysterious place and since I was a kid, wanted to perform there. Once again, it was a dream come true. People enjoyed our concert program, which was a challenge for all of us. I hope to return to Olavinlinna again one day.
Another special concert took place that August at Lahti Organ Festival. Backed by international concert organist Kalevi Kiviniemi, guitarist Marzi Nyman, and percussionist Markku Krohn, Tarja put together another vibrant set list that varied between the classical and the contemporary. The performance, ‘Cross Over Organ’, included ‘Ave Maria’s as well as songs by Nirvana, Andrew Lloyd Webber and Deep Purple.
I have been a lucky girl to be able to sing with famous and talented musicians like Kalevi is. These are the things that I will never ever forget. I hope to tell my story one day to my grandchildren, who might not believe their ears! It is hard to find soul mates in today’s music business, but with Kalevi, Marzi and Markku everything works perfectly. We want to create something new for people to discover. The world would become a very boring place to live in, if everybody would do things the usual way. I don’t fit in that picture.
The mellifluous bending of genres was something that came very naturally by now. As she prefers to say: “I am not crossing over different music styles, but melting them together.” Two more successful Lied concerts with tenor Raimo Sirkiä and pianist Maija Weitz were performed in October in the churches of Seinäjoki and Kauhajoki in Finland.
In the fall, Tarja performed with the Tapiola Choir in Espoo for the concert ‘Tomorrow’s Child’, organised by UNICEF. Espoo had the honour of being named as the UNICEF city of 2006, at the same time as UNICEF celebrated its 60 years of helping children. Tarja and the Tapiola Choir donated their fees and the ticket income of the concert reached a stunning 18.688 Euros, which was directed untouched to the Espoo UNICEF account. Tarja and the Choir brought the biggest income of any singular event during that year in Finland!
Besides her singing projects Tarja also found some time to appear briefly in Finnish TV series Studio Impossible and Pääroolissa.
I had a time of my life in these TV comedy series. I was laughing so much that I think I will live at least 20 years longer because of the joy they gave me! I would love to do more things like that, since I learned a lot from the professional actors during those days. It is a hard job, my respect to them!
The hard-earned end to a hectic year, she was nominated as Best Soloist of 2006 in the Finnish Emma Awards. And, with the release of her much anticipated Christmas album, the soprano’s diligence was rewarded with a gratifying wave of enthusiasm from the public. Quickly ascending to platinum – and eventually double platinum – in Finland, ‘Henkäys Ikuisuudesta’ (‘Breath from Heaven’) was a mixture of traditional Finnish carols and covers of holiday releases. Tarja sang in several different languages, and composed her own Christmas song as the opening track. The following Christmas tour spanned both Finland and Russia, gently concluding a chaotic but fulfilling year.
Tarja dedicated the whole of 2007 to working on her long awaited first solo album. Well, almost – she still found time to record vocals for Nuclear Blast’s anniversary album ‘Into the Light’, appearing on a single song called ‘In the Picture’, and took part in MTV3′s 50th Anniversary Gala Concert together with other famous Finnish Artists, to an audience of diplomats and Finnish politicians including president Tarja Halonen.
Nobody quite knew the nature Tarja’s musical firstborn would take until the day of its release. Even when that day arrived in November 2007, Tarja’s debut was not an easy album to classify. Nine years in the world of metal had left their mark, and so too the symphonic elements could be found, yet it was not exclusively a metal album. Tarja introduced new sounds, new moods, reaching across into the landscapes of ambience and pop to lend hues to her palette.
A stellar ensemble of guest musicians and artists were gathered on the recording, among them Doug Wimbish, Alex Scholpp, Earl Harvin, Torsten Stenzel, Martin Tillman, Mel Wesson and many more. The famous soundtrack composer Hans Zimmer made his Remote Studios available for her, where further recordings and mixings took place.
When I visited for the first time the ladies’ room at Remote Control Studios, I saw that Mr. Zimmer had put his gold- platinum awards hanging on the walls of the toilet! I have to admit I was enjoying the moment! Over all, the experience of being working in those studios was overwhelming for me. I think I learned more about music in few weeks than I had learned in years earlier. I am lucky to be able still today to work with same people and have them participating in my music.
‘My Winter Storm’ was released internationally in more than 80 countries on November 16th, 2007 by Universal Music, and achieved its first gold record on the very first day in her homeland, Finland, soon reaching the top of the charts. The commercial success didn’t take long: Tarja’s first album reached gold status in Hungary, Czech Republic and Germany and platinum in Finland and in Russia.
At the end of the year, having been nominated for both an Echo Award as Best Newcomer and an Emma for Best Finnish Artist, she kicked off the promotion for her new album with a warm up tour across Europe.
I had been waiting for the moment so long, that I could go for a rock tour on my own and with my own band. I guess the people could see me really smiling during the concerts and I think that smile has not faded away since. Everything is different when supporting and loving people surround me. There is nothing else I need to think rather than music itself.
The world tour continued into and throughout 2008 and 2009, passing through Europe and America with barely a pause for breath, reaching a total of 82 shows in 33 different countries for Tarja and her band. Many new fans greeted her in countries where Tarja had never performed before – Belarus, Ukraine, Israel, Bulgaria, Serbia, Luxembourg, Venezuela, Croatia and Turkey all saw her for the first time.
The touring with “My Winter Storm” was such a great experience for me as an artist. I have amazing memories from my concerts, visits to new countries, and meetings with my fans all over the world.
During 2008 Tarja visited the recording studios once again to lay down new songs ‘Wisdom of Wind’ and ‘Enough’, as well as a duet for the newest album of legendary German singer Doro Pesch, who she sang alongside as a guest at her special 25-year anniversary concert in the same year. The UK was treated to an exclusive EP, ‘The Seer’, which contained both live tracks and new remixes. In 2009, performing as a guest for Argentinean rock band Rata Blanca, she dazzled a fresh audience with a breath-taking cover of Deep Purple’s classic ‘Child in Time’ in the Luna Park Stadium, Buenos Aires. Back in Finland, Tarja filmed her first cameo for the Finnish black comedy movie, ‘Mad Rush’, which later won ‘Best Movie Award’ at the International Film Festival of Madrid.
On Saturday, August 29th, Tarja participated in a very special Gala Concert that took place in Stockholm, Sweden, to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the separation between Sweden and Finland in 1809. Swedish and Finnish people enjoyed the Live TV broadcast, attended by the Victoria Crown Princess of Sweden, which featured star performers from both countries, and the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by John Storgårds.
The day after, August 30th, Tarja performed in Mäntyharju Church as the main attraction of the Soi Suvessa Classical Festival in Finland together with pianist Sonja Fräki, flutist Emilia Kauppinen and cellist Max Lilja. The program consisted of Finnish and Argentinean Lied and Tarja’s own compositions.
By the end of October, shortly after finishing the Final Storm Tour 2009 in Europe, Tarja performed as a soloist with the Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra. This special Halloween concert gave Tarja another great opportunity to present some of her new songs.
At the end of the year, she recorded vocals for three songs on the charity Christmas album ‘Maailman Kauneimmat Joululaulut’ (‘Most Beautiful Christmas Songs’) and embarked on another Christmas tour with Kalevi, Marzi and Markku that took them through sold out churches in several cities. Tarja composed her own ‘Ave Maria’ for this tour, a piece consisting of the traditional Latin text sung to minimalistic accompaniment. After touring in Finland, Tarja gave a single Christmas concert in Moscow, Russia, with the symphonic orchestra Globalis, which ended a very successful 2009.
Since already many years I have enjoyed finishing my year with performing Christmas songs. It feels nice, after a long and hard working year, to sing songs that are telling pure stories of love, friendship and family. This year was not an exception. I was truly amazed how many people came to my concerts this time and how wonderful was the atmosphere in the churches where the acoustics were helping us to create different moods.
In March 2010, German hard rock veterans Scorpions released their final studio album, ‘Sting In The Tail’. The album included a guest appearance from Tarja herself in the song ‘The Good Die Young’. It was for Tarja a gratifying sign that her talent and emotion were reaching more ears and hearts than ever before.
It is such an honour to be invited to take part in the Scorpions last album. I received a phone call from Klaus that was very kind to extend the band’s wishes to have me performing one of their songs. I was not aware it was going to be their last recordings until they announce it, so I have mixed feeling of happiness and bit of sadness too when I got the news. I can only thank them for the invitation and for letting me be a part of their last effort as a band. I am sure they will keep this particular album in their hearts the same way the fans and I will do.
Tarja performed together with Scorpions on the most successful European TV show, “Wetten Dass…?” at the end of the month for 9.000.000 viewers in Europe.
Before her world tour had even finished, Tarja had already filled her well of inspiration for the next album. Three years had taught her many lessons; she had grown a lot, and not only musically; there was a shift in her attitude as well. If she had stepped back in some of the decisions regarding ‘My Winter Storm’, now she fought for her freedom – and fought hard. Unable to find the producer she wanted, Tarja demonstrated her indomitable, gritty resolve once again, and simply produced the new album by herself. It was a hugely challenging responsibility, but she had already proven herself a Spartan in every other aspect of her career, and showed the same level of dedication in her new role.
I remember being very nervous on the first day of the recordings, because I was not sure if I could pull everything through smoothly, without problems and if I were able to make decisions needed. But the nervousness disappeared right after I heard the first beats of drummer Mike Terrana. All the musicians respected me and those sessions were unbelievable fun.
Before the release of the album, there was time for a very special concert in Hungary. Backed by a full orchestra and choir, Tarja performed at Miskolc Opera Festival, to fans travelling from all over the world. In this resplendent setting, amongst old songs and classical arias, she treated her listeners to a glimpse of what was to come, playing a small selection of songs from the upcoming album, which was finally released on September 1st 2010, titled ‘What Lies Beneath’.
It was Tarja herself who best described the transformation from ‘My Winter Storm’. If those were the first steps, with ‘What Lies Beneath’ I learned to run.
In ‘What Lies Beneath’, the influences reached further, with allusions to Baroque and classic rock, and novel, experimental embellishments – double drums, Turkish chanting, and a star-studded list of guest appearances all contributed to raise ‘What Lies Beneath’ to a whole new level. The riffs were more aggressive; the hooks were catchier; the theme was darker. Through ‘What Lies Beneath’, Tarja explored the twilight zone of human nature, approaching the subject of her songs unflinchingly.
After the album release, the tour kicked off for real. In July, she became the first woman to appear on an apartment building in the town of Kavarna, Bulgaria – the latest in a line of portraits featuring rock artists such as Klaus Meine, Billy Idol, and Ronnie James Dio. In November, she was given the chance to mine a new fan base, as support for the king of shock rock himself – Alice Cooper. After storming Europe (not forgetting to slow down in December with her usual Christmas concerts in Finland), Tarja set off to reconquer South America in early 2011.
Following the tragic events that struck Japan in early 2011, she was inspired to release the beautiful ballad ‘Underneath’ as a charity single, featuring Jyrki from The 69 Eyes. The duet was performed live on a special charity show, ‘Idols Give Back’, broadcast to Finnish TV.
During the summer, Tarja made an appearance at several prominent festivals across Europe. In France, her set opened right before headliners Metallica at Sonisphere. A full orchestra and choir backed her at Masters of Rock in Czech Republic. At Rock on Volga, besides performing with her band, she sang a beautiful duet with rock legend Valery Kipelov – in his own native language, Russian in front of the biggest audience in one single event: 245.000 people. Her classical roots also received a privileged nod of recognition, when she was invited once again to return to Savonlinna Opera Festival, to sing alongside the sensational tenor José Cura in Olavinlinna castle, accompanied by the Kuopio Symphony Orchestra. A few days after sharing the stage with Mr Cura, she was singing with Scorpions again at Saimaa Open Air.
It was magnificent, challenging summer. All the events were very different from each other. I enjoyed very much travelling through various kinds of sceneries and working with people that I respect.
That September, a truly unique event took place in Bulgaria. ‘Beauty and the Beat’ combined a symphonic orchestra, choir, and the monstrous drum kit of Mr Mike Terrana, all on the same stage – that stage being no less than an ancient Roman amphitheatre. The two hours show was split between classical compositions and more light-hearted contemporary pieces, interspersed with Tarja’s own material. The event was so successfully received by fans and media that an entire tour was scheduled for 2012.
That night showed to Mike and me that we needed to continue with this classical project further. It was amazing success and such a pleasure to both of us to see our fans together with ordinary people enjoying classical music in one single event. We will definitely make more concerts like this again.
Tarja predictably found the time to fit other projects into her year alongside all the touring. She formed a new project with German producer Torsten Stenzel and Argentinean guitarist Walter Giardino, both of whom, like Tarja, live far from their home countries, lending the collaboration its name: Outlanders. The song they made together bore the same name, and took its words from the works of writer Paulo Coelho. Tarja was able to present the song on Paulo Coelho day, November 26th, at Helsinki’s Suomalainen Kirjakauppa, with the blessing of the author himself.
Paulo Coelho has been one of the greatest inspirations to me in my career. The song was my way of telling him how much he means to me.
At the prompting of Kalevi Kiviniemi, she recorded a classical album, ‘Ave Maria’, a collection of pieces revolving around that central theme, compositions old and new, famous and little-known, amongst them Tarja’s own personal ‘Ave Maria’, which she had been singing in concerts for two years. The album itself, featuring Kalevi on organ, Marius Järvi on cello and Kirsi Kiviharju on harp, is awaiting release.
This is the first, pure classical recording of mine. It was challenging to go through hundreds of Ave Maria’s and to choose the ones that are suitable for the album. Actually there are thousands of compositions existing! I love chamber music and I think my voice suits well for this kind of music.
As 2011′s Christmas concerts approached, Tarja and her classical band released a live DVD from Sibelius Hall’s beautiful Christmas concert in 2009. It would be the first release from Tarja, Kalevi, Markku and Marzi, even though they had been working together for many years it seemed an ideal opportunity to christen the partnership. The classical band found the inspiration for its name in a peculiar Finnish word. Harus, the tensor that keeps the mast from falling in a sailing boat, or those that hold together a tent, was felt to be an apt metaphor for the solidarity and companionship between the four unique artists. ‘In Concert – Live at Sibelius Hall’ was the first release from Tarja Turunen & Harus – the next, they hope, would feature their own music, the efforts of a mutual collaboration.
2012 saw the ‘What Lies Beneath’ world tour finally draw to a close, and Tarja disappearing into the studio with a new album already up her sleeve. To shorten the wait, she had planned a live DVD of her own, this one an ambitious undertaking filmed with no less than ten HD cameras, over the course of two full length concerts that took place in the majestic El Circulo Theatre in Rosario, Argentina. A throwback to her classical roots, the DVD was aptly titled, ‘Act I’.
Those two nights in Rosario were truly magical to me personally. I was excited to finally film and record my first live rock DVD. This DVD shows you how great is my relationship with my fans. They have been extremely supportive throughout the years and on this release they play a big role.
Tarja made only one promise about her upcoming album, set for release in 2013: it would be sure to surprise.
That statement was perhaps less of a novelty than she hoped. The unruly girl from a rural village who grew into the only artist you could possibly expect to find singing in a rock club one night, and a cathedral the next… surprising her listeners is one thing Tarja Turunen has always been rather good at.
This story will certainly be continued.
This biography was revised, updated and completed with the invaluable cooperation of Melanie Surma, Nicola Bakovic, Diana Racila and Tosca Bell. Our gratitude towards them and all others who sent their own versions of Tarja’s bio.
The photos were taken from www.tarjaturunenenkeli.net, www.voices-of-enchantment.com and from Tarja’s private archives.
