Soikkainensanger by Tor Einar Bekken

TOR EINAR BEKKEN – SOIKKAINENSANGER – SOLO PIANO

Øra Fonogram OF237
Recorded and mixed by Jo Ranheim Sept 27, 2024, Øra Studio, Trondheim, Norway
Mastered by Karl Klaseie, Øra Mastering, January 2025
Piano: Steinway D-274

My father, who passed away in 2024 at the age of 92, was born and raised in Varaldskogen, Kongsvinger, Norway - a part of the area known as Finnskogen. He was a descendant of Finnish immigrants who came to the area in the 17th century. Names like Nikarainen, Valkoinen. Moilainen and Nevuoinen are repeated on both sides of his family, but the name Soikkainen was there all the way down to my great-grandmother, before it disappeared when she married. All my life I have known about this part of my own identity; my father was proud of it, and told my brother and me about it from when we were small. I have been to Finnskogen all my life, and for a few years in the early 2000s our family lived there permanently. The Finnish identity is often diffuse and unclear, but nevertheless an essential part of who I am as an adult. We still have my father's childhood home, and go there as often as we can. Knowing the story of my own family gives peace and security, and perhaps a form of self-understanding both as a person and an artist. The Forest Finns are now recognized as one of Norway’s five national minorities; the others being Jews, Rom, Romani, and Kven. The Sami, on the other hand, are considered an indigenous people, and they have another status and position in the Norwegian demography. What all these groups of people have in common is a history of persecution, oppression and ‘Norwegianization’ from the Norwegian authorities. Language, culture, and ways of life were strongly suppressed, often with harshly violent means, and only as late as 2023, an official apology for such policies was issued from the Norwegian state. That was a day of pride and happiness in our family, but also a day of melancholy afterthought. It was a day I am glad my father lived long enough to see.
Now, I have tried to delve into this sense of identity by using songs and snippets of music from Finnskogen as a basis and starting point for piano improvisations. I am not a folk musician, and did not grow up in an environment where such music was part of everyday life. The music therefore becomes an expression of an almost lost identity; part of an artistic work to know one’s own historical origin in a modern world. My ‘Soikkainen songs’ become a way of connecting to, and honouring, a part of my heritage and identity that I cherish deeply. In spite of state attempts to wipe out all traces of the Finnish immigration, Forest Finns are still present, still very much alive, and proud to contribute to a modern, multicultural Norwegian society in a unique way.
I have tried to play in such a way that the remains of the Forest Finnish music become dots in a larger patchwork, and I dedicate the recording to all my Finnish forefathers and foremothers, both those I met and those who were gone long before my time. In addition, this is for the rest of the family and those who have come after me.

Improvising pianist, keyboardist and guitarist, Finnskogen & Trondheim, Norway. Jazz-, blues-, and folk based improv, mostly solo. Has performed everywhere; from dive bars, clubs, and festivals, to the Royal Albert Hall. In addition to concert appearances, Bekken is currently Associate Professor of Music at The Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU).

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