The Finnish Broadcasting Company (Yle) recently nominated Markku Klami's Elegia to the poems by Katja Klami to this year’s International Rostrum of Composers, organized by the International Music Council. The Rostrum was held in Palermo, Italy from May 31 until June 3, 2022. Markku Klami represented contemporary Finnish music together with his colleague Jarkko Hartikainen in this year's Rostrum.
The subjects of the Katja Klami's poems focus on human destinies, especially resignation and loss. The three poems, ”Minä kuvittelin sinulle elämän” (I imagined a life for you), ”Hiipuen” (Fading) and ”Palava maa” (The burning earth), focus on unwanted infertility, the caregiver experiences of memory-impaired patients, and human actions resulting in climate change and global conflicts. The titles of the poems are echoed in the titles of Elegia's three movements.
Elegia, performed by soprano Tuiki Järvensivu and TampereRaw ensemble, was recorded by the Finnish Broadcasting Company in connection with the premiere performance of the work at the Tampere Biennale festival in April. Elegia was commissioned by Tampere Biennale and written with support from The Arts Promotion Centre Finland and The Sibelius Fund.