Tarja
Henkäys ikuisuudesta

First the collaborations with Martin Kesici ("Leaving you for me") and with DJ Schiller ("Tired of being alone"), then the release of a Christmas single ("One angel's dream"), and subsequently an entire album of songs dedicated to the most intimate and carefree time of the year. Tarja's solo career and her attachment to her classical studies, as well as her alleged and certainly unfounded star-like behaviors, were the apple of discord that convinced Tuomas Holopainen to dismiss her from Nightwish. A deplorable behavior from the Finnish band, which transformed the unpleasant internal situation into a tragicomic media parade, even releasing a derisively titled DVD ("End of an era") narrating the last weeks before the official separation (it even bothers me to have to use these terms, because the decision had already been made long before the fateful date of the concert at Hartwall Arena in Helsinki) and doing everything possible to cast a bad light on the one who, for more than ten years, helped the band achieve fame and commercial success. Even stating in a recent interview for an Italian magazine that Tarja's voice was no longer suited to Nightwish's music since "Wishmaster." An audacity to which Turunen replied, almost resignedly, with the kindness and honesty that have always characterized her, in spite of those who wanted to portray her as the arrogant one in the situation.

But now let's put aside the rancor, and talk about "Henkäys Ikuisuudesta" (which translated into English would be "Breath from heaven"), the first official release of the soprano's solo career while waiting for her return to the rock-heavy metal scene, already in preparation. An album released exclusively for the Finnish and German markets, full of warmth, intimate, simple and comforting, where the refined classical arrangements (among flutes, piano, and strings) stand out along with the crystal-clear voice, sometimes intimate, sometimes impetuous, of Tarja's angelic voice. The versatility that the singer has demonstrated over the years is indeed something everyone should envy, or at least praise. The listening is surely not recommended for those who live for swords, dragons, studs, motorcycles, and leather jackets. If you are looking for this, turn elsewhere; the latest sycophancy from Manowar has just been released. Recommended instead for all lovers of classical music and bel canto, "Henkäys Ikuisuudesta" offers episodes masterfully interpreted by a magnificent and solemn voice, like the famous and beautiful "Happy Christmas (War is over)" written by John Lennon, made even more moving by the vocal extension of the hostess and the children's choir, the classical escapes of "Varpunen Jouluaamuna" and "Mökit nukkuu lumiset", the ever-beautiful "Ave Maria" by Schubert and the equally intense "Magnificat: Quia respexit" by Bach, the intimate version of "Walking in the air", written by Howard Blake and which became one of Nightwish's signature songs.

This is anything but an easily accessible pop album, but a work full of sweetness that perhaps not everyone will be able to appreciate. Now we just wait to hear what this angel, this voice that in past years has broken down the walls that had been erected between classical music and heavy metal, will offer us following the recent misadventures. After this collection of pristine dewdrops of a cold winter morning in Northern Europe, we cannot but expect the best.