Erkki Melartin, the musical multi-talent from Käkisalmi

Published by on

Erkki Melartin is remembered as a versatile reformer of Finnish music, but at the same time he was also a deeply Käkisalmi-born composer whose relationship with his native region lasted until the end of his life. Käkisalmi and especially the Ampiala Manor became beloved places for Melartin, associated with childhood memories, summer visits and the creative power awakened by the Karelian landscapes.

Although Melartin lived a large part of his life abroad and in Helsinki's cultural circles, Karelia remained his internal landscape. Summer visits to Kexholm and the Ampiala manor were for him a source of joy, rest and spiritual homeland. The landscapes of Lake Ladoga and the Vuoksi, as well as the atmosphere of Kexholm, remained an important part of his identity – as an international composer, artist and Karelian.

Käkisalmi always held an important place in Erkki Melartin's life.

Listen to Tuire Ranta-Meyer's podcast