Uuno Klami

As central to Klami's legacy is the six-movement orchestral suite, Merikuvia (Sea Pictures; 1932); the Karelian Rhapsody (1927); and, Psalmus (1936), an oratorio for soloists, mixed, chorus and orchestra.

The oratorio Psalmus (1936) has a unique place in Finnish sacred music and is one of the most highly regarded works by a Finn other than Jean Sibelius.

Despite these projects, much of Klami's oeuvre remains unrecorded (and unpublished), and he has received considerably less attention from record labels relative to fellow Finnish composers such as Leevi Madetoja, Aulis Sallinen, and Joonas Kokkonen.

Founded in 1987, the Helsinki-based Uuno Klami Society exists to recognize the composer and to promote the publication, academic study, and performance of his music.

The Kymi Sinfonietta performs short-listed compositions at a finals concert and a jury (chaired by the Finnish composer Kalevi Aho) awards the three main prizes.

Klami c. 1930
Klami's signature
Klami's signature
The Finnish composer Erkki Melartin , under whom Klami studied at the Helsinki Music Institute in 1920.
The Finnish conductor Toivo Haapanen conducted the second (1931), third (1943), and fourth (1946) of Klami's composition concerts.
The Finnish conductor Georg Schnéevoigt premiered many of Klami's works, including his most famous: the initial four-movement version of the Kalevala Suite .