Pianist Reetamaria Rajala Records the Complete Published Piano Works of Cecilia Damström

Pianist Reetamaria Rajala has recorded the complete published piano works of composer Cecilia Damström for her new album Stories, released on 6 February on Alba Records. The seven works interpreted by Rajala were composed by Damström between 2009 and 2024. Rajala will perform the album’s repertoire at a private event at the Steinway Gallery in Helsinki on Thursday 5 February, and the release will also be celebrated with a concert by Rajala at the Steinway Gallery in Stockholm on 18 February.

“Ever since I began playing the piano, I have been drawn to telling stories—and that idea has stayed with me all the way into my path as a composer. The album is full of stories ranging from nature conservation to mental health, from geometry to friendship and the stars, and everything in between. Reetamaria Rajala’s radiant personality shines through both the narrative and the music, and she brings out precisely the technical virtuosity and personal depth that my music requires,” says Cecilia Damström.

The album includes, among other works, the six-movement, approximately 20-minute suite Shapes, originally composed for accordion, for which Damström created a piano version for Rajala in 2024. Rajala gave the world premiere of the work at the Joensuu Music Festival in 2025.

“It’s like reading the daily newspaper!”

“My love for Cecilia Damström’s music has taken me as a pianist to an entirely new level—this has without question been both the most rewarding and the most technically demanding project I have ever undertaken,” says Reetamaria Rajala of her new album. “In Damström’s music, every subject touches on something vital in our time, and absolutely everyone can relate to these pieces—rather like reading the day’s newspaper.”

“Although Stories is filled with narratives, it does not only tell the stories of the pieces themselves, but also of my and Cecilia’s shared journey: how a coffee-table conversation in 2017 grew into a lasting friendship, artistic collaboration, and ultimately an album,” Rajala adds.

Cecilia Damström, who continues to compose both commissioned and independent works at a prolific pace, has recently seen her music performed widely in Finland and abroad. At the end of January, the BBC Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Sakari Oramo, performed Damström’s Teosto Prize–winning work ICE at The Anvil in Basingstoke and at the Barbican Hall in London. The London concert was also recorded and will be broadcast on BBC Radio 3 in the near future.

Damström’s new opera Ovllá received its world premiere on 16 January at Oulu Theatre. It is the world’s first full-length opera in Northern Sámi. Ovllá is composed to a libretto by Juho-Sire / Siri Broch Johansen and also features joiks composed by Emil Kárlsen, which Damström has notated and orchestrated. Ovllá is a joint commission and production by Oulu Theatre, Oulu Symphony Orchestra and the Sámi National Theatre Beaivváš. Performances continue at Oulu Theatre until 28 February, with tickets available here.

Reetamaria Rajala: Stories

The album will be released on streaming platforms on 6 February 2026 and was pre-released on the Lingonberry platform on 3 February 2026.

The physical CD can be ordered from the Tritonus record shop at Tritonus.fi.

Reetamaria Rajala has also recorded a podcast series in which she discusses the pieces on the Stories album with a rotating cast of guests. The seven-episode Stories Podcast series will be released on YouTube (with English subtitles!) and Spotify on Thursdays starting 5 February 2026. The series will also be broadcast on Radio Into on Saturdays at 16:00, with repeats on Sundays at 10:00.

Track listing:

Shapes (version for piano),

Catalogue number: ABCD 497
EAN: 6 429 811 264 182
ISRC: FIABA 2600016 … 26000027
Recording and artistic production: Markku Veijonsuo
Piano technician: Ukko Mannermaa
Recording venue: Monitoimitalo Monikko, Monikkosali
Piano: Steinway & Sons D-274
Composer: Cecilia Damström
Pianist: Reetamaria Rajala
Recording dates: 1–4 July 2025
Album photography: Tuomas Tenkanen
The production of the album has been supported by the Swedish Cultural Foundation in Finland, the Amos Anderson Foundation, and the Music Promotion Foundation.