Newly mastered original recordings.

To the Finns, Olavi Virta (1915-1972) is the real king of the tango. Few Finns have ever heard of Carlos Gardel, the original tango king, who reigned supreme until his fatal plane crash in Medellin in 1935. During his long career, Virta made almost 600 records and several feature films. His repertoire ranged from American evergreens to sentimental waltzes, but today he is best remembered for his tangos.

Olavi Virta started his recording career in 1938 with the country's best known dance band, the Dallapé-Orkesteri. But the war interrupted this promising start. Virta served as a private at the front line against Stalin´s red army. During his occasional brief home leaves, he was able to pay a few visits to the recording studio. "Siks' oon mä suruinen" ("That's Why I'm Sad") he recorded in 1944 with the "Isku-Orkesteri" led by Harry Bergström. This song soon became one of those wartime hits that were to establish the genre known as the Finnish tango.