Einojuhani Rautavaara was born in Helsinki on 9th October, 1928 and his compositions draw on the Nordic classicism derived from Sibelius and Nielsen, as well as the influences of Bartók, Shostakovich and folk-music. Composed in 1994, the Seventh Symphony, subtitled Angel of Light, was first performed in Bloomington, Indiana in 1995. The composer is clear that the reference to angels should not be construed in a pictorial or programmatic way; rather it functions as an archetype in the mythical or spiritual sense, radiating, in this instance, a purely musical energy. Angels and Visitations is the first work in Rautavaara’s ‘Angel Series’ inspired by revelations experienced through dreams during childhood.