ROOTS AND WINGS
Of all the concerts in last year’s programme, there was one title in particular that stuck
in our minds: Roots and Wings. The more progress we made with planning this
year’s programme, the more strongly we felt the power of these words running through
the individual programmes we came up with. Coincidence played a part here too, as
shortly after deciding on ‘Roots and Wings’ as the theme of this year’s festival, we learned
that the City of Kuhmo had, appropriately enough, been named the Finno-Ugric Capital
of Culture 2023!
The history of the Kuhmo Chamber Music Festival, now stretching back more than
half a century, has deservedly rooted itself in our summer programmes, our hearts and
memories, all combining to make it the institution it is today. With foundations such as
these, it is exciting to spread our wings, to feel them carry us right from our first tentative
attempts at flight. Their wingspan is broad, fostering all kinds of unexpected connections, from the periphery to the centre and back again.
By flicking through these pages, you are already on the runway. See you in Kuhmo!
Minna Pensola and Antti Tikkanen
Artistic Directors
Programme notes by Minna Pensola and Antti Tikkanen unless otherwise stated. The festival reserves the right to modify the program and line-up.
Sunday 9.7.2023
1. 15.00 Kuhmo Church — €25/21
Wings and roots
Kelly-Marie Murphy (1964—):
Give Me Phoenix Wings to Fly for piano trio (1997)
Runosong for the start of the festival
THIS CONCERT'S FRIEND IS THE PATRONS' ASSOCIATION OF THE KUHMO CHAMBER MUSIC FESTIVAL.
Sunday 9.7.2023
2. 18.00 Kuhmo Arts Centre — €25/21
Trapped Butterfly
Sampo Kasurinen (1990—):
Trapped Butterfly, chamber opera (2023, commissioned by Rauma Festivo, Kuhmo Chamber Music and Our Festival, premier)
Libretto: Aina Bergroth, director: Siljamari Heikinheimo, lighting design: Pyry Pakkala Petterberg, costumes: Autuas Ukkonen
Sunday 9.7.2023
3. 20.30 Kuhmo Church — €25/21 **
See the sun setting
Trad.
Se solen sjunker (See the sun setting, Swedish folk song) (arr. Isak Albert Berg)
Monday 10.7.2023
10.00 Salakamari
The heart of the day
Minna Pensola and Antti Tikkanen talk about the summer's program and making of it (in Finnish).
Monday 10.7.2023
4. 11.00 Kuhmo Church — €25/21
Masters of opera
The myth of Orpheus, a symbol of the alliance of text and music, inspired several Italian
composers of the seicento. The music of the famous Monteverdi has its roots...
Emilio de' Cavalieri (1550—1602):
L'aria di Fiorenza
Monday 10.7.2023
5. 15.00 Tuupala Primary School — €25/21
Loss
Smetana was only 31 when he lost his young daughter Bedřiška, an event that shook
him profoundly. Sibelius and Janáček too lost children in infancy. From these personal
tragedies grew music of exquisite beauty that lives on in perpetuity.
Riikka Talvitie (1970—):
Golden cradle for violin (2015)
Leoš Janáček (1854—1928):
Pohádka (Fairy Tale), JW VII/5 for cello and piano (1910/24)
Outi Tarkiainen (1985—):
They Walked Side by Side for mezzo-soprano and violin (2018)
Monday 10.7.2023
6. 18.00 Kuhmo Arts Centre — €30/25
American letters
Charles Wuorinen (1938—2020):
Comment peult, Helas madame and El Grillo 'Josquin a'Ascanio' from Josquiniana for string quartet (2001)
Nicolas Bacri (1961—):
American Letters, Op. 35 for clarinet, viola and piano (1991–94):
Nicolas Bacri (1961—):
Adams dances (To John Adam), Op. 35/3
Nicolas Bacri (1961—):
Night mysteries (To Elliott Carter), Op. 35/1
Nicolas Bacri (1961—):
Elegy for A. C. (in memoriam Aaron Copland), Op. 35/2
Intermission
John Adams (1947—):
Short Ride in a Fast Machine (1986, arr. for piano four hands by Preben Antonsen 2018)
Monday 10.7.2023
7. 21.00 Kuhmo Arts Centre — €25/21
Poems
François Couperin (1668—1733):
Charmes and Barricades from Piéces de clavecin, Book 2
Runosong
Ernest Chausson (1855—1899):
Poème, Op. 25 for violin and piano (1896)
Tuesday 11.7.2023
10.00 Salakamari
The Heart of the day
Ilona Korhonen and and the Art of Runosong (in Finnish)
Tuesday 11.7.2023
8. 11.00 Kuhmo Church — €25/21 *
Oh solitude
“Damnably ugly, my boy, why do you write such things?” “Because I like them.” “But you
can’t like them, they’re not music.” “I shouldn’t write them if I didn’t like them.”
A conversation between Vaughan-Williams and his teacher, Sir Charles Villiers Stanford.
Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872—1958):
Piano Quintet in C minor (1903)
Tuesday 11.7.2023
9. 15.00 Tuupala Primary School — €25/21
All Quiet on the Ukrainian Front?
Myroslav Skoryk (1938—2020):
Melody in A minor for strings (1982)
Reinhold Glière (1875—1956):
String Octet in D, Op. 5 (1902)
Tuesday 11.7.2023
10. 18.00 Kuhmo Arts Centre — €25/21
Shakespeare
Gerald Finzi (1901—1956):
Let Us Garlands Bring, Op. 18, five Shakespeare songs for voice and piano (1929–42)
After hearing Beethoven perform the slow movement of this quartet (presumably on the
piano), his close friend Karl Amenda claims he said to the composer that it reminded him
of lovers breaking up, to which Beethoven replied, “Good! I was thinking of the burial
scene from Romeo and Juliet when I wrote it.”
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770—1827):
String Quartet No. 1 in F, Op. 18/1 (1798–1800)
Tuesday 11.7.2023
11. 20.00 Kuhmo Arts Centre — €30/25
Goethe
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770—1827):
Overture from Egmont, Op. 84 (1809–10, arr. for two pianos eight hands by Franz Xaver Chwatal)
To the distant girl
When, in my quiet soul,
I sing soft songs to myself,
How I feel that she is missing -
She, the only one whom I have chosen.
If I could hope that she would sing
What I have so gladly entrusted to her,
Ah! From this breast, this constriction,
Joyous songs would burst forth loudly.
Wolfgang von Goethe’s lyric to Fanny Mendelssohn
Fanny Mendelssohn (1805—1847):
Deinem Blick mich zu bequemen (1825)
Intermission
Felix Mendelssohn (1809—1847):
Piano Quartet No. 1 in C minor, Op. 1 (1822)
Wednesday 12.7.2023
10.00 Salakamari
The Heart of the day
Erik Bosgraaf, a recorder wizzard (in English)
Wednesday 12.7.2023
12. 11.00 Kuhmo Church — €25/21
The End
”All my strength is gone, I’m old and weak”
Joseph Haydn, 1803
Joseph Haydn (1732—1809):
String Quartet No. 68 in D minor, Op. 103 (1803, unfinished)
Josquin Desprez composed this lament on the occasion of the death of his predecessor
Johannes Ockeghem in February 1497.
Josquin Desprez (1450—1521):
Nymphes des bois (1497?, arr. for recorder and string quartet)
Dmitry Shostakovich (1906—1975):
Sonata, Op. 147 for viola and piano (1975, terminally ill, two weeks before his death)
Wednesday 12.7.2023
12.30 Tuupala Primary School
Student concert
The program will be published during music courses
- Students of the Music Courses
Wednesday 12.7.2023
13. 15.00 Tuupala Primary School — €25/21
The Beginning
Runosong from life
The alchemist Paracelsus claimed to have created an artificial human creature, which he
named a homunculus. The creature stood only 30 cm tall and could generally be found
working with a golem. However, Paracelsus’s homunculus eventually turned against his master
and ran away. Homunculus was created out of bones, sperm, pieces of skin and animal
hairs. These were all buried in the ground and surrounded with horse manure, the purpose
of which was to keep the mixture warm. According to the instructions, after forty days the
homunculus was ready.
Esa-Pekka Salonen (1958—):
Homunculus for string quartet (2007)
Outi Tarkiainen (1985—):
The Lustful Mother for mezzo-soprano, string quartet and piano (2021)
Wednesday 12.7.2023
14. 18.00 Kuhmo Arts Centre — €30/25
The beginning of the end
Brahms gave Aho his roots; Aho gave the clarinet its wings.
Kalevi Aho (1949—):
Clarinet Quintet (1998)
Intermission
Calliope Tsoupaki (1963—):
The First Lament of Ekavi for Ganassi recorder solo (2009, rev. 2020)
Brahms had already announced his intention to retire from composition, claiming that
his creative powers had deserted him after the completion of his G-major String Quintet
in 1890. After hearing the clarinetist Richard Mühlfeld’s playing, however, he went on to
compose a great many new masterpieces.
Johannes Brahms (1833—1897):
Clarinet Quintet in B minor, Op. 115 (1891)
Wednesday 12.7.2023
60. 19.00 Kajaani Church — €25/21 **
Kirkkokatu 19, Kajaani (Driving time from Kuhmo approx. 11⁄2 hours)
The most hummable hymn tunes, the most well-loved songs, virtuosic violin solos, organ improvisations as you’ve never heard them before, three of Kuhmo’s most scintillating artists pay a visit to Kajaani.
Dinner will be available before and after the concert at Original Sokos Hotel Valjus (Kauppakatu 20).
Table reservations: raflaamo.fi or sales.kajaanivuokatti@sokoshotels.fi.
Tickets, information: Kuhmo Chamber Music, tel. +358 40 169 6509.
THIS CONCERT IS IN CO-OPERATION WITH THE KAJAANI PARISH AND OSUUSKAUPPA MAAKUNTA.
Wednesday 12.7.2023
15. 21.00 Kuhmo Arts Centre — €25/21
Sandman
Johann Nikolaus Forkel, who wrote the first biography of Bach, claims that Bach originally wrote the Goldberg variations for his Dresden-based patron Count Keyserling, who suffered from debilitating insomnia. On sleepless nights, the count
would ask his harpsichordist Johann Gottlieb Goldberg to play “calming, good-humoured” music to send him to sleep.
J. S. Bach (1685—1750):
Goldberg Variations, BWV 988 (1741–42, arr. for violin, viola and violoncello da spalla)
During this concert, Bridget Allaire-Mäki's paintings inspired by Bach’s music will be projected onto the back wall of the stage.
Thursday 13.7.2023
10.00 Kuhmo Arts Centre/Cafeteria Juttua
The Heart of the day
Charlotte Bray talks about her commissioned piece and her work as a composer (in English).
Thursday 13.7.2023
16. 11.00 Kuhmo Arts Centre — €25/21
Somewhere
Gustav Mahler (1860—1911):
Rückert Lieder (1901–02, arr. for mezzo-soprano and string quartet by Frederik Neyrinck)
Susan Kander (1957—):
Duo in Memory of the Littlest Refugees Who Never Reach a Place of Safety for violin and cello (2017)
Charlotte Bray (1982—):
Ungrievable Lives for string quartet (2021–22, commissioned in co-operation with Santa Fe Festival, Elbphilharmonie, Wigmore Hall and Kuhmo Chamber Music, Finnish premier. The Finnish Cultural Foundation has supported the commission.)
THIS CONCERT’S FRIEND IS KAINUUN SANOMAT.
Thursday 13.7.2023
12.30 Tuupala Primary School
Student concert
The program will be published during music courses
- Students of the Music Courses
Thursday 13.7.2023
17. 15.00 Tuupala Primary School — €25/21
Cloudy with a chance of sun
Thursday 13.7.2023
18. 18.00 Kuhmo Arts Centre — €30/25
Strings attached
Isang Yun (1917—1995):
Königliches Thema for solo violin after the theme of The Musical Offering by J. S. Bach (1976)
Grażyna Bacewicz (1909—1969):
Quartet for four cellos (1964)
Felix Mendelssohn (1809—1847):
String Octet in E flat, Op. 20 (1825)
Intermission
Jean-Baptiste Barrière (1707—1747):
Sonata No. 10 in G for two cellos (about 1753)
Johannes van Bree (1801—1857):
Allegro in D minor for four string quartets (1845?)
Thursday 13.7.2023
19. 21.15 Kuhmo Church — €25/21
Hop-off to Paris
One of a group of artists commonly known as Les Apaches (the hooligans), Ravel took on
the 18-year-old Poulenc as a student. Perhaps rather surprisingly, instead of encouraging
Poulenc to study his own works, Ravel recommended that he study the works of a real
genius: Saint-Saëns.
Camille Saint-Saëns (1835—1921):
Sonata in G, Op. 168 for bassoon and piano (1921)
Francis Poulenc (1899—1963):
Trio for oboe, bassoon and piano (1924–26)
THIS CONCERT’S FRIEND IS F-MUSIIKKI OY.
TODAY’S PARTNERS ARE OP KUHMO, OP KAINUU, OP YLÄ-KAINUU AND OP PALTAMO.
Friday 14.7.2023
10.00 Salakamari
The Heart of the day
Osmo Tapio Räihälä introduces the Festival's program (in Finnish).
Friday 14.7.2023
20. 11.00 Kuhmo Church — €25/21
Le Tombeau
Valentin Silvestrov (1937—):
Hommage à J.S.B. for violin and piano (2009)
François Couperin (1668—1733):
Concert Royal No. 4 in E minor (1722)
Friday 14.7.2023
11.00 Kuhmo Arts Centre/Pajakka Hall
Student concert
The program will be published during music courses
- Students of the Music Courses
Friday 14.7.2023
21. 13.00 Tuupala Primary School — €12
Chamber music workshop
Antonín Dvořák (1841—1904):
Piano Quintet No. 2 in A, Op. 81 (1887)
- Wouter Vossen
- Misato Mizuno
- Gabe Galley
- Hsin Hou Sun
- Kristoffer Gylling
Friday 14.7.2023
22. 15.00 Tuupala Primary School — €25/21
Freemasons
Jean Sibelius (1865—1957):
Opening Hymn from Masonic Ritual Music, Op. 113 (1927, orchestration by Jaakko Kuusisto)
Franz Liszt (1811—1886):
Funérailles, S. 173/7 from Harmonies poétiques et religieuses for piano (1849)
Mozart’s freemason brother Michael Puchberg saved Mozart from financial ruin on more
than one occasion. By way of thanks, Mozart composed Puchberg the following work (the
debt, however, was never paid). Puchberg was a rich entrepreneur working in the textile
industry and an amateur violinist, and it was doubtless for performance by his group of
aristocratic amateurs that Mozart initially conceived the trio, though ultimately it was to
become a cornerstone of the string trio repertoire. The key signature may contain an
amount of symbolism: the three flats of E flat major are strongly associated with traditional
masonic iconography.
W. A. Mozart (1756—1791):
Divertimento in E flat, K. 563 for string trio (1788)
Friday 14.7.2023
23. 18.00 Kuhmo Arts Centre — €30/25
Doctor, doctor!
Robert Schumann (1810—1856):
Nun hast du mir den ersten Schmerz getan, Op. 42/8 from Frauenliebe und -leben (1840)
Robert Schumann (1810—1856):
Helft mir, ihr Schwestern, Op. 42/5 from Frauenliebe und -leben (1840)
Robert Schumann (1810—1856):
Ich kann's nicht fassen, nicht glauben, Op. 42/3 from Frauenliebe und -leben (1840)
Zachary Wadsworth (1983—):
The Doctor, a farce for reciter, baritone, soprano recorder and two violins (2017)
Intermission
Jan Dismas Zelenka (1679—1745):
Hipocondrie à 7 Concertanti in A, ZWV 187 (1723)
Frank Zappa (1940—1993):
Why does it hurt when I pee? (1978)
Bedřich Smetana (1824—1884):
String Quartet No. 1 in E minor 'From my Life' (1876)
THIS CONCERT’S PARTNERS ARE OP KUHMO, OP KAINUU, OP YLÄ-KAINUU AND OP PALTAMO.
Friday 14.7.2023
24. 21.00 Kuhmo Arts Centre — €25/21 *
A Rather different summer evening
Runosong for a summer evening
Rosita Piritore (1996—):
String Quartet (Winner of the Vladimir Mendelssohn Composition Competition 2022)
Erkki Melartin (1875—1937):
Minä metsän polkuja kuljen (Along Forest Paths I Wander), Op. 4/1 (1897)
Yrjö Kilpinen (1892—1959):
Maassa marjani makaavi (My Love lies in the Ground), Op. 3/3 (1915)
Jean Sibelius (1865—1957):
En slända (A Dragonfly), Op. 17/5 (1904?)
George Crumb (1929—2022):
Music for a Summer Evening (Makrokosmos III) for two amplified pianos and percussions (1974)
Saturday 15.7.2023
10.00 Kuhmo Arts Centre/Cafeteria Juttua
The Heart of the day
Krishna Nagaraja and the ABCs of hardanger fiddle and the Norwegian Springar (in English)
Saturday 15.7.2023
25. 11.00 Kuhmo Arts Centre — €30/25
Legends and myths
Karol Szymanowski (1882—1937):
Three Myths, Op. 30 for violin and piano (1915)
Maurizio Kagel (1931—2008):
Pan for piccolo and string quartet (1985)
Henry Wieniawski (1835—1880):
Légende in G minor, Op. 17 (1859, arr. for violin and piano by composer)
Intermission
In Norwegian folklore, a creature named Fossegrimen lives in the lake and stands under
waterfalls playing the harp and the hardanger fiddle, making all living creatures dance to
his tune. Legend has it that if you steal a smoked mutton from your neighbour four Thursdays
in a row and offer it to Fossegrimen, he might just teach you the secrets of the hardanger
fiddle...
Trad.
Norwegian: Rammeslått I from Setesdal
Susan Kander (1957—):
Movements I, V, VIII, IV and VII from Hermestänze for violin and piano (2014)
Alkonost, the bird of paradise with a woman’s head from Russian folklore, lays her eggs by
the shore then pushes them into the water to calm the sea for six or seven days.
Lera Auerbach (1973—):
String Quartet No. 5 'Song of Alkonost' (2011, Finnish premier)
Saturday 15.7.2023
26. 15.00 Tuupala Primary School — €25/21
Earthy matters
Einojuhani Rautavaara (1928—2016):
An Ugrian Dialogue for violin and cello (1973)
Saturday 15.7.2023
27. 17.00 Tuupala Primary School — €25/21
Raging mother
"Raging Mother" is Hanna Vahtikari’s painfully honest, bittersweet play revealing the
many different sides of motherhood: the uncontrollable routines, the extreme humour, the
pent-up aggression, and the boundless love shining through it all. On stage with Vahtikari
is composer and performer Marzi Nyman, who is responsible for the play’s music. The performance is in Finnish.
Marzi Nyman (1979—):
Kuin Raivo Äiti (Raging Mother) (script: Hanna Vahtikari)
Saturday 15.7.2023
28. 19.15 Kuhmo Arts Centre — €25/21
Matti 'Esa Pasa' Salminen back to the bassics
The bass Matti Salminen sings songs and tells stories about his life and career. Marzi Nyman, Niko Kumpuvaara and their band of folk musicians perform not only the legendary bass’s favourite arias but also a good few Finnish schlagers and tango hits of years gone by.
Saturday 15.7.2023
29. 21.15 Kuhmo Arts Centre — €25/21
Contemporaries
Louise Farrenc (1804—1875):
Nonet in E flat, Op. 38 (1849)
Sunday 16.7.2023
10.00 Kuhmo Arts Centre/Cafeteria Juttua
The Heart of the day
Osmo Tapio Räihälä talks about the Festival's program (in Finnish).
Sunday 16.7.2023
30. 11.00 Kuhmo Arts Centre — €25/21
Love is love is love
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770—1827):
Ich liebe dich (Zärtliche Liebe), WoO 123 (1795)
Sunday 16.7.2023
31. 13.00 Tuupala Primary School — €12 **
Children's concert
Maukka is a cat and Väykkä is a dog. Their life together isn’t always plain sailing. But their
humour and unshakeable friendship see them through many sticky situations. This
children’s concert features Timo Parvela reading his stories about Maukka and Väykkä,
with some scenes enacted live on stage, and songs by the irrepressible Iiro Rantala. The performance is in Finnish.
Iiro Rantala (1970—):
Maukka and Väykkä (Script: Timo Parvela)
Recommended for children over the age of 4.
WEEKLY SEASON TICKET I ENDS/WEEKLY SEASON TICKET II BEGINS. (Concerts 31
and 60 are not included in the weekly season tickets.)
Sunday 16.7.2023
32. 15.00 Tuupala Primary School — €25/21
Wings wide
Béla Bartók (1881—1945):
Sonata No. 2, BB 85 for violin and piano (1922)
Sunday 16.7.2023
33. 17.30 Kuhmo Church — €25/21
Christmas dinner at the Brodskys
Counted among the most influential figures in the music world of the late 19th century, the
violinist Adolph Brodsky had close relations with many of the musical superstars of the
age. We know, for instance, that Brahms and Tchaikovsky were only on very frosty, formal
terms.
At Christmas 1887, Brodsky took the considerable risk of inviting both composers
to dine at the same table. Tchaikovsky was shocked when he saw Brahms, who was visiting
Brodsky for a rehearsal of his piano trio. The atmosphere was charged because both
composers were on the record as saying they found the other’s music unpleasant. To keep the
peace over Christmas dinner, Tchaikovsky nonetheless refrained from commenting upon
his colleague’s playing, and the atmosphere lightened further once Edvard Grieg and his
wife Nina joined the assembled guests.
Pyotr Tchaikovsky (1840—1893):
December - Christmas from The Seasons, Op. 37b for piano (1876)
Edvard Grieg (1843—1907):
Sonata in A minor, Op. 36 for cello and piano (1883)
Johannes Brahms (1833—1897):
String Sextet No. 1 in B flat, Op. 18 (1859–60)
This concert is supported by a long-time friend of the Festival.
Sunday 16.7.2023
34. 20.00 Kuhmo Arts Centre — €30/25
Electrified
Darius Milhaud (1892—1974):
Sonata, Op. 257 for violin and harpsichord (1945)
Intermission
Max Richter (1966—):
Vivaldi's Four Seasons Recomposed (2012)
Monday 17.7.2023
10.00 Salakamari
The Heart of the day
Outi Tarkiainen talks about her compositions and about her work as a composer (in Finnish).
Monday 17.7.2023
35. 11.00 Kuhmo Church — €25/21
Cleansing the palate
Grażyna Bacewicz (1909—1969):
Quartet for four violins (1949)
Georg Friedrich Handel (1685—1759):
Flute Concerto No. 3 in G minor, HWV 287 (ca. 1704–05)
Francis Poulenc (1899—1963):
Sextet for wind quintet and piano (1932–39)
Monday 17.7.2023
36. 15.00 Tuupala Primary School — €25/21
Risky reading
Lewis Carroll’s short stories were banned in China in 1931 because it was deemed “unfitting
for animals to speak like humans”.
Mikko Heiniö (1948—):
Piano Quintet (1993, the text slightly adapted fragments from Through the Looking-Glass (1872) by Lewis Carroll)
”- - and then the customary As on the piano, the plucking and tuning of the violin, the
setting up of the music. Then I remember how they looked at one another, glanced round
at the audience and began to play. He took the first chord. ( - - )
- They played Beethoven’s ‘Kreutzer Sonata’. Do you know its first movement, the presto?
You know it? he burst out. - Ah! It’s a fearful thing, that sonata.”
Leo Tolstoy: The Kreutzer Sonata, translated by David McDuff
Leoš Janáček (1854—1928):
String Quartet No. 1, JW VII/8 ‘Kreutzer’ (1923)
Monday 17.7.2023
37. 18.00 Kuhmo Arts Centre — €30/25
Working women
Outi Tarkiainen (1985—):
The Downfall of Judith Shakespeare (2023, commissioned by the Kuhmo Chamber Music, premier)
Amanda Maier-Röntgen (1853—1894):
Piano Trio in E flat (1874)
Intermission
Charlotte Bray (1982—):
Crossing Faultlines for soprano and piano (2021)
Helvi Leiviskä (1902—1982):
Piano Quartet in A, Op. 1 (1925–26, rev. 1936)
THIS CONCERT’S FRIEND IS THE CITY OF KUHMO.
Monday 17.7.2023
38. 21.00 Kuhmo Arts Centre — €25/21
Sparkle
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770—1827):
Piano Sonata No. 14 in C sharp minor, Op. 27/2 'Moonlight' (1801)
Osvaldo Golijov (1960—):
Night Messengers from Falling Out of Time (2019, arr. for flute and string quintet by composer)
Chen Yi (1953—):
Sparkle for octet (1992)
Tuesday 18.7.2023
10.00 Salakamari
The Heart of the day
Osmo Tapio Räihälä presents the Festival's program (in English).
Tuesday 18.7.2023
39. 11.00 Kuhmo Church — €25/21
Drifting north
Amy Beach recorded the music of the Native-American peoples just as, at the same time, at
the same latitude but on the other side of the world, many Finns were involved in the same
endeavour. The viola presents Inuit folk songs dealing with life itself. Soon these voices
inspired by the northern landscape will be found only in our imagination as the north
retreats further and further northwards.
Amy Beach (1867—1944):
String Quartet, Op. 89 (1929)
Outi Tarkiainen (1985—):
The Seasons of Love for clarinet quintet (2023, commissioned by the Kuhmo Chamber Music, premier. The Finnish Cultural Foundation has supported the commission.)
Tuesday 18.7.2023
40. 15.00 Tuupala Primary School — €25/21
Rhymes to recite
Jean Sibelius (1865—1957):
Piano Quintet in G minor (1890)
Tuesday 18.7.2023
41. 18.00 Kuhmo Arts Centre — €30/25
Tutors and inspirators
At the suggestion of his friend Toivo Kuula, Leevi Madetoja set off for Paris. There he entered
the class of Vincent d’Indy and had great expectations for their collaboration.
Ultimately, this amounted to no more than one official meeting, but this meeting and Paris itself
continued to inspire Madetoja for a long while thereafter. Contrastingly, Jean Françaix, the
curious odd-ball of early 20th-century Paris, said that he took constant inspiration from the
music of Mozart and Ravel.
Leevi Madetoja (1887—1947):
Lyric Suite, Op. 51 for cello and piano (1922)
Vincent d'Indy (1851—1931):
Piano Quartet in A minor, Op. 7 (1878–88)
Intermission
Jean Françaix (1912—1997):
Wind Quintet No. 1 (1948)
Tuesday 18.7.2023
42. 21.00 Kuhmo Arts Centre — €25/21
Sceneries and folk dances
Jean Sibelius (1865—1957):
Cinq Danses champêtres, Op. 106 for violin and piano (1925)
Krishna Nagaraja (1975—):
Vandreslått from A Norwegian Suite for solo hardanger fiddle (2019)
Wednesday 19.7.2023
10.00 Salakamari
The Heart of the day
Kaari Martin & Ismo Eskelinen: Are click-clacking and finger snapping appropriate in classical music (in Finnish)?
Wednesday 19.7.2023
43. 11.00 Kuhmo Church — €25/21
To the core/to the max
Maturity can be a curious thing. Whereas Schubert developed and expanded his formal
language to the extreme, Webern travelled in the opposite direction. Which is more - more
or less?
Anton Webern (1883—1945):
Four Pieces, Op. 7 for violin and piano (1910)
Wednesday 19.7.2023
12.30 Tuupala Primary School
Student concert
The program will be published during music courses
- Students of the Music Courses
Wednesday 19.7.2023
44. 15.00 Tuupala Primary School — €25/21
Sensitively, powerfully
"Full of strength and freshness" said Clara Schumann of Robert’s new composition, "as well as
extremely brilliant and effective". The work was dedicated to Clara, this brilliant pianist.
Robert Schumann (1810—1856):
Piano Quintet in E flat, Op. 44 (1842)
Wednesday 19.7.2023
45. 18.00 Kuhmo Arts Centre — €30/25
Passion
Edvard Grieg (1843—1907):
Erotik, Op. 43/5 from Lyric Pieces (1886, arr. for harp and clarinet)
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770—1827):
Piano Sonata No. 23 in F minor, Op. 57 'Appassionata' (1804–05)
Intermission
The actress Madam Félicité Saillot Desmousseaux, better remembered as the dutiful wife
of César Franck, greeted the arrival of her husband’s Piano Quintet in F minor with public
condemnation, fiery scorn and a deeply professed hatred. Surprisingly, the same reaction
also befell the dedicatee of the work, the composer and pianist Camille Saint-Saëns.
It is hardly surprising to locate an extra-musical reason for such scorching responses - a
young and beautiful private organ and composition student of César Franck’s. Augusta
Holmès, the composer reports, “arouses me in the most unspiritual desires”. Félicité clearly
understood that the pervasive emotionality and infatuation expressed musically was solely
intended for this “impure and seductive student”. And Saint-Saëns, together with Nikolai
Rimsky-Korsakov and almost the entire male faculty of the Paris Conservatoire, was as well
passionately in love with Augusta.
César Franck (1822—1890):
Piano Quintet in F minor (1879)
Wednesday 19.7.2023
46. 21.00 Kuhmo Arts Centre — €25/21 **
Bedtime stories
Jean Sibelius (1865—1957):
En saga, Symphonic Poem, Op. 9 (1892, arr. for chamber ensemble by Jaakko Kuusisto)
Olli Mustonen (1967—):
Three Trees, Three Sons, a Viena Karelian folktale for narrator and instrumental ensemble (2009)
Thursday 20.7.2023
10.00 Salakamari
The Heart of the day
Silke Avenhaus & Osmo Tapio Räihälä present the pieces from the evening's last concert (in English and in Finnish).
Thursday 20.7.2023
47. 11.00 Kuhmo Church — €25/21
The Tempest Songbook
Many of Shakespeare’s works have inspired composers through the centuries, and The
Tempest is no exception. Attributed to Henry Purcell (though the music may in fact have
been composed by John Blow) is a suite of music for that very play. In that same play, Kaija
Saariaho discovered a number of unique birthday greetings, and without any intention
of writing a largescale work, set first one to music, then another, and another, and so on.
Today these two series will meet each other right here in Kuhmo!
Henry Purcell (1659—1695):
Ouverture from the Tempest, Z. 631 (ca. 1695)
- Erik Bosgraaf
- Antti Tikkanen
- Siljamari Heikinheimo
- Barbora Hilpo
- James Wilson
- Nicolas Achten
- François Dambois
- Helka Seppälä
- Carsten Schmidt
Kaija Saariaho (1952—):
Bosun's Cheer from the Tempest Songbook (2004)
Kaija Saariaho (1952—):
Miranda's Lament from the Tempest Songbook (2004)
- Mari Palo
- Erik Bosgraaf
- Antti Tikkanen
- Barbora Hilpo
- Nicolas Achten
- Helka Seppälä
- Carsten Schmidt
Henry Purcell (1659—1695):
Dance of the Winds from the Tempest, Z. 631 (ca. 1695)
- Erik Bosgraaf
- Antti Tikkanen
- James Wilson
- Nicolas Achten
- François Dambois
- Helka Seppälä
- Carsten Schmidt
Henry Purcell (1659—1695):
Dry Those Eyes from the Tempest, Z. 631 (ca. 1695)
- Mari Palo
- Antti Tikkanen
- Siljamari Heikinheimo
- James Wilson
- Nicolas Achten
- François Dambois
- Carsten Schmidt
Henry Purcell (1659—1695):
Dance of Spirits from the Tempest, Z. 631 (ca. 1695)
- Erik Bosgraaf
- Antti Tikkanen
- Siljamari Heikinheimo
- James Wilson
- Nicolas Achten
- François Dambois
- Helka Seppälä
- Carsten Schmidt
Kaija Saariaho (1952—):
Caliban's Dream from the Tempest Songbook (2004)
- Thomas Florio
- Antti Tikkanen
- Erik Bosgraaf
- James Wilson
- Nicolas Achten
- Helka Seppälä
- Carsten Schmidt
Henry Purcell (1659—1695):
Great Neptune from the Tempest, Z. 631 (ca. 1695)
- Thomas Florio
- Antti Tikkanen
- Siljamari Heikinheimo
- Barbora Hilpo
- James Wilson
- Nicolas Achten
- François Dambois
- Helka Seppälä
- Carsten Schmidt
Kaija Saariaho (1952—):
Ariel's Hail from the Tempest Songbook (2004)
- Mari Palo
- Erik Bosgraaf
- Antti Tikkanen
- Nicolas Achten
- Carsten Schmidt
Kaija Saariaho (1952—):
Prospero's Vision from the Tempest Songbook (2004)
Henry Purcell (1659—1695):
Halcyon Days from the Tempest, Z. 631 (ca. 1695)
- Mari Palo
- Erik Bosgraaf
- Antti Tikkanen
- Siljamari Heikinheimo
- Barbora Hilpo
- James Wilson
- Nicolas Achten
- François Dambois
- Helka Seppälä
- Carsten Schmidt
Kaija Saariaho (1952—):
Ferdinand's Comfort from the Tempest Songbook (2004)
Henry Purcell (1659—1695):
See, see the Heavens smile from the Tempest, Z. 631 (ca. 1695)
- Thomas Florio
- Antti Tikkanen
- Siljamari Heikinheimo
- James Wilson
- Nicolas Achten
- François Dambois
- Helka Seppälä
- Carsten Schmidt
Henry Purcell (1659—1695):
No stars again shall hurt you from the Tempest, Z. 631 (1695)
- Mari Palo
- Thomas Florio
- Erik Bosgraaf
- Antti Tikkanen
- Siljamari Heikinheimo
- Barbora Hilpo
- James Wilson
- Nicolas Achten
- François Dambois
- Helka Seppälä
- Carsten Schmidt
Thursday 20.7.2023
12.30 Tuupala Primary School
Student concert
The program will be published during music courses
- Students of the Music Courses
Thursday 20.7.2023
48. 15.00 Tuupala Primary School — €25/21
Neither fish nor fowl
Jouni Kaipainen (1956—2015):
Piano Trio No. 2, Op. 102 '…The Pike Rose to the Spruce's Crone…' (2014)
Joseph Haydn (1732—1809):
String Quartet in C, Op. 33/3 'Bird' (1781)
Helena Winkelman (1974—):
At Ease… bird on a slope, Non perpetuum mobile and Rondo in presence of fleas: a manic scratching miniature from String Quartet No. 2 'Papa Haydn's Parrot' (2016)
Thursday 20.7.2023
49. 18.00 Kuhmo Arts Centre — €30/25
Atlantic breeze
Felix Mendelssohn (1809—1847):
The Hebrides Overture, Op. 26 (1829–30, arr. for piano four hands, violin and cello by Carl Burchard)
Maxim Shalygin (1985—):
Blue in blue in blue for octet (2022)
George Crumb (1929—2022):
Vox balaenae for amplified flute, cello and piano (1971)
Intermission
Trad.
Three Irish Country Songs (arr. for voice and violin by Rebecca Clarke 1926)
Charlotte Bray (1982—):
Zustände for piano quartet (2016)
Benjamin Britten (1913—1976):
Sonata in C, Op. 65 for cello and piano (1960–61)
Thursday 20.7.2023
50. 21.00 Kuhmo Arts Centre — €25/21
School of trouts
Ferran Cruixent (1976—):
Cybervariation after Schubert's Trout Quintet (2018)
Osmo Tapio Räihälä (1964—):
Brightwater (2018)
Franz Schubert (1797—1828):
Piano Quintet in A, D. 667 'Trout' (1819)
Gerald Resch (1975—):
Pond and Spring (2018)
Dejan Lazić (1977—):
The Trout Pond, a Variation on the Theme of Franz Schubert's Lied 'The Trout', Op. 23 (2018)
Johannes X. Schachtner (1985—):
Addendum to Franz Schubert's Trout Quintet (2018)
Friday 21.7.2023
10.00 Salakamari
The Heart of the day
John Storgårds, creativity and curiosity as a driving force (in Finnish)
Friday 21.7.2023
51. 11.00 Kuhmo Church — €25/21
Perseus - can you hear the sound of the universe?
Olli Mustonen (1967—):
Sextet for piano and winds (2015)
Johannes Brahms (1833—1897):
String Quintet No. 2 in G, Op. 111 (1890)
Friday 21.7.2023
11.00 Kuhmo Arts Centre/Pajakka Hall
Student concert
The program will be published during music courses
- Students of the Music Courses
Friday 21.7.2023
52. 13.00 Tuupala Primary School — €12
Chamber music workshop
W. A. Mozart (1756—1791):
Trio in E flat, K. 498 for clarinet, viola and piano 'Kegelstatt' (1786)
- Paavali Jumppanen
- Students of the Music Courses
Amy Beach (1867—1944):
Piano Quintet in F sharp minor, Op. 67 (1907)
- Jeremy Lap Hei Hao
- Aino Yamaguchi
- Ingrid Odé
- Nn
- Paavali Jumppanen
Friday 21.7.2023
53. 15.00 Tuupala Primary School — €25/21
Three-way at three o'clock
Clara Schumann (1819—1896):
Piano Trio in G minor, Op. 17 (1846)
Olli Mustonen (1967—):
Nonetto II (2000)
Friday 21.7.2023
54. 18.00 Kuhmo Arts Centre — €25/21
Style it out!
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (1875—1912):
Piano Quintet in G minor, Op. 1 (1893)
Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson (1932—2004):
Jettin' Blue/s from Blue/s Forms for solo violin (1979)
Improvisation
George Gershwin (1898—1937):
Summertime, A Woman is a Sometime Thing and It Ain't Necessarily So from Porgy and Bess (arr. for violin and piano by Jascha Heifetz)
Béla Bartók (1881—1945):
Contrasts, BB 116 for violin, clarinet and piano (1938)
Friday 21.7.2023
55. 20.15 Kuhmo Arts Centre — €30/25
Having garnered much praise for her role in Kaija Saariaho’s acclaimed opera Innocence,
the ethno-pop musician, singer, composer, violinist and researcher Vilma Jää brings
to Kuhmo a concert of acoustic folk music combining improvisation stemming from the
kantele tradition with cattle calls, White Karelian yoik singing, and the recitation of oral
folk poetry.
Jäine is a new-generation group focussing on the singing of folk poetry. Their magnificent
harmonies arise from the traditions of improvised polyphonic singing typical of the Ingrian
folk-poetry style.
Trad.
Folk Music
- Vilma Jää
- Hanna Ryynänen
Intermission
Saturday 22.7.2023
10.00 Kuhmo Arts Centre/Cafeteria Juttua
The Heart of the day
Iiro Rantala, tour guide to Veneziana (in Finnish)
Saturday 22.7.2023
56. 11.00 Tuupala Primary School — €25/21
Encounters in Veneziana
W. A. Mozart (1756—1791):
Sonata in E minor, K. 304 for violin and piano (1778)
Sergey Prokofiev (1891—1953):
Piano Sonata No. 8 in B flat, Op. 84 'War Sonata 3' (1944)
Saturday 22.7.2023
57. 15.00 Kuhmo Arts Centre — €25/21
Laura Maddalena
Harpsichordist and actress Elina Mustonen delves into life at the ospedale, the Italian
orphanages for girls dating back to the Middle Ages, in a work commissioned especially from
composer Eero Hämeenniemi. Towards the end of the 17th century, the Venetian ospedales
became some of the foremost music schools for girls in Europe, with teachers including
such illustrious maestri as Vivaldi, Galuppi, Cavalli, Gasparini, Legrenzi, et al.
The musical drama Laura Maddalena tells the story of two girls who lived at the ospedale
at different times, bringing together history and fiction, Venetian harpsichord music, and
new music and texts by Eero Hämeenniemi. In addition, the performance includes music
by Luigi Rossi, Barbara Strozzi, Domenico Scarlatti, Baldassare Galuppi and Ferdinando
Bertoni. The performance is in Finnish.
Eero Hämeenniemi (1951—):
Laura Maddalena, monodrama for actor–harpsichordist (2018–19)
Saturday 22.7.2023
58. 18.00 Kuhmo Church — €30/25 *
Vivaldi's seasons
Salamone Rossi (1570—1630):
Sonata quarta sopra l'arie di Ruggiero, Op. 12/4
Laura Netzel (1839—1927):
La Gondoliera in A, Op. 60 for violin and piano (1896)
Nicolò Paganini (1782—1840):
The Carnival of Venice, Op. 10 for violin and guitar
Intermission
Antonio Vivaldi (1678—1741):
Violin Concerto, Op. 8 'Four Seasons' (1725)
Saturday 22.7.2023
59. 21.00 Kuhmo Arts Centre — €25/21
Veneziana
Venetian art history is a world unto itself. Vivaldi and the Four Seasons. Monteverdi and the
invention of opera. All those painters and sculptors and their magnificent works. Venice
was also a playground for Mozart’s librettist Lorenzo da Ponte and a certain man named
Casanova. Later on, Venice became a popular destination for artists wishing to take their
last breath.
The chamber music series Veneziana features stories of both the credible and incredible
varieties. Iiro Rantala has ratcheted his overactive imagination to the limit, and tonight he
will tell us stories one more fantastical than the next.
What happens in Venice ... We’ll hear all about it in Kuhmo!
Iiro Rantala (in November 2022)
Iiro Rantala (1970—):
Veneziana for chamber ensemble and piano (2021–22)