Thursday 16.7.
Thursday 16.7.2026
10.00 Salakamari
The Heart of the Day - Translator couple Ville Keynäs and Anu Partanen talk about the background and genesis of the programme 'Rituals II' (this session will in Finnish, admission free).
- Ville Keynäs
- Anu Partanen
Thursday 16.7.2026
15. 11.00 Kuhmo Church — €28/21
Graduation ceremony
In the early 20th century, the theme from the middle section of Elgar’s ‘Pomp and Circumstance March No. 1’ – more commonly known as the melody to ‘Land of Hope and Glory’ – gradually became a staple at graduation marches across the United States, and over time it became a symbol of achievement and transition.
Edward Elgar (1857—1934):
Pomp and Circumstance March No. 1 in D, Op. 39 No. 1 (1901, arr. for organ by Edwin Lemaire)
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770—1827):
Violin Sonata No. 5 in F, Op. 24 'Spring' (1800–01, arr. for string trio by Anssi Karttunen)
Robert Schumann (1810—1856):
Im wunderschönen Monat Mai, Op. 48 No. 1 (1840, lyrics: Heinrich Heine)
Robert Schumann (1810—1856):
Frühlingsnacht, Op. 39 No. 12 (1840, lyrics: Joseph von Eichendorff)
When Finnish students graduate from high school, they are given a white velvet hat bearing a golden lyre. In keeping with European academic tradition, after placing the white hat on their heads, the graduates and their guests then burst out in a rendition of the old Latin hymn ‘Gaudeamus igitur’.
Gaudeamus igitur (Hymn-along)
SPRING (LA PRIMAVERA)
Springtime is upon us.
The birds celebrate her return with festive song,
and murmuring streams are
softly caressed by the breezes.
Thunderstorms, those heralds of Spring, roar,
casting their dark mantle over heaven,
Then they die away to silence,
and the birds take up their charming songs once more.
On the flower-strewn meadow, with leafy branches
rustling overhead, the goat-herd sleeps,
his faithful dog beside him.
Led by the festive sound of rustic bagpipes,
nymphs and shepherds lightly dance
beneath spring's beautiful canopy.
Antionio Vivaldi (trans. Armand D’Angour)
Antonio Vivaldi (1678—1741):
Violin Concerto in E, Op. 8 No. 1 'Spring' (1723)
THIS CONCERT CELEBRATES THE 60TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE KUHMO MUSIC SOCIETY.
Thursday 16.7.2026
12.30 Tuupala Primary School
Student Concert (admission free)
- Students of the music courses
Thursday 16.7.2026
16. 15.00 Tuupala Primary School — €28/21
The birth of the string quartet
It is often hard to determine the exact year when musical styles or phenomena were born. For instance, who invented the string quartet? Joseph Haydn is often cited as the father of the genre, but there are other possible candidates for that title too, some dating from the period before Haydn’s first published string quartets (1755–57). With string quartets of their own composed between 1755–1760, Franz Xaver Richter, Luigi Boccherini and Alessandro Scarlatti could all lay claim to that title and celebrate accordingly.
Alessandro Scarlatti (1660—1725):
Sonata a quattro No. 1 in F minor (1725 or before)
Franz Xaver Richter (1709—1789):
String Quartet in C, Op. 5 No. 1 (ca. 1757)
Luigi Boccherini (1743—1805):
String Quartet in C minor, Op. 2 No. 1 (G. 159) (1761)
Joseph Haydn (1732—1809):
String Quartet in B flat, Op. 1 No. 1 'La chasse' (ca. 1760)
Thursday 16.7.2026
17. 18.00 Kuhmo Arts Centre — €33/25
Rituals II
“Unlike physical growth, the social life cycle of a human being progresses in leaps. These ‘leaps’ have traditionally taken the form of rites prescribed by the community, through which an individual passes from one status to another. Through these rites, a person has been thought to become, first of all, a human being as such (baptism), then an adult (a rite of passage), a spouse (marriage), a professional (graduation), a parent (the birth of a child), a pensioner (retirement), and finally the deceased (funeral rites). The concert consists of excerpts from literary works describing moments of transition, interwoven with musical works.”
Ville Keynäs and Anu Partanen
Rituals II is a concert programme curated by translator-couple Ville Keynäs and Anu Partanen. The poems and extracts were written by Eduardo Galeano, Merja Virolainen, Ilpo Tiihonen, Zoé Valdés, Väinö Linna, Hannu Marttila, Eeva Kilpi, Tove Jansson and Maylis de Kerangal, and they will be recited by the actress Katja Küttner (in Finnish).
Darius Milhaud (1892—1974):
Prelude from La création du monde, Op. 81b for piano quintet (1923)
Nicola Matteis (1650—1713):
Diverse bizzarie sopra la Vecchia, Sarabanda o pur Ciaccona (1676)
Dave Anderson (1962—):
Parade of the Politically Prudent Pigs from Seven Double Bass Duets (1996)
Intermission
Heikki Aaltoila (1905—1992):
Akselin ja Elinan häävalssi (Akseli's and Elina's Wedding Waltz) (1968)
Antonín Dvořák (1841—1904):
Slavonic Dance in E minor, Op. 72 No. 2 (1886, arr. for violin and piano by Fritz Kreisler)
Olivier Messiaen (1908—1992):
Appel interstellaire from Des canyons aux étoiles (1971–74)
Franz Liszt (1811—1886):
Liebestraum (Dream of Love) No. 3, S. 541 (1850, arr. for cello and piano by Gaspard Cassadó)
Joseph Haydn (1732—1809):
Andante from String Quartet in F, Op. 77 No. 2 (1799)
The texts are recited by actress Katja Küttner (in Finnish).
Thursday 16.7.2026
18. 18.00 Nuokkari in Iisalmi — €33/25 *
Kirkkopuistonkatu 25, 74100 Iisalmi (driving time from the centre of Kuhmo approx. 2,5 h)
Interval
Pyotr Tchaikovsky (1840—1893):
Piano Trio in A minor, Op. 50 'In memory of a great artist' (1881–82)
THIS CONCERT IS BROUGHT TO YOU IN COOPERATION WITH OP KASKIMAA AND IISALMI CULTURAL SERVICES.
Thursday 16.7.2026
19. 21.00 Kuhmo Arts Centre — €30/23
Nosferatu
The film lasts 1,5 hours without an interval.
”I am thrilled to be presenting, together with my dear friend David Cohen, this live score for Murnau’s cinematic masterpiece, Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror, here at the Kuhmo Festival! Nosferatu is an (unauthorized) adaptation of Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel, Dracula.
I found a true passion in creating and performing silent film scores. It is an incredible way to stretch my creativity—not only composing but then playing and being led by the images in real time. While we are not free to play as we please (we have to keep pace with the film!), the grand gestures and even the facial expressions of the characters on screen call for a very physical and gestural way of playing, matching the visual urgency of the images. In my opinion, this highly engaged and immersive form of viewing compels the audience to surrender more completely to the storytelling. I hope you enjoy the Cinematic Experience!”
Yuval Gotlibovich
Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau (1888—1931):
Film Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror (1922, music composed by Yuval Gotlibovich, text in English)