How on earth do you choose which of the 70+ Kuhmo Chamber Music events to go to? Once again we have drawn up a list of recommendations to help you – especially if you are a first-timer – find something suitable. The list covers the whole of the two-week festival.

There is so much to choose from at Kuhmo Chamber Music! Our list begins with the first concert, on the City theme, on 10.7. and ends with Astor Piazzolla’s opera Maria de Buenos Aires on the last day, 23.7. In between you will find everything from the complete Shostakovich string quartet cycle to an absolute Kuhmo “must” each summer: Franz Schubert’s Trout Quintet. This summer we also recommend a whole day, Monday 11.7. – a profound drama lasting from morning till night. We have omitted from the list any concerts that were already sold out on 1.4.

Recommendations for first-timers

In general
All the Shostakovich string quartets, performed by the Danel Quartet over two weeks. Wow!

Concert 1
Tchaikovsky’s always delightful Souvenir de Florence and Goebbels’ not so well-known but just as interesting Surrogate Cities.

Whole day 11.7. – concerts 3–7
A profound drama.

Concert 8
The Forbidden City: Chinese atmosphere, instruments and players.

Concert 14
The festival’s biggest and smallest ensembles – from a soloist to a symphony orchestra. Ysaÿe’s wild Solo Violin Sonata performed by Frédéric Moreau and Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, with Nino Gvetadze as the soloist.

Concert 16
Birds. And the Carnival of the Animals comes to town.

Concert 17
When two familiar melodies travel round the world.

Concert 22
Three major, moving quartets.

Concert 25
The monumental Brahms Clarinet Quintet and other Romantic strains.

Concert 29
An intimate concert of Bach at the Chapel for a quiet end to the day.

Concert 31
Beethoven’s rage may take you by surprise! Some fascinating facts about how works came to be composed, to say nothing of music!

Concert 38
Something new and different. Seldom-heard music for percussion.

Concert 39
Schubert’s glorious, beautiful Trout Quintet.

Concert 45
A real treasure for anyone fond of piano music.

Concert 46
A perfect start to the day – listening to Bach.

Concert 52
Two chamber music gems by Dvo&#345ák in one and the same concert.

Concert 56
Fast, full of feeling and exotic!

Concert 60
Russian sentiment in works by Tchaikovsky.

Concert 66
The Kremlin calls! Valeria Resjan is the soloist in a Mozart Piano Concerto.

Concert 69
A chance for the double bass to show off in Mozart’s aria “Per questa bella mano”, and the Rakastava suite by Sibelius.

Concert 72
Maria de Buenos Aires raises the temperature at Kuhmo in steamy Argentine style.

Further info:
Kuhmo Chamber Music, tel. 08 652 0936