Preparations coming along nicely
Here in Kuhmo, we are right on the border between Finland and Russia, and this year the 54-year-old Kuhmo Chamber Music festival takes a deep dive into the theme of borders and boundaries. Artistic directors Minna Pensola and Antti Tikkanen have put together a programme exploring the idea of Borderlines from many different angles – geographical, linguistic, cultural, social, spiritual and physical, to name but a few. Over the course of fourteen days, Kuhmo audiences will have the chance to hear almost 60 concerts featuring over 300 works.
“Festival preparations are coming along nicely, and everything is almost ready for our guests. So far, we have sold over 320,000€ worth of tickets, which represents around 62% of our total projected sales,” says excited CEO Sari Rusanen.
There have been no changes to the published programme. The line-up of artists has remained largely unchanged too, the only exception being the double bass player Zoran Marković, who has been forced to pull out due to illness. He will be replaced by Erik Higgins, who was already in Kuhmo with the ensemble La Folia Global.
Everything will start on Sunday in Lentiira
The first concert in this year’s festival will take place at Lentiira Church on Sunday 14th July at 3pm. The programme will include an organ concerto by Georg Friedrich Handel and string quartets by Joseph Haydn and Alberto Ginastera. The evening’s performers include the organist Petteri Pitko, a familiar face to Kuhmo regulars, and the Quiroga String Quartet, who are appearing at the festival for the first time.
After getting off to a flying start in Lentiira, the festival will relocate to Kuhmo for the long-awaited return of the Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra. The name of this concert is Bach Materia, which is the also the name that Anders Hillborg gave to his composition based on Bach’s beloved Brandenburg Concerto No. 3. In this work, the soloist is allowed to spice things up by adding improvisations of their own, and it’s hard to avoid the sense of being at a blues jamming session. After the interval, the festival’s artistic directors will join the orchestra and invite the audience into the beguiling world of Dvořák’s Slavic dances.
Normal Service on Monday
Normal service will resume at the festival on Monday, which means one Inside the Music event and four concerts. Concerts are typically at 11am in Kuhmo Church, 3pm in Tuupala Primary School and at 6pm and 9pm in the Kuhmo Hall. During the weekends, free student concerts are on offer from 12:30pm onwards.
Guest Artists
There are two featured composers at this year’s festival: Sebastian Fagerlund and Lotta Wennäkoski. Both have composed new works specifically for this year’s festival, and over the course of the festival we will hear many more of their works too. Fagerlund’s commission, the new guitar quintet Come Eco, will receive its world premiere on 17th July at 6pm in the concert at the Kuhmo Hall. Lotta Wennäkoski’s Sic for two violins will be heard at the concert on 24th July at 3pm.
In addition to our musical guests, two art exhibitions will be running throughout the festival. The foyer of the Kuhmo Hall will feature paintings and graphic art by Marjatta Tapiola, one of the most significant painters of her generation. This exhibition is called Metamorphoses. Meanwhile, the gallery at the Chamber Music Centre will present wood reliefs by Veera Kopsala in an exhibition entitled Kutupuuhissa – Spawning.
In total, approximately 120 artists from Finland and abroad will perform at this year’s festival. Perennial audience favourites include the violinists Sergey Malov, Daniel Rowland and Elina Vähälä, the viola player Yuval Gotlibovich and the cellists Maja Bogdanović and Tuomas Lehto, as well as the Danel Quartet and Storioni Trio. Making their Kuhmo debut are the Spanish Quiroga Quartet, the Swiss Piano Trio, the pianists Joonas Ahonen and Mackenzie Melemed, the kantele player Eija Kankaanranta and the accordionist Janne Valkeajoki.
More information:
Kuhmo Chamber Music, tel. +358 44 544 5162