Bridge dances 1988. Photo by Tapio Rantakari.
Press release 11.7.2017
On Wednesday, the Kaustinen Folk Music Festival will feature, among others. Laitakaupkeri Orchestra & Paleface, a favourite of the dancing public Lasse Hoikka & Souvarit, familiar to children from TV Siina and Teddy bear, world music superstar Frigg and a shepherd brother Dear. In the evening the young men's ensembles from Kaustis Folk music, Prussian Hook and Tötterssön come to life again.
To celebrate the anniversary of the festival, it is time to indulge in nostalgia, to look back for a moment to the past. The nostalgic Bridge Dances will also return after decades of absence at the request of the public.
”Sometimes we would play at the kolomanni or the fourteenth festival with the Kankha boys in the morning on the suspension bridge there”, recalls Mauno Järvelä.
This gave birth to the idea, or rather the wish, of bridge dances. But the dancers would not have fit on the suspension bridge, nor on the Penttilkä bridge. The dances were held in the courtyard of the cooperative dairy, behind the Penttilkä bridge.
”The custom was that the Järvelkä players were taken on a tractor platform through the village to the bridge and the audience walked behind. Often they played there for four hours without a break,” says Mauno. Hot Club de Kairela was another band that jumped around with the dancers.
Bridge dances were held until 1986, when the public began to focus on the area around the Arena and the bridge dances stopped. This year, the dancers will be accompanied by no less than three orchestras: Kaustinen hornblower and Sons of America (US) start with a bang with the fans, JPP pulls out his guaranteed style with flies and, at the bridge in the evening, decides to T for Three with a proper stage-dance feel.
Wed 12.7. at 18-21 Kaustinen cooperative dairy yard
Kaustinen Social Club - a new idea that should stay alive
To celebrate the centenary, the players who have been there every year have been invited to Kaustinen. ”Well, those who have participated 45-50 times will qualify,” says Mauno Järvelä, the convener of the event.
The players get together to play the festival standards that everyone knows, from the C major march to the Karelian Boys, and occasionally chat about their memories. Their own performances, solo or with a smaller ensemble, are also allowed, even encouraged. The house band will be Tallari and friends. ”I don't know in advance what will happen,” Järvelä smiles.
Wed 12.7. at 16-17 Café Mondo
Fri 14.7. at 14.30-15.30 in the music hall
Read also the YLE story about the three players who were at all the festivals: http://bit.ly/2trWKDv
Finnish-Swedish connections across the sea
Wednesday is again the day when Swedish is heard in Kaustinen, with a special focus on the Festival Park. Under the banner Lilla spelmansstämman, friends of Finnish-Swedish folk music and folk dance will gather to showcase their skills. Many are regulars in Kaustinen, but there are also first-timers, such as the choir, which turns 40 this year. Finlandia Order of Runeberg.
”Originally, the group consisted of a choir and a folk dance group that performed together, but the folk dance activities faded away a couple of years ago,” says the chairman. Lili-Ann Brolund. ”Many choir members have been with us for a long time, one tenor from the very beginning! From the beginning, it has been important to keep in touch with Finnish immigrants living in other countries. In the old days we used to travel to the United States every five years, but now we travel less often. There's less interest in Finnish culture over there, people are getting old.”
More recently, however, we have maintained contacts with Finnish-Swedes who have moved to Sweden and have been active participants in the Nordic-Baltic Choir Festival, which takes place every three years in different countries. This is also reflected in the choir's programme.
”Above all, we sing Finnish-Swedish folk music. Our leader since 2006 has been a music teacher Frej Högdahl and he also thinks it is important that Finnish-Swedish music is preserved. But with a Nordic-Baltic choir festival you have to learn songs from every country - 10 songs from 10 different countries last time, so we try to keep these in the repertoire once they have been learned.”
The singers come from Swedish-speaking Ostrobothnia, from Pietarsaari to Maalahti. Rehearsals are 1-2 times a month, usually in Oravais, which is conveniently located in the middle of the country. The 40th anniversary celebrations continue in November in Pietarsaari.
Wed 12.7. at 15-15.30 Wiljami hall and 17-18 Kaustinen hall
Research is also visible in Kaustinen
The Kaustinen Folk Music Festival will also highlight scientific and artistic research related to folk music. From Wednesday to Saturday, you can both listen to music and learn new things at the live lectures. The lecture series is organised in collaboration with the Folk Music Institute.
”The idea is to showcase music and music research,” says the series' creator. Outi Valo, who is working on a doctoral thesis alongside her work as the archivist in charge of the archives. Erkki Ala-Könninen. ”The topics have been chosen in relation to current publications, and everyone has the opportunity to build their own lecture series.”
The lecture series will include Piia Kleemola-Välimäen about the violin masters of Suupohja, Marko Aho and Jussi Laasanen the history and construction of the Perhon River Valley box cantele, Unto Kukka & The Ii-Team Sofia Walzer from the notebook and Outi Valo from Erkki Ala-Könn, recording folk music. All lectures will include music. The lecture series will be opened by the American Sons of America. ”The Sons of the Americas presents an interesting history of the bugle knife: a Finnish phenomenon that came to America with the immigrants. The tradition has been preserved there!”
Live lectures Wed 12.7. at 13:00 by the Sons of America, Thu 13.7. at 18.30 by Unto Kukka & the Ii-Team, Fri 14.7. at 13:00 by Piia Kleemola-Välimäki, Fri 14.7. at 17:00 by Outi Valo and Sat 15.7. at 16:00 by Marko Aho and Jussi Laasanen, Museum Hall of the Centre for Folk Art.
For more information and interview requests:
Information Manager
Tove Djupsjöbacka
p. 040-6585340
press(at)kaustinen.net
Photos for media use, password press2016
https://kaustinenfmf.kuvat.fi/kuvat/KFMF-2017-PRESS/