Kalevala song in Swedish

Gallen-Kallela Museum, Gallen-Kallela tie 27, 02600 Espoo
Tickets 15/10 eur Lippu.fi and at the door (only 30 seats!)

The ticket price includes a short tour of the Gallen-Kallela Museum before the concert at 18:30-18:45.

Maria Kalaniemi, accordion and singing
Pekko Käppi, jouhikko and singing

The concert will feature rune singing in Swedish and meditative atmospheres during Easter. The concert is the duo’s unique premiere at the Gallen-Kallela Museum. Two of the best in our folk music on the verge of something new.

Maria Kalaniemi is a musician, pedagogue, composer and accordion artist. She is one of the pioneers of contemporary folk music. Pekko Käppi is a jouhikko artist and pedagogue. She also works as a composer, producer and researcher. He is an ethnomusicologist specializing in folk song traditions by training.

Maria Kalaniemi: “I never thought I would throw myself into such a project. I pleasantly surprised myself! I came across Lars and Mats Huldén’s Swedish translation of the Kalevala (1999) by chance. At first, I half-carelessly browsed through the poems until I stopped at poem 41, in which Väinämöinen captures the entire universe with his playing and singing. It stopped me with its incredibly beautiful language images, I was moved by the power of the poem’s beauty. The Swedish language at its most beautiful. As I read the poem, I thought that the essence of music is perfectly recorded here. It touches, moves, captures. Verse by verse, I verified what is most essential to me when playing and singing. The emotional connection that occurs through the melodies, the inner peace that the melodies bring, the healing power.”

Allt vad fåglar fanns i luften,
allt som flyger med två vingar,
kom i stora svärmar ditåt,
ilande på snabba vingar
för att höra härligheten,
hänföras av klangens klarhet.

(Kalevala, Finlands nationalepos, Fyrtioförsta sången)