Kantele and young Finnish music at Time of Music festival in Viitasaari

Time of Music festival in Viitasaari, nominated as the "Festival of the Year 2009" by Finnish Festivals, will bring up musical encounters with different kinds of musics this year. The festival will take place from July 7 to 12, and present several new works and world premieres. The guest composer this year is British composer Michael Finnissy, who will also perform his own music at the festival.

The premieres of the festival include, for example, the first performance of Juha T. Koskinen's Bashô Fragments and Paavo Heininen's new sonata for saxophone and piano. Five new works by young Finnish composers have been brought to the festival by Ears Open society (Korvat auki): the selection includes works Maria Kallionpää, Jens Lindqvist and Markku Klami, among others.

Kantele music will be prominently presented at the festival. Eva Alkula, kantele, and Tomoya Nakai, koto, will perform Harri Suilamo's Wasure-gai – Onnade Calligraphy at the opening concert of the festival on 7 July. Two more works for kantele will be heard on 8 July, composed by Asko Hyvärinen, and Lotta Wennäkoski.

Musiikin aika / Time of Music
Viitasaari, Finland

7 Jul
Olli Linjama: improvisation
Harri Suilamo: Wasure-gai – Onnade Calligraphy
Jaakko Kortesharju: new work (premiere, Ears Open)
Tim Page: Kierros
Olli Linjama, organ, Eva Alkula, kantele, Tomoya Nakai, koto, Olli-Pekka Tuomisalo, saxophone, Janne Tuomi, percussion, Risto-Matti Marin, piano, Heikki Nikula, bass clarinet

8 Jul
Matthew Whittall: Sketches before a storm for flute and kantele
Hannu Pohjannoro: Katajan laulu for liru and kantele
Maria Kallionpää: Schatten II (premiere, Ears Open)
Asko Hyvärinen: Channels (premiere)
Lotta Wennäkoski: Sival (premiere)
Hanna Kinnunen, flute, Eva Alkula, kantele, Mikko Raasakka, liru, Eija Kankaanranta, kantele, Mikko Raasakka, liru, Olga Shiskina, guzheng, Eija Kankaanranta, kantele, Janne Tuomi, percussion, Maria Puusaari, violin

9 Jul
Juha T. Koskinen: Bashô Fragments, Viitasaari 2009 version (premiere)
Juho Laitinen: "More or less predictable waveforms"
Ari Romppanen: Rho Cas
Paavo Heininen: Sonata for saxophone and piano (premiere)
Jens Lindqvist: Scan...! (premiere, Ears Open)
Juho Laitinen, cello, Emil Holmström, piano, Olli-Pekka Tuomisalo, saxophone, Risto-Matti Marin, piano, Heikki Nikula, bass clarinet, electronics by Marko Myöhänen and Timo Kurkikangas

10 Jul
Johan Tallgren: Quatuor à Royaumont
SMASH ensemble

10 Jul
Michael Finnissy: ”Viitasaari” (premiere)
Kimmo Kuokkala: Kirvis
Matei Gheorghiu: new work (premiere, Ears Open)
Uusinta, cond. Nils Schweckendiek

11 Jul
Markku Klami: aura (premiere, Ears Open)
Hanna Kinnunen, flute, Emil Holmström, piano, Marko Myöhänen and Timo Kurkikangas, electronics

Merja Hottinen / Fimic
2 July, 2009