VocalEspoo: BERIO101: BFP – Bergå Folk Project

Performers: Esko Grundström, double bass, kantele, vocals Aili Järvelä, vocals, violin, accordion Topi Korhonen, guitar, mandolin, vocals Iida Savolainen, viola, vocals, jouhikko Four musicians, twelve instruments, and eight sung languages – the Folk Songs heard in the second concert of the Berio101 series shifts into completely new gears in the hands of BFP (formerly Bergå Folk Project)! Berio delved into folk music more and more thoroughly from the 1960s onwards. He traveled around Sicily for weeks at a time, recording the songs of the street vendors he came across. Berio had a strong emotional relationship with folk music – it was an endless source of inspiration and surprises. He was deeply moved by its connection to everyday life, work, and the very way of making music. In his own words, he had a "utopian" goal of creating a unity between art music and folk music, and he strove for this until the end of his life. The result was many works where folk music is strongly present, but hardly anywhere as clearly as in Folk Songs. The work, born through Berio's avant-garde lenses, has gained a solid position as an undisputed classic of contemporary music. But what happens when the toughest makers of Finnish folk music tackle these versions and transform them back into folk music? Originally commissioned for the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra's Kohtaamisia club, the arranging task and the previously unfamiliar Folk Songs work was approached by BFP with mixed feelings of terror – but the end result is spectacular. The pieces were divided among the band based on how each part spoke to each member. The originally impressive language cavalcade of the song cycle has been expanded to include Finnish and Swedish; additionally, guitarist Topi Korhonen even managed to find the original version of the Azerbaijan Love Song. Despite this, according to lead singer Aili Järvelä, the song is performed in "Rally-Azeri". You can expect several global and folk music trends, palpable interpretations, and jaw-dropping action! Program: Luciano Berio (1925–2003): Folk Songs Duration: Approx. 70 min Kupla events 2026