Folk It!

fri 4 nov 2022 21:00 hour

Nordic Sounds

In 2000, four residents of Espoo, the second largest city in Finland, met at the Juvenalia Institute to receive tuition in Finnish folk music, but especially to learn to play Finland’s national folk music instrument -the kantele-. Maija Pokela, Jutta Rahmel and twins Anna and Leeni Wegelius were only 9 and 10 years old. The four young girls get to know each other through the obligatory tutelage in playing ‘as an ensemble’. Over 20 years later, Kardemimmit is still a group of friends, although they are now internationally acclaimed musicians. They succumb to the ‘performing bug’ and perform their first international tour on a cruise ship at 13. In 2006, they released their debut album Viira, which consists mainly of instrumental pieces. These are performed on three 15-string kanteles and one larger concert kantele with 35 strings. This mix of instruments will remain a constant throughout their career. But the pieces containing vocals start to increase with the four women employing ancient singing techniques, like the reki and runo. The concept of the albums is always the same: two compositions by each group member and the rest supplemented by traditionals or works by other musicians. Kaisla (Sea Fever) (2009), Autio Huvila (Abandoned House) (2012), Onni (Cheerfulness) (2015), Kesäyön Valo (Midnight Sun) (2017) soon follow.

For the 20th anniversary, Kardemimmit had planned a retrospective album, but it was postponed due to the Covid pandemic. In October, we saw the release of Sisko Muistakto (Sis, Can You Remember), an album of 10 new compositions. Not only the instruments are what make Kardemimmit special. It is also the fact that it is a women-only formation that makes them unique. Not that this is a central theme of the group, but Kardemimmit is an example for young girls to create music. Women performing not as an eye-catching singer or background vocalists in an otherwise male-dominated formation but as independent performing musicians. You should read the booklet accompanying the CD to show that you can get caught in all kinds of situations while doing so.

Read the review of Kardemimmit’s albums at: www.newfolksounds.nl