Folk It!

fri 3 mar 2023 21:00 hour

Composer: Peeter Vähi

Nordic Sounds

A second episode of Nordic Sounds about the Baltic country Estonia. This time featuring singer Kirile Loo, kannel player Mari Kalkun, and accordionists Tuulikki Bartosik.

Tuulikki-Bartosik (l) en Mari Kalkun (r)

All three women base their music on the traditional structures of Estonian folk music. Sometimes they adapt an inherited melody or song, but more often they create a new composition around an old theme. Loo is a singer and composer, with only two albums to her name. Kalkun plays the 12- and 36-string kannel, the Estonian variant of the better-known Finnish kantele. She studied in Finland, but also at the conservatory in Estonia. Kalkun is also part of the group Runorum and is a frequently requested guest musician on very diverse albums by international fellow musicians. For example, she recently contributed to the latest album by the multicultural Belgian group Tamala. Bartosik, in fact, followed the reverse path. After contributions in collaborative projects, her first album under her own name only appeared in 2017. It features three guest musicians, including her mentor, the Finnish pianist Timo Alakotila. Her most recent album is entirely filled with sounds from the accordionist.