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A long time ago, I was attracted by the richness of music to study musicology at university. The breadth of the discipline was not a surprise – it was a given – but what did surprise me was the discovery of innumerable interfaces between music and science. Ploughing through a mountain of repertoire classes fostered my conception of what music is and at the same time underlined just thin our conception of repertoire is. Traditional harmony and counterpoint exercises trained my analytical ear yet somehow managed to uncover new and deeper structures at every turn, in fractal fashion.

Hietsu is Happening! runs on the logic of improvisation, while Helsinki Seriös has ambitions to become a new cornerstone of the chamber music scene. Both are examples of how non-institutional concert organisers can foster continuity. There is plenty of demand for small-format concerts out there, even if bringing marginal music offerings and audiences together is tedious and time-consuming.

In December 2021, Kaustinen fiddle playing was included on the UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The Kaustinen fiddling tradition has remained unbroken ever since the instrument first made its way to Finland some three hundred years ago. How does a living tradition pass from one generation to another, and what does the everyday music scene in Kaustinen look like?

"The ten tracks on the disc form an attractive whole showcasing the ancient connection between humans, music and nature and, on the other hand, modern cosmopolitanism."

"There are raucous dances with shifting metres, but there are also melancholic melodic arcs and soft moods."

"Polenta’s innovative arrangements highlight the natural rhythms and lovely melodies of these traditional pieces, and their sound world extends to a grand cinematic feel, complete with angelic harmonies."

"This music is clearly made for dancing – but in what way? That is for the listener to decide: one can dance Finnish and Karelian folk dances with their familiar steps to this music or listen to the metal sounds and make a mosh pit out of it."

"I enjoy the world haapoja & illmari kollektiivi create, where a folk music mood coexists with rap aesthetics and a soundscape vibe. Folk music is in the air, and the sound is so earthy you can practically hear the soil under the fingernails."

"The album makes the point that the need of the human animal to experience the sacred is tied up with the history of sexuality, gender and power."