
Forest: Symphony
4/22/2024 | 1h 10m 9sVideo has Closed Captions
The Chamber Music Festival arrives in the small Finnish town Kuhmo.
Kuhmo is a typical Finnish small town, with one exception: the Kuhmo Chamber Music Festival, which turns the small sleepy nest into a metropolis every summer. Musicians populate the streets with their instruments, crowds of people stream from concert to concert, music swirls across the lakes and crackles in the fire.
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ALL ARTS Documentary Selects is a local public television program presented by WLIW PBS

Forest: Symphony
4/22/2024 | 1h 10m 9sVideo has Closed Captions
Kuhmo is a typical Finnish small town, with one exception: the Kuhmo Chamber Music Festival, which turns the small sleepy nest into a metropolis every summer. Musicians populate the streets with their instruments, crowds of people stream from concert to concert, music swirls across the lakes and crackles in the fire.
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
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-Each time, when I make the planning... -Yeah?
Man: It always bump into, yes, but you cannot put that there because there are too many people or there's two pianos and we have no place for two pianos and there's no place for piano and harp.
So, it has its limitations, and we always did like this.
I tell you exactly what it is.
300 compositions.
That's -- He puts into a new order.
It's -- It's -- To this, I would say, "Not enough."
That's correct.
Yes.
There are 1,000 compositions.
[ Vocalizing ] Was it hard?
It doesn't matter.
It doesn't matter.
Most essentially is that when one does -- let's call it composition of a program, it is like composing a symphony.
You don't look at hard or easy or if you go easy, it's disaster.
People tell me, "Go easy, go easy,' but you can go only honest.
Easy is not an option.
It's honest or honest.
[ Engine running ] [ Saw buzzing ] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Water dripping ] [ Engine starts ] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Engine revving ] [ Weed whacker buzzing ] [ Laughs ] [ Piano plays ] [ Piano plays ] [ Applause ] ♪♪ [ Laughs ] [ Laughter ] [ Turn signal clicking ] [ Both laugh ] Mm-hmm.
[ Indistinct chatter ] [ Register beeping ] ♪♪ [ Airplane engine roaring ] [ Laughs ] -We all go in this car?
-Yes.
Man: We all.
-I have automatic door.
-Oh, sorry.
[ Laughs ] Hi.
[ Smooches ] Nice to see you.
In my mind, it is no competition.
Each festival is like a flower.
One is green, one is yellow, one is red, one is big, one is small, one smells good, one doesn't smell at all.
It's all plastic.
And so on.
In a way, it's not loyal competition as [speaking foreign language].
We are home-made, not bank-made.
[ Register drawer opens ] [ Applause ] [ Insect buzzing ] ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Bell rings ] ♪♪ ♪♪ What are you playing?
Albinoni.
Albinoni.
Here.
Good.
-Hello.
-I'm Belle.
Sari: Oh, you are Belle.
I am Sari.
Pleased to meet you.
Sa...ri.
Sari.
Sari.
[ Both laugh ] Nice to meet you, Sari.
Nice to see you.
So, you are most welcome to Kuhmo.
♪♪ [ Indistinct chatter ] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Applause ] ♪♪ [ Laughs ] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ -Lie like corpse.
-Yes.
Man: And hands -- both hands.
♪♪ ♪♪ [ Chuckles ] Man: Okay, we go.
Thank you.
♪♪ ♪♪ -So, this is our crew?
-Yes.
Hello, ladies.
My name is Pertti.
-Okay.
-I'm your guide.
[ Speaking Spanish ] We're going to be seeing some interesting places.
[ Speaking Spanish ] Yeah.
And first, we go to see my map.
These blue, red, and yellow lines are our cross-country ski tracks in winter.
[ Speaking Spanish ] Cross-country skiing is very, very popular.
[ Speaking Spanish ] Have you tasted the small...
Yes.
Muy gorgeous.
A lot.
And remember when you take picture?
Okay.
Normally, people in Middle Europe, they say, "cheese".
Okay.
But you say, "[speaking foreign]" [ Speaking Spanish ] [ Laughter ] Should we do the connection to the number five?
Yes.
Yes, please.
So... [ Shaker shakes ] ♪♪ We should try there.
We have another hour, I think.
Great.
We definitely need to try the glasses.
Yep.
♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Gong sounds ] [ Cheers and applause ] Man: I was...
I should have had more as well, but I didn't.
I like it, baby.
Yeah, yeah, I like that.
A band of brothers, you know?
You're kind of soldiers.
Like, you have been fighting a long time and now you are -- Yes, yes.
Very, very macho.
Macho.
[ Camera shutter clicking ] This is great, great stuff.
Great stuff.
And you can make -- Yes.
[ Camera shutter clicking ] And then you make the fire brigade scream.
[ Screaming ] Man: Blud, a little bit closer.
Yes.
Now it's good.
♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Applause ] [ Cheers and applause ] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ But you can find Finland whenever you want.
I see.
So, this is not a problem.
No.
No.
No.
So, I mean -- I went to buy snow.
Yes.
[ Laughs ] We are in Finland.
Everything is possible.
[ Music box playing ] Ah.
Ah.
Ah.
And that one, too.
Okay.
You choose.
Choose.
Stradivari or Guarneri.
What do you prefer?
Well, this is...
But I mean, it doesn't stop.
[ Laughter ] You can stop this.
This one?
Then I take it.
Okay, let's bring the timbale here.
Yeah?
Okay.
Go.
Also, a little bit like this.
Yeah?
This way?
Yeah.
Thank you.
♪♪ ♪♪ Man: Up on the right -- But I remember this one, yes.
Hello.
Once again.
-Have you been here before?
-Yes, I love it.
Man: Okay, so, you know the way, okay?
You're welcome.
Woman: Okay.
Cold.
Ah.
Oh...It's all wet.
Well, what did you think?
[ Laughs ] Look.
we can put beer here.
Where?
Here.
My goodness.
This is Finnish.
Look at that.
Okay.
Alright.
Thank you.
Which way -- Have you done this before?
Which way is Russia?
Yes.
Which way is Russia?
Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.
International water.
International water.
Okay.
[ Grunting ] Come on.
I think we're sinking.
I think you're too fat.
[ Grunts ] Push.
Julian, call the ambulance if I don't come back in 10 minutes.
No.
[ Grunts ] [ Grunts ] Bon voyage.
Bon voyage.
What do we do now?
You start paddling.
There's no engine?
You start paddling.
How do I -- There's no peddles.
Where's the peddles?
[ Chuckles ] Boy, boy.
Crazy men.
[ Laughter ] A very happy -- Happy song.
Happy words.
Ladies and gentlemen, I hope the day was good.
It's going to get a little bit worse now with this rehearsal, and then back to good.
♪♪ Vtt!
♪♪ This was your -- Sorry.
You have a -- [imitates note] So -- [imitates note] -- and then -- what?
[ Alarm ringing ] [ Laughs ] [ Indistinct chatter ] Ludi, can we once more ask how do we start?
Do we all go in?
We go normal on stage.
Do I have the -- We sit.
...the other music with me, or...
The what?
The musical...
The musical...
Yes, yes.
It can be on stage.
Yeah.
Okay.
And you...
Yes, okay.
...wind it.
Okay.
I look at Pertti, I look at [indistinct], and if I see that they get stuck, you do.
Okay.
Yeah.
And then I give this, and then...and then.... [ Laughter ] And then... [ Indistinct chatter ] I'm just trying to make sure that there is a sound.
Well, if there's no sound, you'll see the... Yeah.
It's like -- You never know what comes out.
[ Laughter ] Thank you, guys.
I love you, whatever you do.
♪♪ ♪♪ One more.
Let's go.
[ Applause ] Come on, guys.
Come here, too.
Come here.
[ Cheers and applause ] [ Indistinct talking ] [ Chuckles ] [ Woman chuckles ] You see, guys, who they like the most?
[ Laughter ] -We're the real stars.
-Yeah, you're the real stars.
[ Indistinct chatter ] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ That's good.
As high as possible.
♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ Thank you very much.
I just come from this orchestra rehearsal, and it's "The Death of Melisande", and now, it's again, a story about death also.
And I think you play very nicely, but too nicely.
Much too nicely.
♪♪ ♪♪ Okay, thank you very much.
It's very nice, but it's too nice, what you do here.
[ Imitating music ] You know?
Um... [ Imitating music ] And for me, it's like mosquito, who is perfect.
[ Buzzing ] [ Imitating music ] The closer -- not nice.
Big tension of the sound, and then -- [ Imitates music ] Could you try that once?
Do you know, Shostakovich was a guy who -- he was very nervous.
And when somebody was asking him some question, his thing was -- "I don't know.
Maybe.
Um..." Every time, like this.
And after a second -- [ Imitating music ] Something is stirring.
Big crescendo!
♪♪ Still!
Still!
Still!
♪♪ Yeah.
Good.
Once again.
Don't forget, when we are playing, we are actors, and we have to play extreme.
We are not allowed to be shy in music.
♪♪ ♪♪ Man: [ Indistinct ] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Laughter ] -Now we're good.
-Yeah.
Woman: Yeah.
Man: I don't want to lose my paddle.
So you throw it into the water?
Yeah, yeah, but...
Okay.
What happens next?
Hello.
Yes!
Wow!
Big pike.
Wow!
Amazing.
[ Laughs ] And baby pikes also?
Eh, there are pike and small perch.
Amazing.
♪♪ Well, what a big mouth.
Yeah.
[ Gasps ] Wow.
Whoa.
Incredible.
Good.
[ Laughs ] Wow.
♪♪ I didn't expect that.
[ Laughs ] Wow.
♪♪ ♪♪ [ Imitating music ] [ Fire crackling ] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Saw buzzing ] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Person coughs ] [ Cheers and applause ] Thank you.
Thank you.
Ari, thank you.
Thank you so much.
It was great.
Mwah.
Sari.
Thank you.
We did it.
Thank you.
Thank you for everything.
I go, I pack, I look for things, I start looking under the bed for passport and so on.
Now, it's organizing time.
I'm so happy.
Thank you.
Alright.
Hello, Lassi.
How are you?
Nice to see.
Nice to see you.
Hello.
Nice to see you.
How are you?
Hello.
Nice to see you.
Hello.
Hello.
[ Chuckles ] Ah!
Ah!
Ah!
[ Laughs ] -Mmm.
-Mmm.
[ Slapping ] [ Water splashing ] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Slapping ] [ Steam hissing ]
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