Karelians return with lively concert

Published 4:00 pm Wednesday, March 12, 2003

The Karelian Folk Music Ensemble returns to Astoria for a concert at 7 p.m. Friday, March 14 at Suomi Hall, 244 W. Marine Drive.

The ensemble hails from the Russian Republic of Karelia on the Finnish border. Their music ranges from epic songs accompanied by Finnish harps to acapella Russian village songs, from old shepherd melodies on wooden trumpets and flutes to Finnish dances on accordions and from scythe accompaniment to church bells. The members of the group are Igor Arhkipoff, Alexander “Sasha” Bykadoroff and Arto Rinne.

The ensemble has toured the United States with many performances in the West and Midwest. In addition to concert tours, the ensemble is a featured group in the Christmas Revels Northlands show, a theatrical show based on traditional songs, music and dances from Scandinavia and Karelia.

Their CD “From the Land of the Kalevala,” released by Gadfly Records in January 2001, includes a mix of instrumental and vocal pieces and Finnish, Russian and Karelian languages. Previous recordings include “The Karelian Folk Music Ensemble” and “Ingrian Folk Songs.”

Tickets are $10.