Programme
Mika Kares, bass
Kirill Kozlovski, piano
TAUNO PYLKKÄNEN
The Swan of Death, Op. 21 (Aino Kallas)
TAUNO PYLKKÄNEN
1. The Swan of Death
2. Pastorale
3. The Last Lullaby
4. A Heavenly Sleigh Ride
5. Swan Song
OSKAR MERIKANTO
Barcarolle, Op. 65
OSKAR MERIKANTO
Why Do I Sing
To the Spring Birds in the South
Apple Blossoms
Lake Ladoga
Saturday Evening
The Weeping Flute
Evening Bells
At Sea
INTERMISSION
TOIVO KUULA
Shepherd’s Polska
TOIVO KUULA
1. South Ostrobothnian Folk Songs, Op. 17b (trad.)
2. As Long as I Tread On
3. That Word Should Not Be Spoken
4. Cry from the Depth of Your Grave
5. Oh Those Thousand Hours
6. My Grandfather’s Cottage
7. The Boys Roam the Villages
8. There It Can Be Seen
9. Heikki of Hautala
10. The Wind Bent the Birch Shoot
11. Jukka of Ketola
12. Just Take Back Your Ring
13. They Say It’s Pleasant to Be Alive
TOIVO KUULA
Peace
TOIVO KUULA
Op. 6 (V.A. Koskenniemi)
1. A Summer Night in the Churchyard
2. Epilogue
Tickets 40 | 38 | 20 €
Duration 1 h 20 min, 1 intermission
At the Turku Music Festival in August 2026, audiences will experience an exceptional lied recital as the internationally acclaimed bass Mika Kares returns to Finnish stages together with his long-time collaborator, Doctor of Music Kirill Kozlovski. The concert In the Dark Stream, performed in the atmospheric setting of Betel Church, brings together key works of Finnish vocal music with a deeply personal interpretation shaped over many years.
The programme is built around works by Tauno Pylkkänen, Oskar Merikanto, and Toivo Kuula. Kares and Kozlovski have created a programme that celebrates the Finnish language, poetry, and song tradition, featuring song cycles, solo songs, and piano works. A special highlight of the evening is Toivo Kuula’s arrangements of South Ostrobothnian folk songs—pieces that have accompanied Kares since his student years.
“It is a great honour to perform a full concert in Turku. Last year I experienced the incredible atmosphere of the Turku Music Festival and the Night of the Arts through a communal singing event, but now I also can present an entire concert of Finnish vocal music,” says Kares.
The programme also represents a personal journey for Kares:
“This concert begins a two-day presence for me in Turku, during which I will perform both solo and works that are close to my heart. It includes songs I was already singing as a young boy when I began my studies at the Rauma Music Institute. It is personally meaningful to perform these pieces, each of which carries a story for me. And performing for a Finnish audience is truly incomparable”, Kares adds with a smile.
In the Dark Stream is an evening where the deep tones of Finnish vocal music, poetic language, and powerful interpretation come together. It is a return to the roots—and at the same time a moment in which an internationally acclaimed artist shares the essence of his music with audiences in Turku.
Event's artists
INFO
- Address: Yliopistonkatu 29a, 20100 Turku
- Public transport: Several city centre stops are nearby.
- Accessibility: Betel Church is accessible via Puutarhakatu along a pedestrian path leading to the rear courtyard of the church. From the gable entrance (on the parking garage side), there is direct access to a lift to the second floor.
- Parking: You can drive directly to the church courtyard via the parking garage, where 5–6 parking spaces are reserved for visitors to the church.
