The folk tunes from Kaustinen have a certain flow and sense of breadth, reminiscent of the vast openness of the river valley landscape with its surrounding fields and rocky forests. Bach’s music, on the other hand, is full of chords that have been ingeniously written out and details that are small and incredibly intricate, demanding such close attention that the larger view often remains unseen. When choosing the repertoire and matching the Bach and Kaustinen dances together, Kentala was on a lookout for pairs of tunes with kindred spirits. Violinist Kreeta-Maria Kentala is a pioneer in the Finnish movement for early music. She’s at home as a soloist, a leader and a teacher of Baroque, Classical, Romantic music as well as folk music.