CHOREOGRAPHIES
JÄLKI - TRACE | ON A STRING | FROM THE GRAMMAR OF DREAMS - LOHN | SWAN SONG |
BRIGHT SHADOW | ELECTRIC GUITAR | IT SAX | SE2 | KOTI - YKSIÖ |
FROM THE GRAMMAR OF DREAMS -
LOHN
MINNA TERVAMÄKI / PIA FREUND
FROM THE GRAMMAR OF DREAMS - LOHN
This cross-artistic concert brings together three acclaimed artists: soprano Pia Freund, who is a renowned interpreter of Kaija Saariaho's vocal music, chamber musician Minna Pensola, who is a member of Meta4, Finland’s internationally most respected string quartet, and the renowned dancer, Minna Tervamäki.
The words used by Kaija Saariaho's "From the Grammar of Dreams" opening in the evening are from Sylvia Plath's works. The narrative is strong and deals with life and death, escaping into madness and self-destruction and fighting them. At the end, the painful nightmare depicted by the work comes to an end, and the ultimate messages of the piece, daylight and life, remain.
Saariaho's second work, "Lonh", narrates the eternal fundamentals of humanity, namely love, death, departure and longing. The work follows loosely the traditional poetry meter and is thus divided into nine parts. In an electronic section, the text can be heard narrated in three languages: Occitan (Provence), French and English.
The third piece complementing the evening is an improvisation of Gustav Holst's "Four Songs for Soprano and Violin" and Arvo Pärt's "En Sang vor Langen Jahren" and improvisation of Minna Pensola and Minna Tervamäki, in which the violinist and the dancer inspire each other.
"The works performed during the evening are powerful both atmospherically and by content. The music had a direct impact on me and the works began to emerge as if by magic. What was particularly significant was the fact that Pia’s ideas were so similar to mine, even though we had not shared them with each other," Minna Tervamäki explains.
Soprano: Pia Freund
Violin: Minna Pensola
Choreography, dance: Minna Tervamäki
Music:
Kaija Saariaho:
From The Grammar Of Dreams) (1988)
Gustav Holst:
Four Songs for Soprano and Violin Op. 35 (1917)
Kaija Saariaho:
Lonh (1996) for soprano and electronics
Costume design and visualisation: Erika Turunen, Minna Tervamäki, Pia Freund
Lights: Antti Kuivalainen
ABOUT THE WORKS
"The works performed during the evening are powerful both atmospherically and by content. The music had a direct impact on me and the works began to emerge as if by magic. What was particularly significant was the fact that Pia’s ideas were so similar to mine, even though we had not shared them with each other," Minna Tervamäki explains.
– Minna Tervamäki
