Life out of balance

The Helsinki Festival had a special focus on the American composer / pianist Philip Glass this year. I went to see his beautiful piano recital, but of more interest was the film Koyaanisqatsi for which he had composed the music. The festival also presented the film in the Music Centre of Helsinki with live music, but I opted for the cheap version in the cinema (perfect!).

The film was absolutely gorgeous and the theme was obviously close to my heart: the exploitation of the planet by humans, the consequences and the craziness of it all. The film is directed by Godfrey Reggio and it was made already thirty years ago. However, the theme is even more actual now. In fact, it is devastating to see how things have only got worse. When will we learn that our way of life is not good for us or our surroundings?

The word 'koyaanisqatsi' is Hopi indian language, meaning 'life out of balance'. How wonderful that they have a specific word for that, it is a truly useful word. The film excellently portrays how life is out of balance: that is, humans and the nature are not in balance and humans are not in balance with themselves.

The film starts with amazing images from somewhere in Arizona or Nevada desert. At first, you think that it will be a film of the beauty of the nature. But suddenly, the tone of the music changes and emerge the tractors, the huge machines turning around the soil, explosions, oil rigs. Exploitation of the planet. After the beautiful images, it's a shock. The film goes on to show images of cities and human constructions. 8-lane highways in the USA. Skyscrapers. Big cities. You are simultaneously aghast but also admiring the capacity of the engineers to create and manipulate our environment. A capacity that is so grand that it makes you a little scared as well. 

However, all these constructions and destruction of the nature doesn't seem to make us happy. A sequence of the film with fast and almost psychedelic music and images makes you think of the craziness of our busy and stressed out lives. Like ants working working working without any idea why, no time to think what we are doing and why. And could there be any other way. We don't treat only the nature in a shameful way but also other nations, other people.

The films ends with the explosion of a spacecraft,  I guess the images were of Challenger exploding after its take-off. It was a great symbol for the capacity of the humans to create unimaginable things, but also how this engineering intelligence and greediness lead us to our own fall.

Thoughts inspired by the Berliner Philharmoniker

A cosy November Saturday got a dose of glamour this evening as I went to a concert by Berliner Philharmoniker at the Helsinki Music Centre. Sir Simon Rattle was conducting the distinguished orchestra so the tickets were sold out immediately. I was alerted and got mine three minutes after the opening of the ticket sales on internet. Seven minutes later, there were no tickets left. The orchestra deserves its status as one of the best orchestras in the world; the playing was magnificent and the Finnish audience exalted (one gentleman was a bit more reserved).

It was a wonderful concert during which I processed several little ideas and thoughts (I did listen to the music as well and enjoyed greatly my seat of 85 Euros...). Here are some of my thoughts inspired by the music:

1) The gender balance in the orchestra: Of the around 30 players of wind instruments, three were women. All the contrabass players were men (two of which were Finnish and got a huge applause at the end when Simon Rattle shook their hands) as well as the percussionists. 4 women played violin compared to 24 men, and so on. The only female-dominated instrument was the harp (2 women, no men); in fact, I've never seen a man playing a harp. At the same time, music schools are full of girls and many more girls play some instrument in their youth than boys (or the boys are playing guitar dreaming of becoming the new Kurt Cobain or who ever is nowadays their music hero). So what is the reason for this bias? It seems to happen in many fields of culture (think of great chefs for example).

2) How are the musicians in the orchestra remunerated? Do they all get the same average monthly salary, even that guy playing the triangle? How can you make a living with a triangle anyway? (One of the questions I always ask myself in classical concerts.)

3) After the intermission, when the orchestra on the stage was significantly reduced, what did the rest of the group do? Went out to enjoy the Helsinki night life?

4) For whom were the three black and fancy Mercedes-Benz outside after the concert? Simon Rattle, ministers, the President? (I later found out that the attendees included the former president of Finland Tarja Halonen and the Minister of culture Paavo Arhinmäki who hitherto has shown little interest for classical music.) Very glamorous evening in general, for a second I amused myself with the idea of belonging to the cultural elite of Helsinki.

5) How does Instagram work? (I signed up today and the result is below)

6) Why couldn't the Finns dress like this more often? Men looked superb. Bravo! I actually felt that my own red dress was completely inappropriate (and my thighs looked fat in the white tights) - for once I could have put one of my fancy dresses on. Dammit! That's it for me being part of the cultural elite...

7) The guys playing tambourine, castanets, triangle and the cymbals looked like the Mexican mariachi guys at the end of the Ravel they were playing, and when I though of this I had to hold my laughter, but my shoulders were shaking. Hey teenagers, classical music can be fun!

8) I saw one of the jury members of the Finnish Idols and wondered what his last name is, Asko something. Starts with an s.

9) Are there any bald conductors? (I think the whirling hair makes them more charismatic.) And what do they do in any case? Simon Rattle was facing me during the concert, so I could observe him quite closely. This was really interesting and I saw he was gesturing not only with his hands and body but also with his face. But why is he regarded as one of the best conductors in the world? What is he gesturing there? What distinguishes a splendid conductor from an average one?

10) There was no pause between Ligeti and Wagner. That's why it took me so long to understand the programme. It was great anyhow. Wagner's prelude to Lohengrin was absolutely beautiful (see below, it reminded me a bit of Sibelius actually), while Ligeti was super interesting (the players were using ear plugs because of the high tones at some points).

What a great escape from autumn grayness...

Helsinki in August - August in Helsinki

August is definitely the best time to visit Helsinki and it competes well with Berlin, Copenhagen or other trendy cities as a travel destination. Helsinki has been full of art, design, music and performances during the last couple of weeks (hence, no blog posts about my trip in Africa). To be honest, the city offers perhaps even too many cultural activities in August. The quality of the Helsinki Festival (17.8.–2.9.2012) programme is always very high and I can guarantee that what ever you choose, you will be satisfied. 

I started the festival with a concert of Madeleine Peyroux, a former street singer from New York. She has a great raspy voice and makes wonderful versions of Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen songs as well as her own songs. She started the Huvila tent concert with Cohen's 'Dance me to the End of Love' (see below); coincidentally, Leonard Cohen started his own concert (a couple of weeks later) with the same song. Peyroux made fun of her own choice of sad and melancholic songs but I couldn't think of anything more suitable as the autumn approaches us and the evenings are getting darker. Wonderful concert.

The very cool and relaxed Art Goes Kapakka (art goes to a pub) happening brings live music and other forms of art in various pubs and restaurants in Helsinki. During ten days and ten nights, there were more than 300 events (free of charge) in Helsinki. I heard some sentimental indie folk by Selja Sini and Finnish klezmer by Narinkka. Considering the overwhelming cultural supply in August, I just wish that this event took place later in the autumn when the parks are too cold to accommodate (culture-) thirsty hipsters.

                                   

As with Taiteiden yö (the night of the arts), the AGK is a great way to bring art to all people regardless of the ability to pay. The city seems to be full of people – young and old alike – eager to enjoy art in all forms. During the night of arts, I first listened to some Ugandan music, then followed the amazing Domino chain going through the streets of Helsinki (see below) and finally listened to beautiful Argentine tango songs in my neighbourhood library. The idea of the night is that culture and people meet in unexpected places in unexpected ways. It works: the atmosphere in the city was really nice – I hope it could continue this way in the winter time as well.

                             

All the Domino photos by Helsinki Festival (Facebook).

Certainly, the idea of the domino chain was very simple. However, the way it brought excited people together was really cool. Thousands of people had congregated in the streets to follow the chain of blocks falling down. I could hardly see the blocks when the 'chain tumble' passed me, but I got emotional (in a somewhat hilarious way) by the idea how art can create such a sense of community. Bravo!

 People following the Domino in Senaatintori.

 The final part of the Domino.

One of the highlights of the festival was the magnificent Monteverdi concert in St. John's Church. Rinaldo Alessandrini (also in the video below) conducted the Helsinki Baroque Orchestra and choir in a brilliant version of Monteverdi's Vespri della Beata Vergine from the early 17th century. I got goose pumps and tears in my eyes immediately when I heard the powerful first notes. There is a feeling of perfection in Monteverdi's music – almost as if he had received the notes straight from God. 

This music makes me believe in gods.

One great thing about the Helsinki Festival is that they introduce a lot of good artists to people who don't follow the happenings in the art world so closely. I found out about this cool young Belgian singer Selah Sue that has sold tens of thousands of albums in Belgium and France. She was indeed very talented and I'm sure we'll hear more about her in the future. She had a great voice and an original style (see below), a mix of funk, soul and rap in the footsteps of Lauryn Hill, Erykah Badu and other great female voices of the recent years.

                                      

In addition to these, I enjoyed classical music in the Helsinki Music Centre with Gewandhausorchester Leipzig conducted by Riccardo Chailly. They started with Mendelsshon's Violin concerto e-minor 64 (Nikolaj Znaider playing the violin), again unforgettable first notes (another version by Isaac Stern below) and obviously there was the sound of history and great tradition in the air as the orchestra in question was once conducted by Mendelsshon himself.

                                      

                                      

Last one of my concert experiences was a piano concert by Pierre-Aimard Laurent (below in the photo) visualised simultaneously by a British artist Normal Perryman (see video above on his "live kinetic painting"). While it was difficult in the beginning to follow both the music and the images reflected on the screen (done on the overhead projector with colourful paints), I then understood how the two forms of art complemented each other. A fabulous experience once again. 

Both photos from Helsinki Festival website.

After these overwhelmingly powerful cultural experiences, I can't help thinking of economy. In the middle of an economic crisis and budget cuts, I am extremely sorry that governments don't seem to understand the value of culture to the well-being of people and the beauty of life. More culture – less wars, unhappiness and anxiety.

It is easy to oppose subsidies to opera or theatres when jobs are at risk, but I can’t think of a more woeful society than a society without a wealthy variety of culture. It’s the end of our civilization if only profitable forms of culture can exist (Angry Birds and other video games?). It will make the selection in our libraries very poor if only best-sellers can be written (Da Vinci Code and Paasilinna?). Somehow, I wish no democracy in culture, if it means that I must read and watch what the majority is reading and watching.