TRAVEL DIARY

A weblog regularly updated by Jodi Rose.

Friday, April 1, 2005

10:14 AM
Posted by jodi rose

On a lighter note, the final New Music Academy Concert last night was superb.
Shinji Kanki created a fantastic performance by 4 mechanical pianos playing the George Antheil score written for Fernand Leger's 1924 film Ballet Mecanique. He played the film silent first, always fun to see again, and then the music afterwards - as the composer and film maker didn't work together, so the film is 11 minutes and the score 27 minutes. those kooky avant garde artists. it was completely gorgeous, watching these 4 upright pianos playing themselves, virtuoso flourishes along the keyboard, set off with various bells and train sounds, and Shinji behind them, paying close attention to the conductor's baton. I told him later that I imagined he was playing a keyboard back there, and he explained the music was all programmed already, but he did vary the tempo.
Afterwards I talked with Yukihiro Notsu, who conducted the performance and asked him about the experience. He told me it was very different to what he is used to, and as the pianos didn't change their performance when his gestures became more dramatic and impassioned, he kept the gestures minimal, and stayed responsive to their playing. We had an excellent conversation about strategies for conducting bridges!
Followed by Dario Martinelli and Petri Kuljuntausta, the Zoo Musicologists of Helsinki University with 'Do Not Feed the Artists 2005' a very cool piece composed entirely from animal sounds.
It was a beautiful show, really tickled my senses and made me smile. I even received a long stemmed red rose, after beign invited to give them to all the musicians - very glamorous to be part of the Sibelius Academy performance! And it's the venue in which I will be conducting the bridge stream in a few weeks, so was good to have a sense of the space. Although I think Mark is going to need to cover it in purple velvet for me, to break up the hushed classical atmosphere. Maybe the bridges will do that by themselves...
and now, back to the accommodation jigsaw for my lovely particle wavers.
Also we're installing the radio station today for beta test broadcast phase - quite excited about taking the mini mac up to digita tower in Pasila, and getting on air. Although in Finland, the phrase 'on air' as in radio doesn't really translate - it would be like walking on air, people tell us. Although 'in the ether' is kind of equivalent.
There is another phrase which I couldn't begin to remember, but means 'a task so trivial or boring that it cannot be done sober.' indeed. not that I'm advocating alcoholism, far from it - trying to avoid those kind of menial activities works for me.