I’m composer Ari Romppanen from Finland, and at first I’d like to thank you for inviting me to participate into this project and to share some thoughts.
The last year-and-a-half has been quite silent here, as in many other place, too. Several performances - also for my own works - have been postponed, andfew of them have still remained as unperformed. But what comes to my own work as a composer, the influence has maybe not been as big as it has been for performers. After all, composer is a lonely animal working in his/her office, so it doesn’t make so much difference if there are restrictions for meeting other people or not. It’s just not possible to hear those pieces written.
What comes to pandemic, during it many of us have been forced to learn to work using remote connections. It’s certainly good thing to remember also after the situation otherwise has returned back to normal. Somehow it seems that now I even have more international connections than I had before the pandemic, also few collaborative, international projects have been born during pandemic. And from the beginning of October restrictions don’t limit amount of audiences in concerts in Finland, although situation is closely followed and will be changed if needed.
But one sad thing to notice was that during all restrictions people were quite worried about situation of bars, restaurants and many other small business while they couldn’t use their full capacity, many were even closed. But at the same time so many were downright satisfied with concerts and other cultural events being closed, even if there were much more people without workbecause of them. Seems that there’s still a lot of work to be done beforegaining that appreciation which culture deserves in society. But many people also missed concerts and other events, those we already had, have been withgood audiences.
Profile
Ari Romppanen is a Finnish composer who graduated from Sibelius Academy.
His output consists mainly of chamber music and works for solo instruments.
Trained as a pianist, he has specially co-operated with many pianists, and his piano works have received prizes in several composition competitions.
He has also participated in collaborative projects combining theater, dance, contemporary circus and music. www.ariromppanen.com
Hello, my name is Sari Blå, I am a pianist from Finland.
When corona hit the world in spring 2020, suddenly it was quiet. Quiet everywhere. Schools
were closed, sports centers were closed, concert halls were closed. My calendar was empty.
Every event I had on my calendar was postponed or canceled. All of a sudden I noticed that
I was working remotely. Everyone was
In the following summer, everyone seemed to be worried about restaurants and bars and
how they would survive, but no one seemed to care about culture. People were happy that
concerts and festivals were canceled even though there were no infections in concert halls.
It was a strange situation. I think people were afraid and needed some way to relieve their
anxiety.
When my calendar was empty I saw that as an opportunity to deepen my musical
expression. Suddenly I also had time to concentrate on my personal goals. Recently I have
had time to explore new music more deeply and open some new doors in music. In that way
the pandemic gave time to breathe deep.
Now, a year and a half after, when concerts are allowed again, the concert halls are loaded
with the audience. It is like people are craving culture after a long break. Even the smallest
events get a lot of interest. Recently I have begun performing some small concerts in places
where people are: coffee houses, museums, libraries. It is not yet certain how long these
events are possible: the situation is worsening again. It is yet to see how cultural life will form
in the future. Is it time for the big concerts to fade away and small events to rise?
Profile
Sari Blå is a Finnish pianist (Master of Arts) and music philosopher (Master of Philosophy).
Shi is currently working as a pianist and chamber musician as well as an accompanist.
A keen advocate of new music, she enjoys collaborating with composers.
Her playing is said to be a fascinating journey of musical colors. www.saribla.com