September 28, 2018 @ 7 pm
Töölö Church, Topeliuksenkatu 4, Helsinki
Tickets: 15 / 10 € at the door
dir. Mikael Maasalo
Metamorphoses, transformations, are the theme of Utopia’s September concert. Western art has been inspired by metamorphosis for centuries. Shapeshifting is always fascinating: a thing or an idea develops and gradually finds new form. In looking for the roots or sources of something, we may come to a deeper understanding of the world around us. Metamorphoses were also the topic of the main work by the Roman poet Ovid.
Utopia’s concert Metamorphoses consists of three distinct and different descriptions of change. The first follows a melody over several centuries and national boundaries; how it is influenced by its environment into a variation of styles, and what happens when it finally reaches Finnish shores.
The second metamorphosis is built around Sven-David Sandström’s work “Hear my Prayer”, in which Henry Purcell’s composition takes an entirely new form and transports us to modernity.
The third metamorphosis takes place in the world of the Kalevala, Finland’s national epic. Väinämöinen, the great sage, finds the jaw bone of a pike and from it, builds the first kantele. This is performed in the traditional runo-singing style, accompanied by old instruments. The Kalevala epic, Finland’s mythology, contains numerous examples of transformations. The stories have a power quite comparable to the myths detailed by Ovid.
Welcome, all, and in the company of us Utopians, witness the transformation of your working week into a relaxing and peaceful weekend!