Tuesday 7 April 2020

How Covid-19 Changed my 2020


This picture was taken exactly five weeks ago after I had given a guest lecture about my music at Malmö Academy of Music, a week during which I was working as a jury member for the new composition student admissions for my former university. How much life has changed since then!
Four weeks ago on Monday the 9th of March I flew home from Malmö, departing from Copenhagen airport. I was one of the only ones using a face mask at the airport, and happily unknowing my timing was quite perfect, travelling about 5 days before Denmark made a one month travel ban.
Since then all my concerts and events have been cancelled or postponed. I was looking forward to giving a speak about political music at Tampere Biennale's composer seminar, to hear my string quartet Via Crucis be performed at Heta Music Days in Lappland, to hear the wonderful conductor Christian Reif perform my piece Lucrum with W and last but not least: making my Australian debut with my piece Tundo! played by the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra conducted by Håkan Hardenberger. In total 14 concerts with my music cancelled (so far). 
More over I started to have slight flu-like symptoms fours days after my travel and went into voluntary quarantine on Friday the 13th of March. The first 8 days I had not much fever (about 37.8°C), hardly any cough, just a little sore throat, some muscle pain, nausea and headaches and a lot of tiredness all the time. On day 9 my breathing difficulties started, which over time have become less but still not seized (now day 26 in total). I was twice checked up but as I'm not in the risk group, I wasn't tested for COVID-19. 
But despite this all above I feel I have been very lucky and am at good spirit. I'm in a privileged position considering work, as nothing has changed so far - working from home as usual. As soon as I'm able again, I will be working on a new piece for violin and piano for the one and only Pekka Kuusisto and Tarmo Peltokoski, can't wait!
My warmest thoughts are with all my friends in the different cultural fields as well as in other fields (for instance restaurants) who lost several month of work due to the pandemic. My thoughts are also with all the brave and hard working doctors and nurses out at the front line under enormous pressure and and endangering their own lives. And my sincere condolences to all who have lost loved ones to COVID-19.
Just wanted to give an update whats been going in my life and that I'm okay! Sending you all lots of love and hope! Take care!😘

Friday 3 April 2020

Online Operas during Corona Lockdown

Here is a list of online opera performances I saw on Facebook, and felt this is something everybody (interested in opera) should know about!

Today also my bilingual children opera "Vickan & Väinö" was recorded for being broadcast later this spring! Sharing that with you as soon as it comes out!

But for now:

Metropolitan New York
https://www.metopera.org/
3.4 Les Pêcheurs de Perles
4.4 Macbeth
5.4 Norma
6.4 Aida
7.4 La Fanciulla del West
8.4 Falstaff
9.4 Parsifal
10.4 Gounod: Roméo et Juliette
11.4 Don Pasquale
12.4 Cosi fan tutte

Bayerische Staatsoper München
https://www.staatsoper.de/
Lucia di Lammermoor until the 8th of April
Parsifal until the 11th of April
Boris Godunov 18th of April to the 2nd of May
L’elisir d’amore 4.-18th of April
Die Frau ohne Schatten 11.-25th of April

Komische Oper Berlin
https://www.komische-oper-berlin.de/
8.4 Pelléas et Mélisande
18.4 La Bohème
1.5 Jewgeni Onegin

Deutsche Oper Berlin
https://www.deutscheoperberlin.de//de_DE/home
2.-4.4 Tristan und Isolde
4.-6.4 Fidelio
6.-8.4 Cimarosa: Die Heimliche Ehe
8.10.4 Aribert Reimann: Die Gespenstersonate
10.-12.4 Don Giovanni
12.-14.4 Don Carlos
14.-16.4 Carl Heinrich Graun: Montezuma
16..18.4 Wolfgang Rihm: Oedipus

Staatsoper Berlin
https://www.staatsoper-berlin.de/de/
03.04.2020 »Hippolyte et Aricie« Jean-Philippe Rameau
04.04.2020 Staatskapelle & Barenboim spielen Brahms
05.04.2020 »Così fan tutte« Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
06.04.2020 »Tannhäuser« Richard Wagner
07.04.2020 Staatskapelle & Barenboim spielen Brahms
08.04.2020 »Tristan und Isolde« Richard Wagner
09.04.2020 Staatskapelle & Barenboim spielen Bruckner
10.04.2020 »Parsifal« Richard Wagner
11.04.2020 Barenboim & Staatskapelle spielen Beethoven
12.04.2020 Staatskapelle & Barenboim spielen Bruckner
13.04.2020 »Parsifal« Richard Wagner
14.04.2020 »Violetter Schnee« Beat Furrer
15.04.2020 »Die Verlobung im Kloster« Sergej Prokojew
16.04.2020 »Der Rosenkavalier« Richard Strauss
17.04.2020 »Der Spieler« Sergej Prokofjew
18.04.2020 Barenboim spielt Beethoven-Klaviersonaten
19.04.2020 »Manon« Jules Massenet

Royal Opera House Covent Garden London
https://www.roh.org.uk/
Acis and Galatea, The Royal Opera, 2009 – 3 April 2020, 7pm BST
Così fan tutte, The Royal Opera, 2010 – 10 April 2020, 7pm BST
The Metamorphosis, The Royal Ballet, 2013 – 17 April 2020, 7pm BST
Gloriana, The Royal Opera, 2013 – 24 April 2020, 7pm BST
The Winter’s Tale, The Royal Ballet, 2014 – 1 May 2020, 7pm BST

The Salzburg Easter Festival
https://www.osterfestspiele-salzburg.at/videos-1833.html
Die Walküre, 2017, Available: 4 April, 12:00 to 6 April, 12:00
Otello, 2016, Available: 6 April, 12:00 to 8 April, 12:00
Cavalleria rusticana, 2015, Available: 8 April, 12:00 to 10 April, 12:00
Pagliacci, 2015, Available: 10 April, 12:00 to 12 April, 12:00
Arabella, 2014, Available: 12 April, 12:00 to 14 April, 12:00
Parsifal, 2013, Available: 14 April, 12:00 to 16 April, 12:00