On the first of May, a traditional Finnish holiday, we will not be resting, but instead wrestling with serious issues in the last of Finnish violin virtuoso Pekka Kuusisto’s residency recitals at Wigmore Hall. The concert will contemplate the human brain and its relation to music, featuring neuropsychologist Professor Dr Erik Scherder with visual designs by Jukka Huitila.
Pekka Kuusisto violin; Professor Dr Erik Scherder neuropsychologist; Jukka Huitila visual designer.
Wigmore Series, Wigmore Hall, 36 Wigmore Street, London, W1U 2BP, https://wigmore-hall.org.uk/whats-on/pekka-kuusisto-professor-dr-erik-scherder-jukka-huitila-201905011930, 1.5., 19.30, liput: £18–£40.
On the third of May, The Finnish Institute will present the last, and also most comprehensive, Feminist Swearing Night in collaboration with the British Library, following the Finnish concept. This last event will also include a crash-course into how to arrange your own feminist swearing night. We hope the highly empowering swearing night will start living a life of its own, and engage many women with a mission for years to come!
Feminist Swearing Night, Entrance Hall, The British Library, 96 Euston Road, London, NW1 2DB, https://www.bl.uk/events/feminist-swearing-night-may-2019, 3 May 2019, 7.30pm, tickets: £7 –£10.
Feminist Swearing Night: Run Your Own, Knowledge Centre, The British Library, 96 Euston Road, London, NW1 2DB, https://www.bl.uk/events/feminist-swearing-night-run-your-own, 3.5., 6pm, free admission, booking beforehand.
“This is the greatest creation of dance theatre so far this century”, stated The New York Times of Four Quartets. The work, which is co-commissioned by the Barbican and several other prominent performing arts venues, will run in Barbican Theatre 22-25 of May. The piece is created around TS Eliot’s poem and features the music of celebrated Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho, the choreography of American Pam Tanowitz and a staging based on American artist Brice Marden’s paintings.
Four Quartets, Barbican Theatre, Barbican Centre, Silk Street, London, EC2Y 8DS, https://www.barbican.org.uk/whats-on/2019/event/four-quartets, 22–25 May, 7.45pm, tickets: £25-45.
The second to last day of the month will present a Finnish virtuoso-fest when Pekka Kuusisto returns to London for a sparkling evening with equally inspiring Finn Santtu-Matias Rouvali, Principal Guest conductor of the Philharmonia orchestra. Together with the Philharmonia, the duo will dance their way through such fantastic pieces as Stravinsky’s Petruska and Violin Concerto and John Adams’ Chairman Dances. They will continue into the night with a performance in the Clore Ballroom where Pekka will collaborate with Jay Gilligan a renowned juggler, to create an encore of movement and sound.
Rouvali Contracts Stravinsky, Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, Belvedere Rd, Lambeth, London, SE1 8XX, https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/105396-rouvali-conducts-stravinsky-2019 30 May, 7.30pm, tickets £12–£58.
Melodic Objects: Music and Juggling, The Clore Ballroom, Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, Belvedere Rd, Lambeth, London, SE1 8XX, https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/135831-melodic-objects-music-and-juggling-2019, 30 May, 9.30pm, free admission.
Text: Emilie Gardberg Photo: Aino-Sofia Niklas-Salminen
