Ville Raasakka’s ‘The Harvest’ directly protests against the Finnish government’s forest policies. An estimated 5% of Finnish forests are old-growth forests with a healthy species biodiversity. Half of these old-growth forests are protected, and the remainder is relentlessly being cut down by the government for easy profit, only to be stopped by the interventions of nature protection agencies.

The current forest machines cut trees with frightening effectivity within seconds. Raasakka has used the sounds of these machines and transcribed them to the instruments. The moaning of the hydraulics, the buzzing of the saws and the beeping of the control panels are the key sound elements of the work.

The effectiveness of these sounds dissolves and sinks into a state of disbelief. This music is mourning the total loss of natural biodiversity and the resulting constant extinction of species. The clear-cut forests never regain their biodiversity again, and we are left with lifeless tree farms. Pretending an image of a forest.

Pre-concert talk at 18.00–18.30.

Program:

Albert Roussel: Le festin de l’araignée
Ross Edwards: Oboe Concerto ‘Bird Spirit Dreaming’
Ville Raasakka: The Harvest
Jean Sibelius: The Tempest Suite no. 2