Time of Music Festival, organized on July 3-9 in Viitasaari, Finland, presents works and artists dealing with hybrid arts and challenging the traditional idea of an artwork. Festival of contemporary music lead by composer Johan Tallgren focuses on the change in the roles of an audience, a performer and a composer / author that is accelerated by the digital age sense of time.
The opening concert “The Otheroom” makes the audience move in space, among the theatrical ritual triggered by live electronics. A work by composer Rolf Wallin and choreographers and scenographers Heine Avdal and Yukiko Shinozaki from fieldworks Collective (Belgium) sets on stage dancers, musicians and helium balloons. The Otheroom was premiered in Oslo in 2016 and will be presented at Viitasaari Areena on the opening day of the Festival, Tuesday 3.7.
While the opening concert is breaking the boundaries between the audience and the performers, the two commissioned compositions by the festival are dealing with space and body from different perspectives. Sampo Haapamäki’s piece for the International Contemporary Ensemble, co-commissioned with IRCAM (Institut de Recherche et de Coordination Acoustique/Musique, Paris) is using motion capture technology to trigger live electronics with the conductor’s movements.
Another world premiere is co-commissioned with the Finnish electro-acoustic music group defunensemble from Alexander Schubert, whose works are closer to hybrid multi-artistic spectacles than traditional compositions. The work “Backrooms” using video, electronics and multiple spaces will be performed on Wednesday 4.7. at the Theatre space. Alexander Schubert (born 1979) is one of the most influential ”The New Discipline” composers in Europe. His works are performed at the main contemporary music festivals such as Wiener Festwochen, Ruhrtriennale and Manifeste. Time of Music he visits for the first time.
Body and electronics are present not only in the pieces performed at the festival but also at the Electronics Lab course. The unique course features among others Chaya Czernowin, Rolf Wallin, Alexander Schubert and specialists from IRCAM, who are giving an insight to their works.
The programme is published in May.