Catching up

Okay, it’s true: this has been way too long. More than a year since my last blog which I wrote in December 2020. What happened to 2021?

Well, the year sort of raced past me. I turned 60. I finished the piece for choir, saxophone and string quintet called ‘Eines Morgens’ (another composition based on a poem by Gertrud Kolmar) which turned out to be really beautiful, and I played about 60 concerts, most of them solo or in duo as part of the Two Moons chamber concerts series in Temppeliaukio Church, but also a couple of them with the Hille-Hohti Eclectic duo and my F#-trio.

My solo recording ‘Here – Beyond the Infinite’ from fall 2019 got great reviews and so did just recently the new release by F# ‘Scientifically proven & critically tested’ which we had good fun producing last year, including making some fun pictures for the CD’s/LP’s cover.

But the predominant thing, I must confess, is an enormous tiredness. I was and still am in the fortunate position to be working, performing, composing – much more than many of my colleagues who got left stranded in the wake of corona – and it seems pompous to complain, even more so when I’m thinking of the victims of the Russian invasion into Ukraine. But I can’t deny that it has been taking a toll.

So, writing a blog, going on about my enterprises and endeavors seemed shallow, which is, I guess, why I didn’t feel inclined at all to write here for the past year.
I’m ambiguous about it, though. I know for a fact that my concerts in Temppeliaukio Church, for instance, mean a lot to a lot of people. There is a place, just to be in the moment, surrounded by that beautiful architecture, to let yourself be carried away in the sounds that happen there, by way of my piano improvisations. I feel it’s an act of sharing, of caring. In a way, it seems to be the only meaningful thing I can offer: creating something beautiful in this world – rather than destroying things or, even worse, lives and livelihoods.

So, let that be my contribution:
Welcome to Temppeliaukio Church, a wonderful place to be, to just sit or, on a Wednesday morning, to listen to my music. Or, if you can’t be there in person, take a look at the SatnaMusic Facebook page where we frequently stream our concerts: solo piano concerts on Wednesday mornings and Two Moons chamber concerts on Friday afternoons. The streams are free of charge and even if you miss the ‘live’ time, you can watch the concerts at any point of your convenience, later on.

I would be a bad CD producer, if I didn’t at least point out to you the possibility to listen to or even download and order some of the wonderful recordings we offer at sidhille.bandcamp.com .
There you will find carefully assembled and crafted music publications that you will not find on any other platform. Music that is intended to make this world a more beautiful place, even when some of it may sound a little melancholic or serious or with a humorous twinkle in its eyes. Or just simple and pretty. See, if there is something you might enjoy!

Stay safe and healthy,

Sid