Centria Night Music 

Johan Julius Christian Sibelius, born on December the 8^th of 1865 in Tavastehus is a Finnish composer who will born after the second wave of the romantic kind and will evolve in a post-romantic symphonic world. During his first quarter century, Sibelius will find a lot of interest into the Finnish myths and legends. This affinity will guide him to an art authentically Finnish, seeking inspiration into its roots and its national references. Even if his music is considered as primitive, he will defend his art and will never leave it.

‘Everything belonging to Finland is sacred to me, the Finnish primitive world penetrated my flesh and my heart’.

-          J. Sibelius

In Finland, during the beginning of October, the nights are fresher, the wind is colder, the sun sets sooner, and its absence can’t be unnoticed by the most sensitives to the cold. Hopefully, in every living hearth, there is warmness, and even if a fire doesn’t lie on pieces of wood, something is getting better: our mood; especially if there is musicians to satisfy our ears, as we appreciate the comfort of the welcoming Konservatoria of Kokkola.

As we enter, we are given the event’s brochure of the Centria Night Music, in order to know what we are listening to, who is playing it, and who composed it. In the first place, we will assist to the folkloric part of the night, played with violin, harmonium (which is rare to see), guitar and djembe, and the second part with a piano sustaining the song of a cheerful singer. For first time listeners of Finnish folklore, we can only appreciate the show and wait for what is coming next.  A last singer provided with a guitar will end the first fraction of this evening, letting us curious to see what Centria is reserving us.

The second part will stay more “classic”, if we stay in its generic term. Six representations, in which four duos of piano and song will show the skills of their fingers, throats, but also the efficiency of an ear work, because the hardest challenge of playing music in duo is the precision and the synergy of the notes between both musicians: “speaking” is as important as “listening” to each other; and we can't miss such a discussion.

 The third part will present more numerous artists at the same time. Better calling them a band, as we could all agree of the expression. Every band has a name, and so, the first one to appear will call itself Soft Potatoes, and will open the Pop Rock part of the evening.  Guitar, bass, drums and singer? A classic, but let’s add a piano, and we have something rarer than a basic band, and if we add a violin, we already know that we will have something far from common in front of us. But we can say or think anything we want, music doesn’t lie in dead instruments, but in the hands of whoever plays it. So, first come the Soft Potatoes, accompanied with the violin we were talking about sooner, warming us more with the sound of their rhythmic and symphonic tools. The music is pleasant to listen to, but there isn’t time for a long show, and they will fast let their place for the next band: Surprising Mission.  Let’s recapitulate about our last band, but let them trade the violin for a saxophone, and the music starts up again with renewed vigor! Again we spend a great time, but certainly not enough. Time passes, and other artists are waiting for their moment.

I am sorry to tell you, dear lectors, that I didn’t assist to the two last parts, but I listened to them, and I can tell you I regretted to miss it, because well played classic music is very hard to dislike, especially if the program let us finish our evening with ballads, in order to appease us, and leave us go home with peaceful thoughts.