Nordic Music Days (NMD), an annual celebration of newly composed Nordic music, is arranged this year in conjunction with Ultima Oslo Contemporary Music Festival in Norway. Ultima festival starts already on 10 September, and continues directly after the first festival week with the Nordic concert programme and networks meetings from 17 to 20 September.

The Finnish composers featured in NMD this year are Maija Hynninen, Osmo Tapio Räihälä and Sampo Haapamäki. Hynninen’s Borrowed Tunes 1: Dead Man Theme is an electronic work referring to Jim Jarmusch’s film Dead Man. Räihälä’s Seurat I combines violin, kantele and live electronics.

Ensemble Ernst will play Sampo Haapamäki’s Velinikka, concerto for quarter-tone accordion and chamber orchestra. The piece is composed for the soloist, accordionist Veli Kujala and the specially constructed instrument.

In addition to the compositions, there’s also a humppa-concert by the Finnish chamber group Avanti! in NMD’s programme.

From 22 September onwards, contemporary Finnish music will be heard in the Norwegian city of Trondheim. Kaija Saariaho is the festival composer for Trondheim Chamber Music Festival, and 11 of her works will be performed during the festival. In addition to chamber music, the festival features Saariaho’s opera L’amour de loin, presented this time with an animated film instead of traditional staging.

Ultima Oslo Contemporary Music Festival
Trondheim Chamber Music Festival