The most alluring place in my calendar this week has to be Lahti (in southern Finland) where Dalia Stevaska is conducting my orchestral song cycle Natural History with the Lahti Symphony Orchestra. It will be in a programme "inspired by Tove Jansson": I was charmed to learn this; I can still remember the battered storybook about Moomintroll we had at home 60+ years ago.
The soprano soloist will be Piia Komsi, who, amazingly to me, is the twin sister of a noted champion of the same song cycle, Anu Komsi. Piia originally trained as a cellist, and still performs on it (often while singing). I feel very privileged to have coincided with this extraordinary generation of Finnish musicians.
PICTURED - one of Finland's 187,888 lakes (thanks, Wikipedia). Photographed in early April, with the ice just starting to melt.
