Introduction

Sfäärit (Spheres) is a performance initiated by harpsichordist Marianna Henriksson and choreographer Anna Mustonen, bringing together contemporary music and contemporary choreography. Its starting point is the concept of composition: how can a work be approached both as the ways in which sound is organised into music and as a reflection of the connections inherent in choreographic thinking?

Chords collapsing into one another, the movement of dust, a swelling organ sound, and the cosmic intervals of a meantone tuning system intertwine with centuries-old ideas about the harmony of the spheres – the sound produced by the movements of the universe and its vibrations in smaller units of nature, such as the human being.

In the performance, the dance immerses itself in the experientiality opened up by the music, gathers and expands, leaving space until it condenses, presses in, and fades into the air. The dance curls towards the intimate, expands into the environment, forming wondrous patterns and slight yet remarkable movements.

In Sfäärit (Spheres), we hear world premieres by Lithuanian composer Justina Repečkaitė and Finnish composer Lauri Supponen, who have worked on material for the positive organ and harpsichord in collaboration with Henriksson, Mustonen, and performers Anna Maria Häkkinen, Marlon Moilanen, Mira Kautto, and Petteri Pitko. Additionally, the performance includes For Marianna (2020), a composition by British-Iranian Shiva Feshareki for Henriksson.

Marianna Henriksson and Anna Mustonen are known for their visionary and dedicated work in combining new dance and Baroque music. In Sfäärit (Spheres), the artists continue to explore the assumptions and questions surrounding the coming together of dance and music.

Sfäärit (Spheres) is part of the activities of the interdisciplinary association i dolci and is featured in the programmes of both the Side Step contemporary dance festival and the Musica nova contemporary music festival.