DOUBTS

Dramatized contemporary music performance for voice and french horn
Premiere Höyhentämö Theater, Helsinki 2014,
the concept contiues 2024

DOUBTS is a project initiated in 2014 together with french horn player Elena Kakaliagou. The purpose of the project is to present the artist’s human and uncertain side to the audience. It is an exploratory and participatory initiative carried out in collaboration with composers and the audience.

The idea behind the project originally arose from questioning the norms of classical music performance and a desire to explore one’s own uncertainties. The pursuit of perfect execution and flawlessness in performance felt tedious and artificial. Instead, the focus was on what happens when the performer on stage is more open, honest, and imperfect.

Work group (2014):
Annika Fuhrmann, voice
Elena Kakaliagou, french horn
Jaakko Nousiainen, director
Nikas Pöllönen, light
Kalle Autio, composer
Heinz-Juhani Hofmann, composer
Jukka Kääriäinen, composer
Dionysios Papanicolaou, composer
Lefteris Veniadis, composer
Ville Vokkolainen, composer

© Jaakko Nousiainen

“It’s not easy to define the genre of the Doubts performance on Höyhentämö’s intimate stage. It’s easier to describe the work process: a “dramatized contemporary music concert.” Although music is the foundation and material of the performance, it’s approached through the tools of contemporary theater.

The theme of the performance is uncertainty – initially, especially the uncertainty experienced by the musicians, Annika Fuhrmann and Elena Kakaliagou. However, already in the ticket queue, the audience is invited into the theme: they are asked to write down their own insecurities on a slip of paper. This simple but effective gesture opens up a personal perspective on the subject for each viewer.

As a whole, the performance feels fresh. It’s especially delightful to see high-quality, bold work in the realm of new music theater in Helsinki. Fuhrmann and director Jaakko Nousiainen seem to have found a promising niche for their expression.

The dramatization gives movement and connections to the music. It takes a stance and avoids the rigidity sometimes associated with contemporary music performances. At the same time, the roles of the musicians and dramaturg are highlighted as integral parts of the piece. Individual compositions blend seamlessly together, making it relatively unimportant for the viewer to know whose work is playing at any given moment. The composers’ pieces are just one part of a broad and diverse whole, where Fuhrmann’s voice and Kakaliagou’s French horn take center stage.”

Dante Thelestam, HBL 27.10.2014