ANGLO-FINNISH SOCIETY
Winter Programme 2012
Monday 6 February A talk by Prof Martti Hδikiφ
This meeting will take place at 5.30 for 6.00 pm at the Residence of the Ambassador at 14 KensingtonPalaceGardens and will follow the annual meeting of the Honorary Consuls. Prof Hδikiφs talk will contrast the Finland of 1911, when the Society was founded, with the Finland of today. As a historian Martti Hδikiφ is particularly known for his histories of Finnish companies including Alko and Nokia, but he has also written about Finland in British politics 1939-1940, and a major biography of the Finnish national poet and academician, V.A. Koskenniemi. In 2011 he was the recipient of a major honorary award from the Jenny and Antti Wihuri Foundation.
Capacity for members of the Society is limited to about 40 and places will be allocated strictly on a first come first served basis. Please notify me by 20 January if you wish to attend. I will then pass a list to the Embassy and you will be sent a formal confirmatory invitation.
Tuesday 28 February - The AGM on Kalevala Day
Notice is hereby given that the Annual General Meeting of the Anglo-Finnish Society will be held at the University Womens Club, 2 Audley Square, London W1K 1DB at 6.30 pm sharp on Tuesday 28 February 2012. The Society is most grateful to Mrs Helena Henderson for arranging for us to hold the meeting at the Club.
To facilitate the arrangements for the meeting, please would members notify the Honorary Secretary no later than 15 February of their intention to attend or tender their apologies.
As the AGM falls on Kalevala Day (thoughtfully so contrived by Helena Henderson) we thought we should have some appropriate entertainment between the formal business of the AGM and the reception. Keith Bosley will talk about his translation of the Kalevala and there will be readings both from his translation and from the Finnish original.
Tuesday 13 March Reflections on the Helsinki Olympics 1952
As the time approaches for the London Olympics we thought is would be interesting to look back 60 years to the Helsinki Olympics. Again the meeting will be hosted by the Ambassador at the Residence, 14 KensingtonPalaceGardens, at 6.00 for 6.30pm. We are particularly pleased that the event will be held in the presence of HRH The Duke of Kent. The programme will consist of a short talk by Prof. Juhana Aunesluoma, who will speak about the significance for Finland in hosting the Olympics so soon after the War. We are hoping that YLE will provide a short film and also that there will be participation by at least one Finnish and one British athlete who competed at the Helsinki Olympics. There should be time for questions and then drinks and canapιs.
As before, capacity is limited and places will be allocated on a first come first served basis. Please notify me by 10 February if you wish to attend. I will then pass a list to the Embassy and you will be sent a formal confirmatory invitation.
18-22 April Exhibition of works by Hugo Simberg at Burgh House, Hampstead
Quite a few members will recall the successful concert which we arranged at Burgh House in November 2010 which coincided with the exhibition of the Finnish Art Group in London. We now have the chance to see the House and the Heath in spring. This time the exhibition will be of works by Hugo Simberg from the collection of his grand-daughter, Ann Simberg-Saunders. There will be a private view on the evening of Wednesday 18 April and (we expect) a concert of songs by Sibelius on the afternoon of Sunday 22 April. Further details and timings will be circulated closer to the date
Tuesday 22 May Gala Dinner at Grocers Hall, Princes St, EC2
Please note that the date for the dinner has been changed to Tuesday 22 May to meet the diary requirements of a VIP Guest of Honour. Further details will be announced in the next circular but you can reserve places by sending a cheque in favour of the Anglo-Finnish Society for £25 to Paola Killinen at High Point, 66 Ridge Road, Letchworth, Herts SG6 1PN.
The most complete listings are on the websites of the Finnish Embassy and Finn-Guild (www.finemb.org.uk and www.finn-guild.org). Here is a selection of events to the end of March:
CONCERTS
13 January FORK at London A Cappella Festival Hall 1 Kings Place, 90 York Way N1 (box office 020 7520 1490)
FORK is an a cappella group making its London debut after having had rave reviews at the Edinburgh Fringe last year. They sing and dance and combine comedy, extravagant fashion and ground-breaking sounds. Apparently not to be missed.
27 January at 7.30pm Cadogan Hall (020 )
Okko Kamu will conduct the Lahti Symphony Orchestra in a concert of some of Sibeliuss most popular music including the Karelia Suite, the Violin Concerto (soloist Elina Vδhδlδ), The Swan of Tuonela and Symphony No 5.
15 March at 6.00pm Royal Festival Hall
This concert introduces the fascinating work of two major young composers. Perttu Haapanen writes music of haunting lyricism, alluring virtuosity and thrilling tension. Haapanen's Ladies Room (soloist Helena Juntunen) is a spellbinding operatic scene whose libretto refers to witch-hunt as well as to mental illness. Ondrej Adαmek is fond of unexpected twists and turns. Having a strong sense of colour and texture, Adαmek also loves to experiment with the spatial aspects of music. All this comes into its own in a brilliant piece for brass ensemble, which is alive with bursting energy. This is a FREE event and is followed by a concert in which Esa-Pekka Salonen will conduct the Philharmonia Orchestra in Symphonies 1 and 3 by Beethoven and the violin concerto of Unsuk Chin
19 March at 1.00pm Wigmore Hall (020 7935 2141)
In this BBC Radio 3 lunchtime concert Meta4 will perform Schumanns String Quartet in A and Faures String Quartet in E minor.
EXHIBITIONS & MISCELLANEOUS
Until 26 January at Flow Gallery, 1-5 Needham Road, London W11
Flow Gallery regularly features work by Finnish artists. Markku Lyttinen works in birch plywood to make platters reflecting the Finnish landscape. 13 other international artists will also be showing different ways of working with wood. Opening hours 11.00-18.00 Mon-Sat.
8 June at 8.00 pm, York Hall, 5-15 Old Ford Road, Bethnal Green, London E2 9PJ
Kimmo Pohjonen (accordion adventurer) will revive the tradition of the early to mid part of the twentieth century of the use of the accordion to accompany wrestling matches. The show will feature film, live music and choreographed wrestling and will make use of the latest lighting and sound technology. Tickets available from the Barbican Box Office.
Paulus Thomson, 10 January 2012 .
