Study for Life

"We had been planning a collaborative work with Kaija Saariaho for years. In spring 2023, at Kaija’s request, it was decided that the musical arc of the piece would be built around her first stage work Study for Life. The early work is based on T.S. Eliot’s poem The Hollow Men (1925), which, with its depiction of emotional numbness, disconnection and anti-war themes, remains profoundly relevant even a hundred years after its publication.

Attuning and becoming sensitive to the non-verbal messages of life is something that unites all of us involved in this work. By allowing new sounds and forms to emerge, we can saturate our being with ever more diverse colors. Kaija offered us the opportunity to hear something new, to sense sounds in a new way, and with Study for Life, we wanted to answer this invitation and offer an alternative, multi-artistic entry point into her world.” – Tero Saarinen

Study for Life revolves around the desire for connection in a fragmented world, both in relation to others and to ourselves. Beginning from a dystopian and solitary landscape, the multidisciplinary piece gradually travels towards hope and a richer sensory spectrum.

Blending elements of a dance piece, concert and sound installation, the work immerses and merges them into one synesthetic experience. With the audience seated in a 360-degree arrangement around the stage, the creation invites the audience to physically enter Saariaho’s textured musical world. Connections with others are formed and unraveled as both dancers and musicians share the space, moving and gliding through the shifting currents of light.

In total, the evening includes four of Saariaho’s early compositions: Study for Life (1980), Petals (1988), Lichtbogen (1986), Attente and Parfum de l’instant (2002, from Quatre Instants). The four compositions are connected with Tuomas Norvio’s electronic music and sound design. Study for Life is a collaboration with Amsterdam-based Het Muziek (previously named Asko|Schönberg) ensemble. The scenography is by Fabiana Piccioli, Sander Loonen, and creation's costume designer Erika Turunen.

Before the performance, audiences can experience an introductory sound installation To Water by Tuomas Norvio in the audience foyer. The sound installation features a melting block of ice, and the manipulated sounds of it dripping and cracking spread through the space, offering an entry point into the world and themes of the piece. The installation is supported by Genelec.

Het Muziek is one of The Netherlands’ leading ensembles for new music. The ensemble presents daring concerts and performances with composed music from the 20th and 21st centuries in various settings, from concert stages and outdoor festivals to theater halls. The emphasis is on stimulating and creating new work by contemporary makers. Het Muziek is ensemble in residence at the Muziekgebouw.

Choreography & concept Tero Saarinen
Music Kaija Saariaho
Music, sound design and soundscapes Tuomas Norvio
Lighting design Fabiana Piccioli & Sander Loonen
Costume design Erika Turunen
Set design Erika Turunen, Fabiana Piccioli & Sander Loonen
Orchestration (Attente) Vasco Mendonça
Choreographer’s assistants Satu Halttunen, Natasha Lommi
Soprano Raquel Camarinha 

Dance (6 on stage) Jenna Broas, Elina Häyrynen, Olli Lautiola, Anette Toiviainen, David Scarantino, JingYi Wang, Oskari Kymäläinen, Mikko Lampinen (understudy), Emmi Max Pennanen (understudy)

Live music, Het Muziek: Ingrid Geerlings (flute +piccolo/afl), Pauline Post (pianoforte), Joey Marijs (percussion), Astrid Haring (harp), Joseph Puglia (violin 1), Marijke van Kooten (violin 2),  Liesbeth Steffens (viola), Sebastiaan van Halsema (cello), Jordi Carrasco Hjelm (double bass)

Thank you to Jean-Baptiste Barrière for his advice about the electronics of Kaija Saariaho’s works.

Tero Saarinen Company in collaboration with Het Muziek. Co-production: Holland Festival & Bregenzer Festspiele