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, I wanted to answer this invitation.” – Tero Saarinen

Study for Life revolves around the desire for connection in a fragmented world – in relation to others and to ourselves. Beginning from a dystopian and solitary landscape, the multidisciplinary piece gradually travels towards hope, offering an opportunity to attune to life’s quieter, non-verbal messages.

Blending elements of a concert, sound installation, and dance, 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 to enter Saariaho’s textured musical world and take it in with all the senses. Both dancers and musicians share the space, moving and gliding through the shifting light that echoes the tonal layers of the music.

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). Study for Life is a collaboration with Amsterdam-based Asko|Schönberg ensemble. The sound design is by Tuomas Norvio, the scenography by Fabiana Piccioli, Sander Loonen, and costume designer Erika Turunen.

As part of the performance, an introductory sound installation To Water by Tuomas Norvio is presented 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.

The world premiere takes place at the Holland Festival in June 2025, followed by performances at Bregenzer Festspiele in July. Finnish premiere will take place in Spring 2026.

Asko|Schönberg 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. Asko|Schönberg is ensemble in residence at the Muziekgebouw.

Choreography & concept Tero Saarinen
Music Kaija Saariaho
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 Pennanen (understudy)

Live music Asko|Schönberg: 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)

Tero Saarinen Company in collaboration with Asko|Schönberg. Co-production: Holland Festival & Bregenzer Festpiele