MAAILMAMAA (2010) (3rd version)
(Worldland)
40'
mixed choir, tape
soprano (I - II - III - IV), alto (I - II - III - IV)
tenor (I - II - III - IV), bass (I - II - III - IV)
lyrics by Sampo Haapamäki, Johan Ludvig Runeberg,
V.A. Koskenniemi, Paavo Cajander
commissioned by Helsinki Chamber Choir
dedicated to Helsinki Chamber Choir
premiere: July 9, 2010
Helsinki Chamber Choir, cond. Nils Schweckendiek
(sopranos: Krista Kujala, Mirjam Schulmann,
Nina Fogelberg, Iida Antola, Helge Kõrvits;
altos: Viivi Tulkki, Susanna Tollet,
Lotte Lehikoinen, Veera Railio;
tenors: Jarno Lehtola, Jukka Jokitalo,
Edward Ananian-Cooper, Martti Anttila;
basses: Juha-Pekka Mitjonen, Jussi Rauvola,
Antti Vahtola, Kai Vahtola)
Marko Myöhänen and Sampo Haapamäki, electronics
Viitasaari Church
Time of Music festival, Viitasaari
February 5, 2011, at 4pm
Helsinki Chamber Choir, cond. Nils Schweckendiek
(sopranos: Mirjam Schulmann, Krista Kujala,
Nina Fogelberg, Heta Kokkomäki, Helge Kõrvits;
altos: Viivi Tulkki, Susanna Tollet,
Lotte Lehikoinen, Eira Karlson;
tenors: Jarno Lehtola, Jukka Jokitalo,
Edward Ananian-Cooper, Martti Anttila;
basses: Juha-Pekka Mitjonen, Jussi Rauvola,
Kai Vahtola, Valtteri Maasalo)
Anders Pohjola and Sampo Haapamäki, electronics
Musica nova Helsinki festival
Sibelius Academy Concert Hall
Pohjoinen Rautatiekatu 9, Helsinki
Program notes
Maailmamaa (2010) was composed for mixed choir and tape. Lasting about 40 minutes, it is dedicated to the Helsinki Chamber Choir, who commissioned the work.
The 1st, 6th and 7th movements feature quotations from patriotic Finnish works: Fredrik Pacius: Maamme (Our country), Yrjö Kilpinen: Lippulaulu (Flag song), Christian Fredric Kress: Porilaisten marssi (Pori march) and Jean Sibelius: Finlandia Hymn. Movements 2-6 employ a Finnish text, Senses (2010), by the composer. Translations in various languages (English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Croatian, Serbian, Hebrew, Turkish, Urdu, Hindi, Hausa, Xhosa, Chinese, Japanese) of all or parts of the text were used as raw material for the tape.
It is important to distinguish between the utopian Worldland and the composition Maailmamaa. Utopia inspired the work, but the work does not describe utopia.
The utopia of Worldland is monocultural, a cultural disaster from the present-day perspective, were it to come true. Diverse nationalities, languages, traditions and their histories are crushed together. In Worldland, the unique cultures, languages, and gene pools of present nations have been intermingled and unified as a result of globalization, the opening of borders and synthesis of nations. Some nations have died out, others strengthened and the remainder slowly melded together so as to become unifaceted, monoculturalized.
In Worldland there is only one language spoken, a synthesis of some existing languages, though possessing very strong dialects. Globally, similar genetic collections have prevailed as a result of easy, high-speed travel, and thus the differences between ethnic groups have gradually lessened. The culture of Worldland retains elements from existing ones, but so strongly interwoven as to have lost their identities. Although the culture of Worldland would seem from our temporal perspective to be diverse, chaotic and fragmented, at that point diversity itself has become a kind of uniformity due to the extreme speed of movement of information and people. Even if political and cultural development were to move in a utopian direction, it will probably be many dozens, maybe hundreds of generations before Worldland take its first steps. Ethnic traits currently cherished in various countries are adrift in Worldland - if they even survived. On the other hand the idea is naïvely thought liberating: people are finally be free of "shackles" of their nationalities.
While composing I was particularly fascinated by the tension between the nationalism and "internationalism" necessary to progress towards a utopian Worldland. The "enemy" of the realized utopia of Worldland is the relatively strong nationalism of existing countries. Maailmamaa could be thought of as dealing with the problem of modern man faces, the degree to which he feels nationalism and "internationalism". Even everyday thoughts, for example while shopping - should I buy domestic or foreign? - might be a tiny part of a great process towards a real utopia, a change from a world of separate states towards the nation of Worldland, possibly towards some kind of federation of federations.
Maailmamaa is not a political statement but, I hope, thoughtful art.
Sampo Haapamäki (in finnish)
translated in english by Matthew Whitthall
