Lotus

"Mytomato is a brilliant piece, dancing away on the borders of parody and multi-layered commentary – musical and extra-musical – all woven together with witty irony and creative craziness."

"Die grafische Notationstechnik Soune, an der der Komponist seit Jahren arbeitet, transzendiert durch ihre visuelle Komponenete die Grenzen traditioneller Notation und bietet Raum für humorvolle, tiefgründige und gleichzeitig körperliche Erlebnisse auf der Bühne. "

"Intellectually stimulating and teasingly funny art of our time."

"A peculiar, yet ever-so-wonderful mixture of absurd comedy and versatile virtuosity, gorgeously performed by Heikkilä and Kozlovski"

"This three-hour, precisely timed sound structure is a confusing, constantly moving deconstruction of language, voice and sound. […] The bizarre fascination that the spectacle has created will not get out of your head so quickly."

"Voice Box was full of tongue in cheek [...] that allowed the audience to fully join in."

"The avant-garde business trip to the green creates a situational border experience with a feel-good program."

"The audience […] experiences an masterfull musical performance, which is then deconstructed in an irritating sequence of events at different locations in a deliberately bizarre manner."

"Delightful and playful experimental opera from young Finnish composer"

"Genuinely avantgardistic German music theatre."

Premiered at Kuhmo Chamber Music Festival 2006

Performance of new version_ at Kuhmo Chamber Music Festival 2019
For kantele, video and electronics

“Lotus” was premiered already in 2006 by Matleena Knuuti and later performed by Eva Alkula in the world renown festival Kuhmo Chamber Music. In many ways this piece marked the beginning of the career of Miika Hyytiäinen. For 2019 Kuhmo Chamber Music has asked Hyytiäinen to make a new version, premiered by Elisa Kerola (photo by Juuso Westerlund)

“Lotus” is based on the myth of lotus eaters or Lotophagi of Greek mythology. These people consumed the lotus fruits and flowers for their narcotic effect and due to their apathy finally became themselves the nutrition of the water plants.

Also in the piece “Lotus”, the material is dream-like and invites the listener to a world where everything is slowly falling and disappearing. The dissolving musical material of the kantele, the intimate whispering of the tape and the visual art by Carita Berg create a Gesamtkunstwerk where the audience must be careful where they step. As the culmination of the piece the solo performer is asked to compose a new melodic motive for the piece, but even that just molders to small parts and brings us deeper in a peaceful sleep with lotuses.

“Lotus” 2019 – recording of dress rehearsal by Elisa Kerola:

Visual Art: Carita Berg
The recorded Voice: Jaakko Nousiainen
Eva Alkula’s interview about the premier.
Kuhmo Chamber Music Festival

“Lotus” 2019 – recording of dress rehearsal by Elisa Kerola:

Other projects:

"Mytomato is a brilliant piece, dancing away on the borders of parody and multi-layered commentary – musical and extra-musical – all woven together with witty irony and creative craziness."

"Die grafische Notationstechnik Soune, an der der Komponist seit Jahren arbeitet, transzendiert durch ihre visuelle Komponenete die Grenzen traditioneller Notation und bietet Raum für humorvolle, tiefgründige und gleichzeitig körperliche Erlebnisse auf der Bühne. "

"Intellectually stimulating and teasingly funny art of our time."

"A peculiar, yet ever-so-wonderful mixture of absurd comedy and versatile virtuosity, gorgeously performed by Heikkilä and Kozlovski"

"This three-hour, precisely timed sound structure is a confusing, constantly moving deconstruction of language, voice and sound. […] The bizarre fascination that the spectacle has created will not get out of your head so quickly."

"Voice Box was full of tongue in cheek [...] that allowed the audience to fully join in."

"The avant-garde business trip to the green creates a situational border experience with a feel-good program."

"The audience […] experiences an masterfull musical performance, which is then deconstructed in an irritating sequence of events at different locations in a deliberately bizarre manner."

"Delightful and playful experimental opera from young Finnish composer"

"Genuinely avantgardistic German music theatre."

Miika Hyytiäinen

Lotus

Premiered at Kuhmo Chamber Music Festival 2006

“Lotus” 2019 – recording of dress rehearsal by Elisa Kerola:

Other projects:

Songs my grandfather could have sung to me

Emote

Symbol – Body