Scandinavian Culture Calendar: March 2023

Nicholas Collon & Nicholas Daniel (15 and 16 March)

Finland’s public broadcaster symphony orchestra (FRSO), led by Nicholas Collon, is performing new work for a more unusual instrument: the English horn. The composition, by Finn Outi Tarkiainen (b. 1985), is titled Milky Ways. The name refers to both the galaxy and to the milk fed to newborns by their mothers, and the composition is dedicated to Nicholas Daniel who will also be performing it. The other piece of the night is Brahms’ first Symphony.

Musiikkitalo, Mannerheimintie 13 A, Helsinki

www.musiikkitalo.fi

Musiikkitalo has been Helsinki’s premier concert destination since 2011. Photo: David Jakob

Afternoon of Fauns: Springtime Glimmer (19 March)

Can you hear the sound of spring in the title of this concert? The Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra is one of the most exciting orchestras of its kind in the Nordics, and this concert is part of their Sunday series. The ensemble will be performing three pieces: Aleksandr Glazunov’s Prelude and fugue for string quartet, Peter Lieberson’s Piano Quintet and Beethoven’s Sextet in E-flat Major.

Yliopistonkatu 55, Tampere

www.tamperefilharmonia.fi

Arab Film Days (15 to 19 March)

Arab Film Days, whose first edition was in 2011, focuses solely on films about and from the Arab world. The opening film is a thriller called Boy from Heaven, set in Egypt, and the festival closes with Rebel, which tells a story of radicalisation and foreign fighters in Syria.

Vika kino, Ruseløkkveien 14, Oslo

www.arabiskefilmdager.no

Martha Wainwright (1 April)

The Canadian singer-songwriter released her memoir last year, and now she is coming to Oslo with Love Will be Reborn, her highly-praised pandemic album released in 2021 and inspired by her divorce some years earlier. The concert location, Kulturkirken Jakob, is cool too.

Hausmanns gate 14, Oslo

www.jakob.no

Bowie by Sukita — From London to Japan (until 13 August)

Did you know that the Japanese photographer Masayoshi Sukita is behind many of the famous pictures taken of David Bowie? This exhibition showcases 100 of those photos, taken over 40 years of close collaboration between the two creatives. While at Kulturhuset, stay for a meal and a drink or two and admire the views of busy central Stockholm.

Kulturhuset, Sergels torg, Stockholm

www.kulturhusetstadsteatern.se

Laurie Anderson: Looking Into the Mirror Sideways (1 April to 3 September)

Laurie Anderson is not only a visual artist; her avant-garde oeuvre also covers experimental music, writing and filmmaking. In this exciting Moderna Museet exhibition, her most comprehensive solo exhibition in Europe so far, the American artist has taken on the challenge of creating a narrative for a museum space. You’ll get to experience works old and new. Expect reflections “on time and being, silence and clamour”, Admission is free on Friday evenings.

Moderna Museet, Skeppsholmen, Stockholm

www.modernamuseet.se

Laurie Anderson: Drum Glasses (a.k.a. Head Knock), 1979. Video still. Photo: Laurie Anderson

Haenyeo — Women of the Sea (until 1 September)

Elsinore is well worth a day trip out of Copenhagen, and not only for its Shakespearean connections. The Maritime Museum’s latest exhibition explores female Korean free-divers, called Haenyeo, who represent an ancient tradition and lifestyle intertwined with the sea that has been recognised by UNESCO. The 26 portraits of Haenyeo display startling energy, despite the fact that most of the subjects are between 60 and 80 years old.

M/S Maritime Museum of Denmark, Ny Kronborgvej 1, Elsinore

www.mfs.dk

Left: Santtu-Matias Rouvali is the conductor of the Tampere Symphony Orchestra. Photo: Tero Ahonen. Right: David Bowie: Watch That Man III (1973).
Photo: Sukita