Marianna Henriksson & Anna Mustonen: Sfäärit

Sfäärit (Spheres) is a performance initiated by harpsichordist Marianna Henriksson and choreographer Anna Mustonen, bringing together contemporary music and contemporary choreography. Its starting point is the concept of composition: how can a work be approached both as the ways in which sound is organised into music and as a reflection of the connections inherent in choreographic thinking?

Chords collapsing into one another, the movement of dust, a swelling organ sound, and the cosmic intervals of a meantone tuning system intertwine with centuries-old ideas about the harmony of the spheres – the sound produced by the movements of the universe and its vibrations in smaller units of nature, such as the human being.

In the performance, the dance immerses itself in the experientiality opened up by the music, gathers and expands, leaving space until it condenses, presses in, and fades into the air. The dance curls towards the intimate, expands into the environment, forming wondrous patterns and slight yet remarkable movements.

In Sfäärit (Spheres), we hear world premieres by Lithuanian composer Justina Repečkaitė and Finnish composer Lauri Supponen, who have worked on material for the positive organ and harpsichord in collaboration with Henriksson, Mustonen, and performers Anna Maria Häkkinen, Marlon Moilanen, Mira Kautto, and Petteri Pitko. Additionally, the performance includes For Marianna (2020), a composition by British-Iranian Shiva Feshareki for Henriksson.

Marianna Henriksson and Anna Mustonen are known for their visionary and dedicated work in combining new dance and Baroque music. In Sfäärit (Spheres), the artists continue to explore the assumptions and questions surrounding the coming together of dance and music.

Credits

Assembling and concept: Marianna Henriksson, Anna Mustonen
Choreographer: Anna Mustonen
Composers: Shiva Feshareki, Justina Repečkaitė, Lauri Supponen
Harpsichord, positive organ: Marianna Henriksson, Petteri Pitko
Dancers: Anna Maria Häkkinen, Mira Kautto, Marlon Moilanen, Anna Mustonen
Dramaturge: Masi Tiitta
Lighting designer: Meri Ekola
Materials of the space: Piia Rinne
Sound designer: Markus Heino
Costume planning: Marianna Henriksson, Anna Mustonen, Masi Tiitta
Costumes are the performers’ own
Clay hand: Ulla Hurri

Administrative coordination and conceptual dialogue: Riikka Thitz / i dolci
Production coordination: Marianna Henriksson, Anna Mustonen
Promotional photos: Hertta Kiiski
Teaser videos and performance photos: Venla Helenius

Production: i dolci, Zodiak - Center for New Dance, Musica nova Helsinki
Supported by: Alfred Kordelin Foundation, Arts Promotion Centre Finland, Finnish Cultural Foundation, Lithuanian Culture Institute, Teosto Finland
Residencies: Ehkä-production/Contemporary Art Space Kutomo (Turku), Greta and William Lehtinen Foundation (Helsinki)
In collaboration with: rendezvous ry

Musica nova Helsinki has commissioned the composition by Justina Repečkaitė with the support of the Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation.

Sfäärit (Spheres) is part of the activities of the interdisciplinary association i dolci and is featured in the programmes of both the Side Step 2025 contemporary dance festival and the Musica nova Helsinki contemporary music festival.

Duration: 55 minutes