Two special two-euro Finnish commemorative coins will be released in 2018, along with a series of commemorative five-euro coins
Two Finnish special two-euro commemorative coins will be released in 2018. The theme of the special commemorative coin released in the spring will be Finnish National Landscape Koli and the autumn’s special coin will pay tribute to Finnish Sauna Culture. The launch of nine five-euro commemorative coins in honour of Finland’s National Landscapes is also in the works.
Finland’s national landscapes symbolise the Finnish character and have a generally recognised significance in Finland’s national culture, history and perception of nature. The total mintage of the special two-euro commemorative coins paying tribute to Koli National Park in North Karelia will be one million. Mint of Finland is also planning a 2018 release of nine commemorative coins themed around Finnish national landscapes. The nominal value of each base-metal commemorative coin will be five euros.
The first special two-euro commemorative coin to be released in 2018 will share its theme of Koli with the opening coin in the series of five-euro Finnish National Landscapes coins. In the summer of 2017, Mint of Finland coordinated an online poll in which the Finns voted for nine of their most beloved national landscapes to be featured on the commemorative coins. Koli National Park received the most votes in the poll.
The obverse of the Finnish National Landscapes Koli commemorative coin depicts the view from the summit of Koli, while the reverse bears an image of the map of Finland. The commemorative coin is designed by Erkki Vainio (obverse) and Mari Metso (reverse) on the basis of a photograph taken by Juha-Pekka Järvenpää.
The maximum mintages of commemorative coins released in the Finnish National Landscapes series will be 3,000 proof-quality coins and 15,000 UNC-quality coins per release.
The mintage of the Finnish Sauna Culture special two-euro commemorative coins released in the autumn of 2018 will be one million. The special commemorative coin is designed by Erkki Vainio.
Special two-euro commemorative coins can be obtained as change in regular circulation or purchased from the Mint of Finland online shop, www.mint.fi, and from retailers. Finnish National Landscapes commemorative coins will be available from the Mint of Finland online shop and the mint’s retailers.
Anathema at The Circus in Helsinki, concert on November 9th
Helsinki likes Anathema and Anathema likes Helsinki. The British band visits often the Finnish capital during their “The Optimist” tour, having increased the capacity of their gigs from Tavastia to a middle size venue as The Circus is, during their last appearances here. A tour that certainly has been packed with a lot of dates in just a few months, the day before Helsinki the band had also performed at Pakkahuone in Tampere, so they are really pushing the pedal with not much rest for several months in a row.
Even when being a cold Thursday and with the concert starting at a late hour after 22 p.m. the Finnish audience once more was faithful with a packed venue (although many people did not stay for the last songs of the Encore as probably they needed to head home for an early start at work next day Friday).
We will save here from commenting the gig of the opening band, the French metallers Alcest, as we just arrived on time to see the main performers, but they have been receiving quite a positive praise along this extensive tour, so we hope we have a chance to check them out later on.
With some minutes of delay after 22, Anathema, the band from Liverpool, took finally the stage appearing in their positions one by one slowly while the instrumental theme San Francisco sounded in the background.The 3 Cavanagh brothers taking the front of the stage with Portuguese drummer Daniel Cardoso supporting from the drums and the always unmistakable beautiful female voice of Lee Douglas to support the band through most parts of the show.
What came next was one of my favorite moments in the whole concert, the amazing 2 parts of “Untouchable“, a really epic work of melodic metal. Later on the setlist that followed was maybe not the best one for my taste, I would have expected a few more classic themes (for example the setlist of their release live concert Universal filmed in Bulgaria with an orchestra is superb for my taste) and we have to be honest with the weak reception of their latest album, as for many fans is the worst they have released in many years. But understandably, the band was touring with that new album, so the setlist had to be adjusted.
Some funny moments with guitarist Danny Cavanagh being very talkative to the audience “are you calling me a prick?” asked with some dose of British accent or “if you consider me a good songwriter, and I think I am ok, I hope you like next one” while his brother, vocalist Vincent Cavanagh jumped from one place on stage to the next hyperactive and cheerful, singing or hammering drums, spiking up the good energy levels of the show for the Finnish fans.
The show ended as traditionally with a powerful version of “Fragile Dreams” with a very tasty intro of Shine on you Crazy Diamond from Pink Floyd, so I would dare to say that, without diminishing the rest of the show with some pearls like “The Lost Song” or the crazy utopia of “Closer“, the start and the end were the best parts of the gig. See you soon Anathema!
Setlist:
San Francisco
Untouchable, Part 1
Untouchable, Part 2
Can’t Let Go
Endless Ways
The Optimist
The Lost Song, Part 3
Universal
Looking Outside Inside
Thin Air
Barriers
Pressure
The Beginning and the End
A Simple Mistake
Closer
Encore:
Firelight
Distant Satellites
Springfield
Back to the Start
Deep
Lost Control
Destiny
Fragile Dreams
(with Shine on You Crazy Diamond/See Emily Play intro)
EMMA brings art by Hans Rosenström under the Tapiola sky as part of the Helsinki Festival
Hans Rosenström + Stormglas: Off Seasons
17 August–3 September 2017, The WeeGee Exhibition Centre forecourt, Tapiola, Espoo
EMMA – Espoo Museum of Modern Art takes part in the Helsinki Festival by presenting its’ new collection acquisition Off Seasons. The work is on display on the museum forecourt in the sculpture park in front of the WeeGee Exhibition Centre, where it forms a dialogue with the sounds and elements of its environment and is free for all to see.
Off Season consists of music, structures and plants, forming one unified artwork. The result is an intense, multisensory and immersive experience where viewers can spend time and enjoy the environment. Off Seasons is a sound installation based on the collaboration between the visual artist Hans Rosenström and the Danish artist duo Stormglas (Andreas Borregaard and Mikkel Sørensen.
The work gives the audience an opportunity to listen to the interpretation of the theme of four seasons by four contemporary Nordic composers. The music is composed by Rasmus Zwicki, Fredrik Österling, Sunleif Rasmussen and Martin Rane Bauck. The composers, selected by Stormglas, chose their preferred season, which formed the basis for their composition. Stormglas’ only rule was that the music had to be composed for a quintet. Hans Rosenström edited a soundtrack from the compositions for the work Off Seasons.
“The four seasons are such a familiar theme in classical music, with Vivaldi’s composition of course being the best-known of treatments of it. I combined the seasons into one work, with the intention perhaps to comment on how these days we try to live oblivious to seasons, as if they made no difference,” says Hans Rosenström.
The music was composed for five different instruments, namely electric guitar, accordion, violin, piano and double bass. These, in addition to the sound of breathing, can all be heard through the various speakers. The soundtrack lasts about 30 minutes, and plays on a loop. The work was originally created on commission by the Chart Art Fair in Denmark, and was shown as part of the art fair’s programme in autumn 2016. There it was presented in the courtyard of Copenhagen’s Kunsthal Charlottenborg.
Sound has a special role in Hans Rosenström’s art. He has created sound installations for public spaces and exhibitions throughout the world. The permanent public work of art in the ferry terminal in Stockholm’s Gärdet offers a glimpse into the future. His work that recently featured at the recent ARoS Aarhus Kunstmuseum Triennial was based on the image of ruins in one of Caspar David Friedrich’s paintings. In Off Seasons, Rosenström returns to the same themes: the mutually opposing concepts of building and ruin, and their presence in our lives and environment.
Off Seasons has recently been acquired for EMMA’s collection and can be set up both indoors and outdoors, changing the location and adjusting the work accordingly. EMMA aims to renew the use of museum collections with modifiable, temporary works and renewable conceptual works in order to regenerate public art, and in this way to take art beyond the confines of museum walls.
The Sounds at Allas Pool, Helsinki
Indie music label Fullsteam celebrated its 15 year anniversary with a very special gig at an amazing location: Swedish band The Sounds playing at Allas Pool in the heart of Helsinki in Katajanokka district.
Finnish music scene has a lot to thank the irruption of Fullsteam in the business in Finland, a company that brought fresh air to a scene dominated mainly by heavy metal bands and has gained the hearts of a new generation of music lovers with a more diversified taste for pop rock style. To put the cherry on top of the cake, they organized a very pleasant event at Allas Sea Pool.
Allas Pool is a new public swimming pool that opened last summer in the heart of Helsinki, in front of the presidential palace, in a very exclusive great scenario just close to the sea where you can have a swim while watching the big ferries departing to Tallinn and Stockholm. From the Swedish country came the main act of the night, The Sounds, with Mira Luoti previously opening as performer the summer night where miraculously the weather respected and did not rain until the show was over.
The concert was a pleasant way to start a Friday evening, young hipsters Finnish fans were mixed in the crowd with some more older followers, almost everybody with a drink on their hands to warm up a weekend night out in the Finnish capital. The concert itself can be considered as a warm up for the incoming Flow Festival that will take place this next weekend with a great array of artists for all tastes, a festival that closes symbolically the music summer season in Helsinki (yes my friends, winter is coming…and summer did never fully arrive this year).
The Sounds delivered with their easy going attitude and happy music and put everybody’s mood in high levels, with their attractive blonde singer Maja Ivarsson hyperactively moving from one side to the other of the stage, teasing the audience constantly lifting her summer dress to show those long legs that turn crazy both men and women in the audience. Mood got at its highest with their huge hit Living in America, and although alltogether with the encore, the concert did not last too long, everybody seemed to be leaving the venue satisfied in search of night adventures or for a good rest before Flow Festival comes to town.
15 years of Fullsteam and hopefully another many more to come to continue bringing a fresh breeze to the Finnish music scene!
The Sounds Setlist at Helsinki Allas Sea Pool 04/08/2017
Song With a Mission
Queen of Apology
Shake Shake Shake
The Darkness
Seven Days a Week
4 Songs & A Fight
No One Sleeps When I’m Awake
Thrill
Living in America
Dorchester Hotel
Rock & Roll
Night After Night
Painted by Numbers
Encore:
Tony the Beat
Hope You’re Happy Now
Aivojumpan hyödyt
Monet meistä ovat oppineet pitämään itsestään parempaa huolta. Uudet urheilulajit puskevat läpi yhä useammalta suunnalta ja trendejä seurataan silmä kovana. Kaiken pöhinän keskellä on joskus helppo unohtaa se, mikä urheilunkin päätavoite on: hyvä ja terve mieli. Vaikka pitkän päivän jälkeen onkin helppo pyöräyttää Netflix päälle ja vaipua viihteen uumeniin, kannattaa silloin tällöin myös harkita kunnon henkisen verryttelyn hyviä puolia.
Kuinka pitää mieli virkeänä?
Kun puhutaan aivoista, täytyy muistaa että niitä voi lähteä haastamaan mitä erilaisemmilla tavoilla. Joillekin integraalilaskut tuottavat vaikeuksia, jotkut eivät saa piirrettyä edes tikku-ukkoja suoraan. Mitä osa-aluetta itse haluaisit kehittää? Jo läppärin äärelle istuttaessa vaihtoehdot ovat rajattomia. On milloin vain mahdollista napsauttaa selaimelle näkyviin shakkilauta ja alkaa vääntämään kättä henkisesti tai vaikka ratkoa sudokua.
Tänne olemme koonneet muutaman ehdotuksen hyvistä tavoista pitää aivot tiukilla!
Kirjan lukeminen
Jos ei satu olemaan kilpailuhenkisellä tuulella, kirja on hyvä tapa pitää mieli hereillä. Netti on pullollaan monenlaisia palveluita, joista voi ladata mieluista luettavaa. Lukeminen vaatii vain uppoutumista, mikä voi olla jopa rentouttavampaa kuin vaikkapa videon katsominen, vaikka se aktivoikin aivoja aivan eri tavalla. Lukeminen auttaa muistia, lisää tietoutta ja parantaa sanavarastoa.
Palveluita löytyy niin maksullisina kuin maksuttominakin. Esimerkki maksuttomasta palvelusta on readanybook.com, jossa pääsee lukemaan kirjautumisen jälkeen haluamiaan teoksia. Toki kirjan lukeminen onnistuu muuallakin kuin netissä. Suomesta löytyy kiistatta yksi maailman parhaimmista kirjastojärjestelmistä, joten maksamilleen veroille kannattaa ehdottomasti käydä hakemassa vastinetta muutaman kovakantisen verran.
Pelaaminen rahalla
Usein ylenkatsottu puoli korttipeleissä, tuuripeleissä ja veikkauksissa on niiden analyyttinen vaativuus. Ne ovat loppujen lopuksi aina todennäköisyyslaskentaa. Pelit toki vaihtelevat hurjasti taidon ja tuurin välillä, mutta on varmaa, ettei löydy yhtäkään huippupelaajaa, joka istuu aivot nollilla ja luottaa tuuriinsa.
Kovimmat pelaajat kokeilevat monia erilaisia pelistrategioita ja onnistuvat tekemään pelaamisestaan jopa melko tuottoisaa. Voisi kuvitella, ettei vaikka pelirullissa ole juuri taktikoinnin varaa, mutta esimerkiksi suomalaiset kasinot tarjoavat monia erilaisia bonusvaihtoehtoja, joita vertailemalla voi saada hyviäkin etuja netissä pelatessa. Laskelmoivaa ajattelua tällainen hupi taatusti kehittää, mutta kohtuus on hyvä pitää mielessä.
Fiksu keskustelu
Moni ei koe foorumeilla notkumista kovin kehittävänä, mutta se riippuu täysin siitä miten aikansa siellä käyttää. On vaikea uskoa, kuinka monia erilaisia keskustelupalstoja netistä voikaan löytää. Yksi suurimmista keskustelusivustoista, joka on hyvä mainita, on Reddit. Sieltä löytyy alafoorumeita kaikesta maan ja taivaan väliltä.
Monet eri harrastusporukat, fanittajat ja kirjoittajat kohtaavat ja tuovat ajatuksiaan esille juuri heille tarkoitetuilla nettisivuilla. Kiinnostaako autot, poliittiset ilmiöt, astronomia, oluen paneminen tai metallimusiikki? Kaikille näille löytyy tuhatpäinen foorumi niin suomeksi kuin englanniksikin.
Ajankohtaisista asioista keskustelu, tiedon hankkiminen ja itsensä ilmaisu ovat kaikki aivoja vaativia tehtäviä. Löydä siis itsellesi sopiva sivusto ja pistä parastasi! Trollien välttely, argumentointi ja luova kirjoittaminen kehittävät niin monia henkisiä taitoja, ettei niitä kaikkia tänne kannata edes listata.
Lopuksi
Aivot toimivat kuin lihas. Käyttämättöminä ne rapistuvat sitä nopeammin mitä vanhemmaksi tulee. Ne tarvitsevat haasteita tai ne surkastuvat. Jos olo on väsynyt, saamaton eikä luova ajattelu suju, ongelma saattaa olla vain verryttelyn puute. Kuten fyysinenkin liikunta, aivojumppa voi parantaa muistia, luovaa ajattelua ja vähentää ahdistusta.
On tärkeää olla ottamatta aivojumppaa liian vakavasti ja muistaa nauttia ajastaan. Jos ajatus stressaa liikaa, voi löhöily silloin tällöin olla ihan hyväkin ajatus. Kuten liikunnassakin, lopullinen tavoite on aina pitää itsensä terveenä ja onnellisena!
Interview with Anneke van Giersbergen at Helsinki Tuska Metal Festival
Dutch metal singer Anneke van Giersbergen has been undoubtedly a reference as one of the most talented female metal voices for more than two decades, since her early beginnings with the band The Gathering.
Having a special relation with Helsinki where she visits and performs often, and with a wide list of collaborations with amazing bands and projects such as Moonspell, Within Temptation, Anathema, Devin Townsend Project or Ayreon, Anneke loves Tuska festival in Helsinki, and Tuska festival loves her back.
Anneke was the queen of the opening Friday day at Tuska performing live 3 times during a busy evening, with her new band Vuur, in a short acoustic solo for some lucky winners of a competition and closing the night as special guest together with Devin Townsend Project. An excellent opportunity for the Finnish fans to enjoy once more her amazing vocal skills, special energy on stage and perennial charming smile.
Before that, FREE! Magazine had the chance to sit with her for a few minutes in the backstage so she could share with us her impressions about Vuur, her visits to Finland and the future plans ahead:
Thanks for your time Anneke! You come to Helsinki quite often, and this time is with your new band Vuur. Can you tell us a bit more what the fans here in Finland can expect from the incoming gig?
Thanks to you too! Yeah, it has been a long time since I made a true metal album, cause I have been all over the place and I love all kind of different styles of music, I just love singing. But I felt when we were working on The Gentle Storm like I wanted to continue making a solo album with these same guys, the live band of The Gentle Storm, cause they are so good! I was very inspired by them, so I thought that if I wanted to make a metal album on my own, I had to do it now and with these guys, so I did! And it turned out even better than I expected, there is a good vibe around it and people are excited anticipating it!.
If I am not mistaken there is already released the first official track. How are the plans for the release of the album?
We are doing one or two more tracks before the album gets released in October and we will do some summer festivals anyway where we play new songs, so there will be new songs online, in Youtube etc.
Do you feel easier now with the new technologies and social media to reach your audience?
Yeah, I think is great to have Youtube, Spotify and the whole thing. It is easier to get our music out and to get people to the shows. Of course maybe you sell a bit less Cds than 20 years ago but it does not matter, we need to be creative!
You are going to have a busy day today right? After Vuur concert you will make a small solo acoustic show and Devin Townsend is playing later, are you gonna join them?
Yes, I am going to join them. 3 shows today, but I am looking forward to all 3!
I remember that you were here in Tuska last time 2 years ago when you came with The Sirens, I saw that show. What memories do you have?
I just love Tuska festival, it is a fantastic festival and I love it every time since I came here. I wanted to come back with Vuur very much and I was on the trousers of Jouni (Jouni Markkanen, Tuska Festival promoter) to bring us here. He booked us even without listening to the album! So he believes in me and in the band and that is so cool! It is great to have a few festivals before the release of the album.
Do you find the Finnish audience having special features compared to other countries? Sometimes other artists have told me that they are more silent but you can feel how they are enjoying the music deep inside…
Yeah, that’s the thing about the Finnish, like you said, they are collected and quiet but there is so much fire and passion, and you can see it, you know. But when the song finishes, they are loud. It is a crazy thing about Finland.
I remember in 2010 for example when you came with Anathema, not sure if you have memories of that day, but the people were really crazy at Tavastia Club!
Totally! As the Finnish say of themselves “we are quiet people” and I know that there is a bit of a reservation there, but still you have a lot of passion for arts, music, artists…
I also wanted to ask you about the special concert you gave 3 years ago for the 25th Anniversary of The Gathering with all the previous artists. How did it feel?
It was great, it was very peculiar cause when we talked about it, and with some people I have not seen them for 8 years, and then we talked about the reunion and then we started rehearsing and it felt like yesterday that we played these songs together, it is crazy, and it was 8 or 9 years ago when we did, but it felt like at home. I was at The Gathering for most of my young adult life and the influence that you get at this age period is very big.
I think you wanted to make clear that it was just a one time special occasion, so only 1 special show…
Yeah, of course promoter said “you could go on tour” and I am sure we could have made a lot of money, etc but we said “let’s keep it special”. We never say never for a next time, but you have to keep it exclusive and is more special that way. Plus I am busy with everything else I do.
After such a fruitful career in music and having participated in so many nice collaborations with talented artists and bands, do you feel lucky to have made good friends in the music industry?
Yeah, totally! The only friends I have!! Hehehe, no more social life, most of my real friends are in music and then apart I have one or two girl friends that I know from the time before music, but at that period I was just 14! So my life and my family and everything, all has to do with music. But musicians in general they get each other, they understand the lifestyle, the weird hours, the passion, the way you are always busy with music and with creating something.
You seem to have a busy rest of the year 2017, touring with Vuur, doing some more solo acoustic concerts, sharing tour with Epica, the new album getting released. How do you face the incoming busy months?
I like busy, the album is done and is almost on the shelf waiting for release, we are doing the promotion for the album with festivals and gigs, and in October we are going on tour. We have some really nice things coming up. I like it as I have not played so much for a long time since we were at the studio and I wanted not to do 10 projects at the same time, I was really focusing but that means that you are not playing a lot and I start to miss it. I love being at home and doing laundry, etc it gives me peace, but when I am not playing I get restless. I kind of need it, but is a good balance on and off. I know a lot of people who tour all year around every year and they get a little bit off balance.
And after that, do you have plans in the longer run for the incoming 2018 or so far just focused on 2017?
Well, I think for the moment playing with Vuur and at some point writing for an incoming new album. I will do also some solo stuff next months in Holland, theater shows and a classical show with orchestra. And I like that, active but not too much, like before with The Sirens and a new album incoming and you know… usually 5 projects at once and that is insane, so I try solo, acoustic and Vuur as my focus now.
As the time for your show with Vuur is coming close, I do not want to take more of your time so you can prepare. Anything else you want to add for the readers and the Finnish (and foreign) audience here?
Well, I am here in Finland around two times per year, they invite me so many times that I feel a bit like being my home away from home, I have great friends here and I love this festival. I am looking forward to playing here again!
Rockfest in Vantaa 2017 – 5 things that rocked and 5 things that not!
Vantaa celebrated a few days ago the first edition of a new festival in Finland: Rockfest (even when some artists would not know understandably the difference between Vantaa and Helsinki and would just salute to Helsinki from stage, but we can forgive that, right?).
As every time that a new event takes place, there are always good things and bad things to highlight. FREE! Magazine has been bringing you news in English about the music scene in Finland for the last 10 years, and once more we were accredited there to check the best festivals and venues in the country. Here are our top 5 things that we really enjoyed in the festival and the top 5 that maybe deserve some improvement if organization decides to repeat in following years the experience:
Things that rocked!
1. Rammstein
The Germans are always a safe bet for any concert organizer in Finland. Finnish fans love them, and they love the country back, visiting often this Nordic country. They headlined the festival the first day on Friday, and together with the sunny weather, brought a huge mass of spectators to enjoy the show. Their live performances never let down and can be surely counted as the best visual and music experience to enjoy in the last decades. Although the sound quality was not the best, they delivered what people wanted, straight to the point without wasting time in speeches, one hour and a half of strong music that hits like a straight bullet to the head.
2. Easy to arrive by train
The venue was located just in front of Vehkala train station, so even when was a bit far from Helsinki centre, transportation was very convenient to arrive. Another different story was when leaving at night…
3. Great selection of food.
Many stands with different choices of food for all tastes and other entertainments so the audience would not starve during the long hours of the evening.
4. The weather
Everybody living in the capital area of Finland knows that this summer has not been the best weather related so far. Pretty much, you could see the sun for a couple of hours and then follow up by 5 days cloudy, cold and rainy. However the gods of metal sent a wink to the festival and for 2 days one could enjoy in just shorts and T-shirt the music around. The audience responded, overall on the first day on Friday, going massively to enjoy the chance to hear music, drink beer and get some tan.
5. Guano Apes
This is more of my personal choice as I used to follow the band 20 years ago and never had the chance to see them live. It was quite exciting to be able to finally seeing Sandra Nasic singing some rock anthems like Big in Japan or Open your Eyes.
Things that did not rock!
1. The rocks scattered all over the festival venue
Yes, we know the name of the festival was Rockfest, but it felt a bit unnecessary to have to step all over big stones in most of the surface of the festival. I am sure more than one assistant ended up with the ankle twisted there. We also like Tuska (Pain) festival, and that does not mean we want to be whipped when entering the venue. Some grass areas to sit would have been truly appreciated instead of the choice between rocks or mud.
2. The drinks prices and the long queues on Friday
Of course festivals need to make money, but paying 7 euro (one euro gets returned if you give back the empty can) for a 33cl beer or cider is a bit too excessive. Not that the price would matter to many Finns who were decided to spend hundreds of euro to get wasted on Friday at literally any price. But still, too much, specially when we add queues of half an hour to order a beer or one hour to order a burger. If organization wants to put those ridiculous prices, at least they could beef up with more manpower to speed up serving.
3. Leaving the festival
At night security decided to close Vehkala station and make people walk a couple of kilometres until the next station in Vantaankoski where people could take buses, taxis or trains. At least organization could have let know of this in advance as most people got surprised the first night about how to reach back home.
4. The general list of bands performing
Painful to say, but the simple truth is that the festival did not have the quality to keep up for 2 days. It is true that the first day Rammstein attracted a big bulk of fans, but on Saturday assistance was maybe one third in comparison. Being honest, for much that Evanescence is a nice band to watch, it was not enough to headline the second day (practically all the audience left after their show without even waiting for an encore). The festival missed at least one more big name to headline for Saturday, so many people decided just to buy a one day ticket or simply not to come back for Saturday concerts.
5. The tent of the secondary stage was too small
Some people complained that they could not see a shit there like in the show of Kotiteollisuus that is quite a popular Finnish band. If you want to have a second stage, at least make it accesible and big enough for the spectators to enjoy.
WORLD TAPAS DAY IN FINLAND
On June 15th, Finland took part in the celebration of the “World Tapas Day”. This International Day is an occasion to celebrate the Spanish culture and gastronomy in the whole world, through one of its more emblematic dishes; the tapas. More than 600 restaurants from over 30 countries offered Spanish tapas to their customers around the world.
For the celebration of this International Day, The Spanish Tourist Office in Finland has counted on the assistance of Mikko Takala, one of the most relevant influencers on the international gastronomic scene. His assistance has been a guaranty of the quality and high level of the restaurants participating in this International Day.
On this year’s “Tapaspäivä” in Finland, 36 outstanding restaurants of Helsinki, Tampere, Turku, Rovaniemi and Oulu offered tapas and other dishes of the Spanish cuisine and, in many cases, offered special dishes of fusion cuisine.
On June 14, as a special event, a contest took place among 19 of the restaurants participating in the Tapas Day, in order to choose “The Best Tapas of Helsinki”. The contest was organized in the venue of the cooking school, Kokkikoulu Espa, and it counted on the sponsorship of the awarded wines of the Catalonian region of Empordà.
The jury was presided by Mikko Takala and also formed by Sauli Kemppainen, a renamed chef and author of gastronomic books, who is working in one of the most exclusive Restaurants of the city of Berlin, and Susanna Vuori, the head of a new bakery brand in Punavuori. She is a highly skilled baker and patissier, and has worked in various Michelin-starred restaurants in London and Paris.
The competition in this contest was very hard, and so was the work of the jury. Finally, the results were:
Second Honorary Award: BasBas & Staff wine bar (Tehtaankatu 27-29)
First Honorary Award: SOIL (Fredrikinkatu 37)
WINNER OF THE CONTEST: JORD (Kortteli, Urho Kekkosen Katu, 1)
Sauna bus journey from Hanko to Nuorgam
Bus operator Savonlinja celebrates the 100th birthday of Finland with a stunt of its own. On June 7 2017, a specially equipped sauna bus will start off on its journey to drive across country. During the long weekend, the sauna will be hot and steamy from beginning to end. The entire endeavor will take 100 hours.
During the 1000+ kilometer trip – from the South Coast all the to the Norwegian border up in Lapland – the occupancy rate of the sauna will be very high indeed. As the bus makes stops in key Finnish cities along the way, sauna-lovers from all walks of life will board the bus: performers, city representatives, business people, students, journalists… And also regular citizens who won their sauna slot via a Savonlinja competition.
All participants have ID cards that they use when entering and exiting sauna. The idea is to maximize the minutes spent in the sauna during the trip. The custom-made “sauna-on-wheels” can comfortably fit four people at a time.
The host during the entire weekend will be Finnish superstar Ville Haapasalo.
The Long Hot Sauna is guaranteed to add some serious heat into the centennial festivities in a very patriotic way. After all, ‘sauna’ is the only Finnish word that has spread around the world and become a part of our common, global vocabulary.
For more information visit: www.pitkäkuumasauna.fi (in Finnish)
FINNISH BROADCASTER YLE TO DELIVER LIVE AND ON DEMAND COVERAGE OF X GAMES NORWAY 2017
YLE will deliver live coverage of X Games Norway 2017 on YLE2 and will stream all event coverage live on Yle.fi., as well as live and on demand coverage on ESPNPlayer.com across Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA). Fans can watch the action live on YLE2 from Wednesday March 8. Check local listings for more information. All the action will also be available on ESPN Select – the new channel from ESPN Player which features live events from a wide range of sports. Events will be available live and on demand, allowing fans to watch the action at a time that suits them.
As the world’s premier action sports competition returns to Norway on March 8-11, the event features top athletes competing in eight different disciplines over four days for the second time. Taking place at the Hafjell ski resort, the winter games includes snowboard, ski and snowmobile events, with more than 70 competitors, among them several Olympians.
After successful competitions at X Games Oslo 2016, X Games will host Women’s Ski and Snowboard Big Air finals for the second time in Norway. The Norway X Games will also feature Snowboard and Ski Big Air (Men and Women) and – new to the event – Snowboard and Ski Slopestyle (Men and Women).
TOP WINTER SPORTS ATHLETES SET TO FEATURE
The biggest names in winter sports are set to take part in the games – including Norwegian X Games medalists Stale Sandbech, Markus Kleveland, Silje Norendal, Johanne Killi and Øystein Braaten. The world’s top ski and snowboard athletes will compete, including six-time X Games gold medalist Mark McMorris, 12-time X Games medalist Jamie Anderson, two-time defending Ski Slopestyle gold medalist and Big Air silver medalist Kelly Sildaru and X Games Oslo 2016 Ski Big Air gold medalist Henrik Harlaut. For the full list of invited athletes, please visit www.xgames.com.
Two Finnish riders received invites to compete at X Games Norway 2017 – Snowboarders Enni Rukajarvi and Roope Tonteri. A two-time medalist, Rukajarvi holds the distinction of being the first rookie to win Women’s Snowboard Slopestyle and the first female Finnish athlete to medal at an X Games event. Tonteri competed in the Big Air event in Oslo 2016 with a 13th place finish. He competes on the Air + Style tour and earned a big win at the FIS World Cup Big Air event in November.
Eurovision 2017 Predictions: Shock, Controversy, and Politics
If anyone tells you that it’s impossible to predict a Eurovision contest – they’re wrong. As we’ve seen throughout the 61-year history of the show, the one thing that you can always count on is for the unexpected to happen.
The guaranteed excitement that comes hand in hand with that volatility is what makes Eurovision one of the most exciting events of the year to follow. In fact, the tension surrounding who will win is so high, that it’s actually one of the most frequently wagered contests on the entire calendar.
A lot of people use the ease of placing bets on online gaming sites to take a shot at predicting the winner. And even if you aren’t sure about the outcome, placing a wager on your favorite artist is just a fun way to show your support. Gambling at kasinot.com can make the betting experience even better, because it offers you a whole range of other betting opportunities that add even more action to the event.
Who is the favorite to win Eurovision 2017?
Given the thrilling and controversial finish to last year’s contest, it’s safe to say that politics will once again be playing a role. Remember, Ukraine will be hosting Eurovision 2017 just one year after Ukrainian singer Jamala took down the title with a song that many believe was anti-Russian. It’s widely expected that the ongoing tensions between Ukraine and Russia will have consequences in this year’s voting as well.
The shifting musical tastes is another important factor to consider when trying to predict the winner. Although music with a more contemporary sound does occasionally win, oftentimes something fresh and different will come out on top – like when heavy metal band Lordi took down the title in 2006 for Finland.
Another factor to consider is the televoting rules, which seem to have been controversial in one way or the other ever since their introduction in 2009. The jury/televote ratio has always been 50/50, but this year the Eurovision Broadcasting Union (EBU) has reserved the right set the ratio at its own discretion. This is another reaction to the huge disparity in national voting that many see as being politically motivated rather than about the quality of the performances.
So who is the favorite? You can never be completely sure, but given the fact that Eurovision is watched by over 200 million people and has developed a bit of a cult following in Europe, the stakes will be very high for the contestants. In the end, whoever brings the right combination of talent/song choice, is able to win over both the jury and crowd, and can steer clear of politics will take down the title.
Two Estonian artists at Eurosonic this week
Estonian artists NOËP and Tommy Cash are performing at the biggest European festival for new talent, Eurosonic Noordeslag this week in Groningen, Holland. Music Estonia leads the delegation of Estonian music industry professionals.
This year’s festival line-up includes two Estonian artists – original rap superstar Tommy Cash performs at the Vera club on 11th January and in Groniningen’s Platformtheater on 12th January, whilst the indie-electro-pop artist/producer NOËP takes the stage at Mutua Fides club on 12th January.
In addition, the festival offers daytime conference programme featuring 175 panels, keynote speakers, interviews, workshops, and dinners, as well as pitches, parties and meetings covering the latest developments in the international music, media, production and interactive industries.
Among the conference panelists is also the founder of Tallinn Music Week, Helen Sildna who will participate in the discussion of “Music Moves Europe” initiative on 12th January. Launched in 2016 and bringing together more than 50 music organizations around the European Commission to shape the EU’s music agenda, this cycle of high-level discussions has proven very promising. Now, Helen together with other influential players in the European music industry will voice their position on the subject, through a dialogue with representatives from the European Commission.
Eurosonic Noorderslag is the key exchange and networking platform for European music, with a proven track record for helping to break new acts on the international live music scene. Selling out each year, the event attracts more than 4,000 professional delegates, including representatives of over 400 international festivals. Each year, Eurosonic Noorderslag presents 350 showcases alongside a conference program covering the latest developments in the international music, media, production and interactive industries.
