The strength of the BbA Folk Big Band (SibA FBB) was born from collective creativity of about 50 folk musicians from Finland. The instrumentation includes violins, kanteles, accordions, guitars, and wind instruments. In addition there are also archaic Finnish instruments such as the bowed lyre (jouhikko in Finnish). All instruments have their time in the multifaceted line-up, but the party really starts when the whole huge band sings and plays along.
The orchestra was founded by Petri Prauda in 2010 as part of the operation of the popular music department of theSibelius Academy in Helsinki. Each member is a musician, arranger, multi-instrumentalist, soloist and ensemble player, as well as a skilled improviser! The orchestra performs without a conductor or a score, with all members communicating together in a dynamic, rhythmic and expressive way, through a grandiose work of improvisation.
Below is the interview released by Roope Aarnio, artistic leader of the SibA Folk Big Band, for First Art:
It's hard to coordinate so many musicians on and off stage?
“One of the principles underlying SibA FBB is the idea of democracy: every single member is important to the band. Of course it's a big group of musicians and for that you need someone in charge, however we try to work as much as possible like a normal small band where everyone has equal rights and responsibilities. As this is a project of the Sibelius Academy (University of The Arts, Helsinki) in the folk music department, we also have some professors in the group.
At the moment I am the artistic leader but there is also an intendant who takes care of the many practical matters. We tried to reach the point where every member feels proud to play Finnish folk music. It hasn't always been easy, but at the moment everything seems to be going quite well. I have found that if people are kept in the loop and have a safe space to work in, trust and engagement will follow along and all the work will be done much more productively.
Who decides how a new song will be set? Which instruments will be part of it, who will sing the lyrics of that particular song: is it a choral decision?
“The idea is that SibA FBB members hold multiple roles simultaneously, these are professional musicians who play their main instruments but are also composers and arrangers. Our music is based on Finno-Ugric and Nordic musical traditions, most of the material is brought in by a senior student or teacher from the Sibelius Academy and then reworked together by the orchestra. This might slow down rehearsal times a bit, but the end result is that we perceive the pieces more as our own and therefore it is more satisfying to play them.
We also try to avoid using sheet music, because the contact and energy of the musicians while playing live is much better when everyone is playing without sheet music. Our goal is to find the essence of traditional folk music working methods and from there create the standards for a popular music orchestra which is also in fact a huge band. It has been quite challenging to break these old ways of working towards orchestral music, especially when our line-up changes every year: old students graduate and new students join the band, but I think we are on the right track. “
What is the fundamental difference between performing in Finland and outside Finland?
“For some strange historical reasons, Finnish folk music was not very popular with the people in the past. Finns were not proud or interested in their culture and roots. Nowadays the situation is changing, but there are still few venues where you can hear folk music in Finland, that's why many professional folk musicians mostly perform abroad. In Finland, folk music is usually played live at festivals or in clubs, and the audience is mainly folk rock lovers who already know the genre.
However most Finns are not interested in folk music, or don't know where to find it, people they've never heard of it, they don't know what it is nowadays, facing it with prejudice. In other countries the public seems to be more open and interested in the musical tradition of other cultures. On the other hand the mentality of the Finnish public might be more moderate than in other countries where people can party and dance wildly even without drinking any kind of alcoholic beverages. ”
Did you enjoy performing at Rudolstadt Festival 2019 in Germany, what was your favorite stage?
“Performing at the Rudolstadt Festival was a truly wonderful experience for me and the entire SibA Folk Big Band. This event has a reputation for being one of the largest and most entertaining folk music festivals in Europe and I wholeheartedly agree with that statement. We were greeted by a great audience that radiated warmth and affection at each concert.
It's something I will remember throughout my career. The feeling was especially extraordinary during the performances in the Heinepark in the Great Folk Ballroom, also the concert at the Heidecksburg castle is to be remembered for a truly breathtaking view. And the festival staff was very friendly and professional, so we always felt very welcome. ”
What about SibA FBB's future projects?
"Next year we will celebrate the XNUMXth anniversary of the SibA Folk Big Band, a big concert will be organized in autumn 2020, which we are still planning at the moment, we hope we can create something sensational: some new songs are cooking, plus a co-organized performance with a dance group. We have also already received invitations to perform at some festivals in Europe this coming summer. ”
And finally, what does playing Folk Music for work mean to you, can you also answer on behalf of the other members of SibA FBB?
“For me it is a privilege and an honor to play Finnish folk music, I am proud to be able to do it for a living. I think it's an important task as we are preserving and developing culture that we all share. Popular music can be local and global at the same time, it's something unique and intimate, it's a pleasure for everyone. There is some wisdom of the past in this music, for the people of today and tomorrow. "
