The princess plays

Composer Aki Ito and poet Eira Stenberg got to know eachother at the Saari Residence in 2011. Soon after, the idea for a collaborative project was born. Aki Ito began to compose a work that is based on Eira Stenberg’s poem The Princess Plays (Prinsessa leikkii).

– The Saari Well gave me a special gift. I met Japanese composer Aki Ito, we talked a lot, we became friends and became interested in each other’s work. Aki was inspired by my poems after having read their French translations and wanted to begin composing a big piece of vocal music influenced by them in which the Finnish, French and English languages weave into the same poetic tale, recounts Eira Stenberg.

– The piece is finished now and Finnish defunensemble is currently searching for a concert location for the autumn [2015] for it. Aki and my collaboration still continues, says Stenberg.