This week, TUOMAS ROUNAKARI (Finnish violinist, composer, ethnomusicologist) is featuring on the frontpage of The New York Times, in the article entitled ‘The Finnish Secret to Happiness? Knowing when You have Enough!’, a topic which raises several questions and doubts to Tuomas…
Tuomas shared:
“Front page of the New York Times today!
The print version will probably not be available until 9.4.
It’s a picture essay about Finland, because we are ranked as the happiest country in the world for the 6th time in a row. But are we happy? And what does that even mean?
My short part was edited to be very political. I guess that’s how it goes in America especially when you share a front page with the big D. Finland is interesting to the world. I hope we are worth it.“
Besides the main topic of The New York Times, Tuomas comments about the environment:
“I am worried with this level of ignorance we have toward our own environment,” he said, citing endangered species and climate change. The threat, he said, “still doesn’t seem to shift the political thinking.”
Read the whole story at https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/01/world/europe/finland-happiness-optimism.html
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On April 14th 2022, TUOMAS ROUNAKARI released his solo album “Bear Awakener”, available at https://rounakari.bandcamp.com!
Awakening the Bear is a symbol of succumbing to the greater forces of existence. Awakening a new energy while being more connected to the ancient. And first and foremost – opening to a dialogue with mythical entities and re-creating harmonious and long lasting relationships with our surroundings, including human and non-human beings, seen and unseen worlds. The songs in this album are formed by Khanty, Mansi, Carelian and Finnish ancestors. They carry a resonance of those before us who were better equipped to collaborate with nature in a sustainable and self-sufficient way. Such songs have always been Tuomas’ best teachers.
“This is music that gods are listening to” said Pekko Käppi after having listened through the freshly finished mastered tracks.
“Bear Awakener” was recorded, mixed and mastered at the Verde Studio with the gear-wizard Mika Rintala. None of his modular synthesizers were used. All of the equipment used in recording was built by Mika – microphones, pre-amps, EQ and even the mixing console and electrostatic monitors. The album coverart was created by Karolina Pärnänen.
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TUOMAS ROUNAKARI is an internationally acclaimed violinist, composer and ethnomusicologist from Finland. He is a one-man-band blending violin, vocals and stomping with ankle-bells. In his performance he enters various trance-states. In this album he will also be playing a traditional Khanty instrument called Ning-juh.
Tuomas is inspired by different forms of dialogue; man and nature, the seen and the unseen world, ancient and future. His first solo album Shamanviolin was a result of ethnomusicological studies of the earliest 20th century wax-cylinder recordings from Siberia. These studies have also led to many collaborations with indigenous artists. He is one of the few artists who have actually returned their art to native communities for evaluation and development.
Tuomas Rounakari solo performance has been selected to: World Cultures Festival in Hong Kong (2019), Arctic Arts Summit (2019), Nordiskt Ljus Festival in Sweden (2022), Festspillene Helgeland in Norway (2021), Nuuk Nordik Festival in Greenland, Kaustinen Folk Music Festival in Finland (2018, 2013, 2012), Helsingin Juhlaviikot and many others. He has also played the solo performance in several theaters such as Finnish National Theater in Helsinki, Merlin Szinhas Teater in Budapest, AlfredVeDvore in Prague, Ashurst Hall in Flagstaff USA among others.
Also watch
-Tuomas’ performance video, a throwback to Tokyo 2017, from the materials of ‘Live in Japan’ documentary by Kimmo Kuusniemi: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g718diJlW1s
-‘Farewell of Kamas People’ – https://youtu.be/oV16Qipd0MQ
-‘Langetus’ – https://youtu.be/HVsU7PTqqHY
More information at
TUOMAS ROUNAKARI: http://www.rounakari.com | http://www.facebook.com/shamanviolin |https://rounakari.bandcamp.com | https://rounakari.com/videos
MANAGEMENT: https://www.facebook.com/SplitScreenManagement | http://www.splitscreenproduction.com
Metal Shock Finland (World Assault ) 