Review: Iloisiin kuulemiin ja näkemiin

SONGS FOR YLE AND KEKKONEN

Outi Popp and Jukka Relander have written a declaration of love for the Finnish Broadcasting Company. To Happy Hears and Goodbyes tells the story of the golden age of radio and schlager from the early 1950s onwards.
The performance is unashamedly nostalgic. Finland’s history thus consists of the 1952 Olympics and Coca-Cola, the election of Urho Kekkonen as president, the note crisis at the top of the palm tree and other shared memories. The dreary life of everyday life is not pushed.

Mikko Kivinen’s direction revolves in a simple loop. First, a slide is shown and a picture of the time is played, such as Kekkonen’s radio speech about Josef Stalin’s heroic deeds. This is followed by a sketch about the everyday life of the editorial staff of Yle’s Päiväpeili, and at the end there is a singing of something familiar. Then the tour starts all over again.
In the second half, we say goodbye to the real Yle, as the stream-of-programme thinking forces the editorial staff to compete with commercial channels.
The Auditorium is like a giant stereophonic tube radio. In addition to the stage, the singers appear in the side balconies, where they are caught by light spots. The whole show resembles a hosted radio show.
The decision was well suited to the public. The singers are excellent and the four-piece band knows their job. Especially the drummer’s attitude is right.
Riitta Havukainen, Seppo Maijala, Kari Mattila, Jari Pehkonen, Leena Rapola, Antti Timonen, Hanna Vahtikari, Sami Hokkanen, Vuokko Hovatta, Pertti Koivula, Merja Larivaara, Petja Lähde, Sanna Majuri and Ursula Salo will perform and sing in the hall.