Tarja TurunenMusic Has Been My Driving Force08.12.2011Ðрхив интервью | РуÑÑÐºÐ°Ñ Ð²ÐµÑ€ÑиÑThe name of Tarja Turunen is familiar not only to heavy metal fans, but also to classical music lovers: over her lengthy career this Finnish soprano has sung the famous Nightwish hits, classical arias, traditional Finnish songs and her own compositions. Her inventiveness and working capacity are some things to be proud of – apart from recording albums (her latest solo release, “What Lies Beneathâ€, came out last year), she manages to perform all over the planet and take part in various interesting projects. Her latest project is called Harus, and it is releasing live CD/DVD “In Concert – Live At Sibelius Hallâ€, this winter. This recording was the main topic of our phone conversation, which, to my great regret, turned out extremely short. Many of the interesting issues had to be left out for time constraints, but what we managed to discuss is now available for your reading …Your new band is called Harus, which means “the tensors that keep the mast from fallingâ€. Do I understand it right that you’re the mast or the sail of this “boatâ€? So does it mean that the guys are not actually your new band members who are supposed to be quite equal to you, but just supporting musicians? We are very, very equal. We’re doing the arrangements together, we’re working on the setlist together, we’re doing everything together. I can suggest what I would like to sing in the concert, and the guys are never coming back and saying, “No way, we’re not doing thatâ€. Of course they pay respect if I say something about what I think can sound good… But we do change opinions about the arrangements, we discuss the instruments like which one should play where and what, so we are equal. And we also come from different backgrounds, all of us. Kalevi (Kiviniemi, organ) is a classical musician and Markku (Krohn, percussion) is also a classical musician, and they both played different kinds of things. Kalevi, for example, is very much known as a concert organist who has been playing a lot of improvisations all over the world and bringing up different kinds of music for the people to hear. And myself… Of course you know my background in the metal and also classical music. And Marzi (Nyman), our guitar player, he’s been playing a lot of jazz and folk and rock music. So when we come together, we’re very different, but we are all equal, we are the people that can understand each other and we share the freedom in making music. We’re playing with our emotions and we’re enjoying being together. That means that with Harus none of the concerts are the same, every concert has something different in it, because the songs are changing, the guys are improvising, the arrangements are changing and we can play along with, you know, how we feel. You’re releasing your debut live album with Harus, but actually it’s been recorded two years ago. Why don’t you present your new band with some new songs?Well, I’ve been working with the guys from Harus since 2006, but we just didn’t record anything together till 2009. I recorded my Christmas album in 2006 not with Harus but on my own, and yes, some of the songs that are on this live album are there too. And some other songs that I chose to be on the Harus concert album are the songs I love the most and my fans love the most. Actually that’s the only reason why we’re releasing all that, because my audience, especially in Finland, they’re waiting for hearing those songs, they’re waiting for me to sing those songs. They love “Walking in the Airâ€, “You Would Have Loved This†and so on. “You Would Have Loved This†is a very special song to me, it has a very personal meaning to me, because that’s the song that I sang for my mother. And people already know the story behind that song and when I sing this song it’s almost like tears are falling from the people’s eyes in my audience, because every one of us has lost somebody dear. This song brings memories of those lost people to all of us. There’s always reason for me to sing this song and every song I chose to sing for this album. There’s a song “Ave Maria†that I composed for this concert tour of 2009, it’s my own “Ave Maria†and it’s very special to me too. Of course it’s just one of the concerts that we’ve done together and every concert was different and each one was great, but this DVD and this CD show just one night back in 2009. Nothing has been changed, nothing has been re-recorded, it has been just mixed and all the things that you can see and hear there had actually happened, so it’s purely live.Are you planning to release any studio albums with Harus?Yes, we’re planning to release a new album in the future. It might be that after watching the concert people would think that we can only play that kind of music. No, it’s not like that. We’re able to broaden up our program, to play different kind of songs. The main reason why we recorded this live CD and DVD is that we couldn’t perform with our Christmas concerts outside of Finland, so we wanted our fans from all over the world to be able to see that show. But in the future there will be a new album that is gonna come out later on, we don’t know yet when. And with this DVD/CD that is coming out now we kind of show our fans the songs that we couldn’t perform for them.You’re a resident of Argentina now. Did the change of your place of residence affect your music tastes? Doesn’t it seem that away from Finland you’re feeling a bit like a different person?Well, I’ve been away from Finland for so long already, since I was a very independent young girl… I left my home when I was sixteen and went to another city in Finland to study music and after that music has been the main reason for me to change my life, to move somewhere. It was all about music, it was the main power, the main force that guided my life. It’s not like my music was changing because of the things that were happening in my life but it was like my life was changing because of music. When I decided to move away from Finland for the first time it was because I wanted to study music in a university in Germany. I also had to go to different countries with Nightwish shows. And I never really felt like I needed to live in Finland. If I feel rather comfortable in some other place, I go for that. Now when I’m in Argentina I don’t feel like I’m away from home. I’ve been having an international career and I’ve seen many places, so it wasn’t a great shock for me to find myself in a completely different country, though of course Argentina is very different from Finland. But I’ve already seen how people live in different parts of the world, I’ve seen different cultures and so it’s never been a problem for me. I feel like I found my way as a musician myself, but of course being an artist and traveling and meeting other people give me a great opportunity to learn. I try to be open to other cultures and to learn from them and I have learnt a lot through my journeys, through my musical career. I’ve communicated with musicians from all over the world and of course that could have influenced my music. But I can’t say that it’s only one country or one kind of music that affects my creativity. It’s all my life and all the knowledge I’m getting that does.Well, I see that you’re a very multicultural person, but on the other hand it seems like you’re very much into traditional Finnish culture. You sing a lot of Finnish songs…Oh, I love Finnish music, yes. I love it very much. It has nothing to do with the fact that I’m living in Argentina. I love Finland, I’m very proud of our culture, I’m very comfortable with being Finnish. I was able to make an international career, but of course I’m aware of and I’m very happy about being a Finnish artist and representing my country. Does it feel different to you to sing a song in Finnish or in English? Do you feel more connected to the songs written in Finnish?The Finnish language is very difficult to sing in it, I can tell you. (laughs) It’s a big problem for me despite the fact that it’s my native language. And you know, any singer will say the same. (laughs) It’s a very demanding language, especially in classical music. We have these very open vowels like… (says a few) and they are very hard for classical vocals. It’s very hard to make them sound good. When you’re on stage you’re such a gorgeous lady wearing long dresses, but if one looks at the photos in your blog one can see that backstage you’re wearing mostly sportswear or jeans. Don’t you want to be a kind of diva in your real life too?No… You know, when I come to perform it’s always a special event for me. I go on stage, I face a lot of people and I try to put on something appropriate for that. And when I put on something it’s always about how I feel the music. I always think about how I should look like when I perform this or that kind of music. What I feel more comfortable with, what colors I want to use, what kind of shape “fits†the songs. I design my clothes very often with my friend, who is a professional tailor and who makes all these dresses for me. We’ve been working together for many-many years. But on the other hand in my private time I want to be just me. I mean I need to feel comfortable. I don’t want to wear my stage clothes. When I’m on stage, I’m wearing stage clothes and in my private life I’m private me. (laughs) I can very much separate these two sides of myself. I can be an artist and I can be a housewife, a friend… hopefully one day a mother. You know, it’s just me, as I am.As far as I know you are into scuba diving, right? Are there any other extraordinary hobbies you have and why are you into that kind of extreme sports?Oh yes, I am into scuba diving. But I can’t say that I do a lot of extreme sports. I just do a lot of sports to keep myself fit, but nothing that special. And I wouldn’t call scuba diving “extremeâ€. It’s such a lovely thing to do. Well, maybe it is extreme for some people. I know that they say, “If you try it it’s a thing that you can rather love or hateâ€. I know that some people who have tried it once or twice say, “Never againâ€. But for me when I tried it, it was something wonderful and beautiful and I was like “wowâ€. Actually I wanted to fight back my fear of water, because when I was younger I was kind of afraid of the ocean, of the depth and darkness. When I was a little girl my parents took me to the sea and I remember feeling like, “Oh my God, if I fall in it what am I gonna do?†I was afraid of water, even though the ocean has always been something very beautiful for me, something very special. And I faced my fear with scuba diving and I’ve overcome it. This summer you took part in a Russian festival in Samara and sang together with Russian heavy metal singer Valery Kipelov. Where you surprised when he asked you to sing with him in Russian? And why did you actually say “yesâ€?Well, that was a challenge for me, because I don’t speak Russian unfortunately and now after I tried to sing in it I know for sure that it’s a very, very difficult language. But I took the challenge and I enjoyed it very much and to tell you the truth I was very, very nervous about it. I thought about how people would react, wouldn’t they laugh and so on. So I was very nervous and before coming up to the stage I thought that I forgot all the lyrics, but in the end everything was okay and after the performance I was very happy about it. I thought, “Oh, great, my memory is so good, I remembered all the words in Russian, I can’t believe it!†(laughs) And all the people were very nice to me, everyone was very friendly and I’m very happy about that experience. And there was also my own show at that event in Samara and that was amazing. The people there were so emotional about my music and the atmosphere was incredible. I can tell you that I’m looking forward to see Russian fans again, because I’m going to have seven shows in Russia in March. There’s gonna be a serious Russian tour and after that I’m gonna work on a new rock album. I’m very happy about it. I can tell you that I’m really looking forward to that, because I’ve always wanted to come to see more cities in Russia and to come to perform for my Russian fans. I know that there are many of you! I’m really happy about it. Finally it’s gonna happen.Tarja Turunen on the Internet: http://www.tarjaturunen.comSpecial thanks to Maxim Bylkin (Soyuz Music) for arranging this interview
The Helsinki District Court has dismissed charges of libel related to the contents of an authorised book about the Finnish band Nightwish.The former manager of one of Finland's most successful rock bands, Marcelo Cabuli and three of his Brazilian associates as well as former soloist Tarja Turunen sued both the author and publisher of the book â€Once Upon a Nightwish†for libel.The court ruled that the book written in Finnish and aimed at the Finnish market, which criticises Cabuli on a few pages, did not detrimentally affect his work or reputation in South America.The book blames Cabuli -- husband of the band's former lead singer Tarja Turunen -- for the events leading up to Turunen's dramatic expulsion from the band in late 2005.
arja Turunen, 34Trust took a tollTarja Turunen’s balance shook one day in France Lyon. After a successful concert the night before, she opened her e-mail and was shocked. - Honey, come here, I can’t believe this, I yelled to Marcelo. And then I started to cry, Turunen recalls the shocking day she received an e-mail from one of the world’s most famous writers, Paulo Coelho. Coelho told in his e-mail that he has listened to Tarja’s music for a while and wants to make lyrics with her. The mail was signed by â€your biggest fan Paulo Coelhoâ€. - I was stunned that a world famous star has time to write to an Average Jane like me!The two haven’t met yet, but Paulo has invited Tarja and Marcelo to his home. Tarja, who has been a fan of Coelho’s books for years, is waiting eagerly for the meeting. Paulo Coelho’s books The Alchemist, By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept and Life: Selected Quotations inspired Tarja to make lyrics wondering about the meaning of moments for the the band Outlanders. Turunen also composed the song. The powers are now in such a balance that new things are born. - I’ve gotten excited for example about composing.Turunen is grateful she is able to choose her associates. The associates from Harus have brought Tarja Turunen and Marcelo Cabuli to Finland from Buenos Aires, where they live nowadays. When the Christmas concert tour is over and the holidays are celebrated, the couple will dip their toes in warm water of Seychelle. The body / On the road with caravaners“When I was seven I looked to the field from my room’s window. There was a ghost house on the field. There were old shoes and books there. The upstairs floor in the ghost house was in such bad condition that you couldn’t go there. When it got dark the house got scary and you had to hurry home. On the field grew “my own†tree. Mum said that one day the girl will come down from there on her head. I didn’t. I sat in the three writing. When I came back home my pockets were full of stories written on little notes. I was a performer already when I was small. When we had company I did puppet theatre behind the TV. I was three when I showed the content of my wardrobe. I had to change clothes five times a day. On summer holidays our family travelled as caravaners around Finland. We went trips to concerts and theatre and always sang. We were a really loud family, the cats and dogs home listened to our songs.I sang as soon as I learned to speak. While playing the keyboard with one finger my mum asked me if I wanted to go to piano lessons. Yes, I whispered. A little later I got a piano. Hellas is still alive and well in Buenos Aires.â€Relationships / Tarja and the boys“My childhood was full of boys. I had two brothers and in the smallest class of Puhos schools history I was the only girl for six years. The younger girls tormented me because I was a good student. They were more annoyed because I played the piano in a school where the principal was a musician. In small town a family changing their car is reason enough for bullying. Bullying caused stomach problems. I pulled to my shell and my stomach ached. That still happens. With boys I had to be stronger than I was. I felt comfortable with my brother’s friends who were older than me. I got to talk about things with them. I grew older than my years in that company. Things changed in Savonlinna’s art high school. The interest from boys felt good after the distressing experiences in primary school. It boosted my self-confidence. The best things were the opera and Olavinlinna castle: the great emotions in music, booming, death and love. I was pretty bohemian already as a teenager, I walked around wearing curtains and sang in front of the mirror.â€Relationships / A shrine to mother “Mother was an example of how much a person is capable of and how much one can take. I have a lot to learn in that aspect. When mum came home from work she started to clean. When I was a teenager, I wondered how on earth she manages, but during the last couple of years I have noticed I’m starting to resemble her. No matter how tired I am, my house is neat and in order.Mother was a sparkling personality, sensual femininity was important for her. She never went to a market without lipstick. I go to the store in my natural state and don’t feel a thing! When I made Karelian pies for the first time home in Buenos Aires I thought about mum. I yelled from joy when I found rye flour at a natural product store. When I wrinkled the pies I looked over to the little shrine I build for mother and said: Look mum, here I am, is the model traditional or my own. Probably my own!When we’re home a candle burns on mother’s shrine. I found out about mother’s illness when I studied at Kuopio’s Sibelius Academy. When mother came to see me in Kuopio she took off her jacket. She had only one breast. My world stopped and the black well of fear sucked me in. Mother said not to fear. She had had surgery and everything was alright.Mother fought for five years. Got better and got sick again. For the last month I moved to her house in North-Karelia and took care of her at home. Mother’s death in 2003 was a huge loss but at the same time big lesson: If death comes tomorrow and says it’s my turn, I say bring it on.â€Mind / Support from husband“I’ve always pursued perfection. If someone asks me am I a perfectionist I said you hit the nail on the head. I still don’t trust myself completely but need other’s support. Support not praise. It works best if you assure me that since I’ve worked so hard everything will most likely work out. My husband Marcelo is good at supporting. He’s a man who enjoys when a woman shines. It was a strike of luck in the year 2000 when the South-American promoter Marcelo brought Nightwish to the country for a show in Chile. Marco noticed that the guys of the band always left me alone and started to take care of me. That felt good. The first three years we lived in a long distance relationship. Oh my, how terrible that was. That crying at the airport really eats you up. Marcelo proposal at the Norma opera in Buenos Aires was the most romantic thing possible. South-America is the continent of great cultural differences. In Argentina people are almost as quiet as here in Finland, but in Brazil you hear loud talk everywhere. A woman’s position isn’t what we think it is. Mother is head of the house and says the final word in matters relating to the family. Men aren’t wimps but they value women above everything.â€Mind / Return of the bullies“I got to know Tuomas Holopainen in primary school. His mother was my piano teacher. Nightwish was Tuomas’ dream. I had thought in my wildest dreams how great it would to make a living out of singing, but couldn’t imagine world success at 18. I don’t think anyone of us expected that. Classical music was always the most important thing in my life but Nightwish brought something different out of me. I still didn’t want to end classical. The hardest things in my life happened when I was a little under 30. Mother died and Nightwish let me down. Being disappointed in people was worse than getting fired from the band. The disappointment caused a physical shake and shiver for weeks. The letter brought the bullying in school back to mind. I’ve gotten up from the swamp but the letter left its mark: it’s hard for me to trust people. I’m always making sure that there’s now danger of a misunderstanding.“The mind / Yin and Yang“I’ve surely very selfish but right now my and Marcelo’s wellbeing is the most important thing in my life. We’ve had it so good together that I hope it’ll continue. We are each other’s yin and yang. Yin is dark, negative, passive and feminine, yang is bright, positive, active and masculine. Life has dark moments but the light is in every of us. Six years after Nigthwish my energy flows free. Nowadays there isn’t a different heavy-Tarja and classical-Tarja, but both. I enjoy when I can adventure in the diverse world of music. The stories of my fans are wild and touching. One anorectic told me she got better after following my career and realizing that a woman’s own magic and personal power is more important than being thin.â€The body / You have to suffer for beauty“I’ve never had a passion for exercise. In high school I woke up at seven to have time to go jogging before school. After that I haven’t done much exercise. At thirty I woke up to the fact I have to start doing something before my bum gets any wider. Luckily the two hours of sweaty exercise on stage keeps me in pretty good shape. At this age I hear my mother’s words more often. ‘God has given what He has given and you should be grateful for it’ and ‘you have to suffer for beauty’ were her lines. They come to mind while disentangling my hair or wondering what pleat has appeared on my face again. A wrinkle! Sometimes I’ve cursed my Maradonna legs and laughed that I definetly haven’t gotten them from my mother.I’m 34 now. The years have gone so fast that I don’t have time for age crises. I’ve been busy following my dreams. I’ve achieved something small and something is surely still coming. The greatest challenge and dream in the future is family. If you don’t make it a problem, a child has room with a couple with an artist. In this family the mother is an artist but luckily the husband is ready to take care of the baby. I’d be a pretty strict mother. I’d draw the lines in pretty much the same places my mother did. â€
Venue Change – WLB Final Tour 2012We are happy to announce that the Sofia, Bulgaria show on January 26th, 2012 has changed the venue due to sold out!The new venue is Arena Armeec Sofia
I left the sun and the sea behind some days ago and arrived to Zlin, Czech.It’s quite exciting to start a new tour with my band today. We have been rehearsing a lot and everybody is having a good mood and getting ready for the big challenge that awaits us. This time the tour is going to be a long one, so there is lot to do for everyone. But the preparation was going fast forward and now we are ready to rock!We have prepared for you many songs from my first and second album and as usual some surprises. The goal of this tour is that we try not to repeat the same songs we have played before in each city, so the set list will be changing very much every night.It’s amazing really to think that I have been having some of these guys playing with me already more than 4 years! We have shared many brilliant moments together on the road. It is also very amazing to know that I have been lucky to find great musicians and people to work with. I am very grateful for that.For the first time, we let the media in our rehearsals so we had a lot of cameras around Once again on this tour we are going to visit new countries and many places where we are looking forward to return. I am so happy to see you all very soon and have a good time together again.Thank you for this opportunity and tonight we will rock Zlin, Czech!With love, Tarja
