Last Friday (December 6) was Finnish Independence Day so I guess it is OK to digress into a little bit of nationalism. Independence day is a day of somber festivities in Finland. The biggest event is the annual president’s independence day ball, where everybody who is anybody in Finland wants to show up. The ball is actually watched by like 1/3 of the population. Which says more about the Finns watching than about the programming.
One of the key symbols of independence is the national anthem. The Finnish national anthem is called “Maamme” (“Our country” in English). It is however not uncommon that people think the Finlandia hymn, composed by Finland’s most famous composer, Jean Sibelius, is the national hymn. Well, it’s not, but musically it is far better than the anthem.
Now what has all this to do with mobile phones? Patience, it’s coming. In the video below, the Mobile Phone Orchestra of the Aalto University plays Sibelius Finlandia. And they do it very well.
So if you are into mobiles and culture, this is a must for you! The video also shows some nice Finnish scenery. I think though that there is nothing more Finnish than the sombre orchestra itself, standing outside in the cold and snow, playing in earnest this national music treasure. You cannot get more Finnish than that. Enjoy!
The 3 Inch Canvas 