Dolce

work in progress

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The project Dolce revolves around the flute and my personal relationship with this instrument. I have played the flute since childhood – at music school, in orchestras, chamber ensembles, and in theater. The instrument reminds me of institutions, hierarchies, and education. For me, it is the instrument of the “good girl.” The musical term dolce means soft, gentle, and sweet.

My intention is to look at the instrument from a different perspective and to engage with it artistically. Originally, various types of flutes made from wood, reed, and bone have been part of human culture for a very long time. These flutes accompanied ritual ceremonies, served as storytellers, and were companions into the spiritual world. They were believed to possess magical powers, and in stories like the “Pied Piper of Hamelin” or the tale of Krishna, the sound of the flute lures both children and animals. These flutes are wild, eerie, and fascinating.

However, my own relationship to the flute is mainly shaped by classical music and its performance practice. The classical music tradition is highly rule-bound and governed by established conventions.

There are not only musical rules, such as tempo markings, dynamics, and historical performance practices, but also behavioral rules: applause only between movements, silence during conducting and at the beginning of the music, etc.

Silence and listening seem to express respect for both the music and the musicians. I find this fascinating – classical music has its own almost “ritualistic” performance culture.

In our research, we explore questions such as:
Has the human tamed the instrument?
Can poetry be found in strictness?
What expectations does the audience have of the flute? Or of the women who play it?
What is the relationship between the instrument, its sound, and my body?
When does a convention become a ritual?

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Performance at raw matters 23.06.2025 

Performers: Elina Lautamäki, Petra Slottová, Anna Josefine Holzer

Thank you: raw matters, Bears in the Park, ttp, Frans Poelstra

Photos: Barbara Mair