3.33.33

Written by Tomas Nilsson on Jul 27 2010

SISU and composer Geir Jonsson on research tour in Holmenkollen winter 2010.

The idea for this project is by the composer Geir Johnsen, who will also compose the music.

The idea of the piece ”3.33.33”, is based on the Finnish skier Veikko Hakulinens winning time at the 50 km crosscountry competition of the 1952 Olympics in Oslo. The winning time: 3 hours, 33 minutes and 33 seconds

Hakulinen(1925-2003), one of the greatest crosscountry skiers of the 20th century, won in total 3 olympic gold medals. Of these medals, the gold won in 1952 was his first and also the most unexpected, since he previously had no wins in any major event.
Hakulinen, who also won the famous 50 km competition in Holmenkollen, Oslo 3 times , is one of the skiers most closely connected to the expression ”Finnish Sisu”. ”Finnish Sisu”, often used in sports terminology, expresses determination, stamina, endurance and willpower.

Besides percussion and electronic tapes, the composer will in ”3.33.33” use skiing equipment of various sorts for musical purposes. In addition, the piece will contain a text on Hakulinen and the race of the 1952 olympics, written for the occasion by Thorvald Steen.

”3.33.33” is scheduled for premiere during the skiing world championships in Oslo, 2011.