Washington and
Seattle have The Gorge. Dalarna and the Siljan area have Dalhalla. Västerbotten
and Umeå have nothing. Yet.
Driving (to be
more accurate, having a ride) back from Dalarna last week I am so inspired by
Dalhalla. The old limestone quarry found by a remarkable woman who was looking
for a place to create the Verona of Sweden, the Scandinavian Avingon. Margareta
Dellefors is the school teacher, opera singer, journalist and music producer
with the Swedish National Radio, who at her retirement set her mind to
establishing an out door stage and scene that would attract artists from all
over and make Sweden richer in culture and wider in reputation.
And she did. Her
focus was on opera and classical music, but the concert schedule has developed
to a wide range of genres and world famous artists on tour who doesn’t seem to
have a problem with an arena that that doesn’t seat two digit thousands, but
has other qualities. From the summer 2013 schedule: Toto, Sting, Patti Smith,
Malena Ernman (Swedish mezzo soprano) Earth Wind and Fire, Melody Gardot and
The Rhinegold in a production specially set for Dalhalla.
So. I am thinking.
Dalhalla is the most northern permanent out door venue in Sweden. It’s an
8-hour drive south from Umeå. Driving 8 hours north from Umeå you reach the
most northern town in Sweden; Kiruna. There is a 16-hour drive south north that
covers pretty much 2/3 of Sweden and doesn’t have a permanent out door concert
venue! I know, this vast area is as sparsely populated as eastern Washington,
but I am thinking the IKEA way here.
And, what’s that?
Let me get back to that.
I need to tell
about The Gorge. The Gorge Amphitheatre. Located at the Columbia River east of
the Cascade Mountains in Washington. As Dalhalla it’s a spectacular place. But
if Dalhalla is an intriguing hole in the ground (Sting: “We have played a lot
of holes, but never one like this”), The Gorge is a wide screen panorama where
20 000 + people are seated on a green grass slope facing the river and the
gorge. The Gorge is simply gorgeous, and it’s considered one of the most scenic
concert locations in the world! It’s a 150-mile (278 km) drive across the
mountains from Seattle, and I won’t put it in hours because all those miles
could be a bumper-to-bumper adventure (I’ve been in one of those…) on one of
the big festivals or concerts happening there.
So, what about the
IKEA way? This is what I am thinking: IKEA establishes their stores based on
population. For decades there was only one in Norrland (Northern Sweden),
located in the more southern part, attracting that whole population of the huge
area. Some years ago a second one opened up, way up north, at the border
between Sweden and Finland. And now a third one is in the makings, right here
in Umeå, covering the mid range of Northern Sweden.
If there is an
audience for three IKEA stores in Norrland there must be one for a great
spectacular outdoor venue, right?!
So, the question
is, what would be our spectacular place? And who would make it happen?
Now, I used to be
a teacher. And a journalist. And a Swedish National Radio music producer. I am
not an opera singer though. That might be my week point. Or will a devoted
choral singer in the nr 22 choir on the Interkultur’s world ranking list do?
We’ll see. It also
so happens that I am a part owner of a quarry, what do you know! Svartberget
(The Black Mountain, great name too!) is very much work in progress though and
will be for many decades still. I am an extremely persistent person, and
Svartberget is so cool already and would be perfect only 8 miles from Umeå, but
not even my persistence will do beyond my days, so I think I am better off
letting that one go.
Now, I think the
trick is to look outside the box. What is so natural too us that it’s exotic?
What is so close that we can’t see it? What’s covered in our cells and runs in
our veins?
We are driving
through those typical northern Swedish pine forests. Flat sand moors covered
with inviting moss, the low sun casting tall shadows in huge pillared halls,
dark green clouds creating a safe ceiling above. Might this be a concert hall?
Our wild rivers running through the northern Swedish woods and fields, creating
steep banks and smooth curved rocks, gentle sceneries or spectacular settings.
I am sure there is just the perfect place somewhere here for a stage and a some
thousand audience in the light northern Swedish summer evening.
July 14. The first
half of three Swedish summer months has passed. The second half is yet to come.
The light is slowly fading each day now but at 11 PM it’s still all light
outside although it’s a semi overcast evening. Imagine Toto, Patti Smith, Sting
and Melody Gardot continuing north after doing Dalhalla, amazed by the sun
setting north on the compass. By the fairies, the siren of the woods and the
water sprite. VIP mingling having salmon from our rivers, Västerbotten cheese
from Burträsk and Meadowsweet ice cream from Glassbonden (the Ice Cream Farmer)
in Selet, made from mountain cattle grazing at the Vindel River banks.
So, the menu is
all set. Now it’s just coming up with the place for it. Or maybe I’ll just
plant the idea so firmly with Trouble & Trouble that they will take it on
and make our quarry at Svartberget the epic Northern Sweden outdoor concert
venue for the next generations to come! The project will still require my solid
persistence…
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