Forging Kalevala in Music: Inside a Composer's Creative Process

This event offers a rare chance to witness how music is created in real time. Composer David Pearson will share how he is approaching Finland's national epic, Kalevala, as the foundation of a four‑opera cycle — a project echoing the scale and ambition of Wagner's Ring. He will discuss the challenges and discoveries involved in:

• shaping a libretto from a vast and symbolically rich poetic source
• navigating the complexities of Kalevala Finnish
• interpreting the mythic and archetypal layers of the text
• structuring a monumental narrative into four coherent operas.

The talk will include musical illustrations and a live view of the composer's working drafts, textual analysis and score materials.

Light nibbles will be provided, and wine will be available for a small donation.

The setting is the historic Grade I listed Church of St Magnus the Martyr, one of Wren's finest post-fire churches. Its Nordic connections run deep - St Magnus was Earl of Orkney when the islands formed part of the Kingdom of Norway.

Arrive promptly at 18:00 to enjoy the church's magnificent, world-famous model of medieval London Bridge (visit stmagnusmartyr.org.uk/ for more information).

Cost: Free - but please only book if you intend to come, so we can plan catering appropriately.

​David's background is in economics, corporate finance, culture change and leadership, but he has also studied music, and together with his interest in Finnish cultural history, this has inspired him to take on the task of setting Kalevala in music. He also manages to find the time to act as the A-FS Treasurer.