The Filter is in Finland!

It's a rainy day in Helsinki today following heavy snow yesterday in Tampere further north. It seems that here, as in many scandinavian metropoles, the weather is either crisp and white or dull and grey. Unfortunately it's the latter today, and most likely tomorrow.

The 'CultureSmart' guide to Finland, by the same author as Teach Yourself Finnish, Terttu Lenny (I think that's right), provided some genuinely fascinating insights into Finnish culture when I read it over Christmas. One of the most interesting aspects was the role of 'silence' in the Finnish pysche. Often, in conversation with Finns in London over the past few months, I've tried to fill silences in the conversation, as one would feel obliged to to avoid embarassment. But the Finns treasure silence, especially in conversation - they often wait ten or fifteen seconds before responding to a question, as if questions should be dignified with considered thought.

Anthony mentioned the conductor Sakari Oramo in his post below, and on the train to Helsinki this morning I was gazing from the window at the snow-covered countryside listening to Oramo's recording of Sibelius's Fourth Symphony (City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra/Erato). The Fourth is Sibelius at his most introspective and eluisive; often said to represent Sibelius 'drawing' rather than 'painting' with his orchestra. It baffled players when it was first performed early in the 20th century - perhaps in part because of its litany of silences and pauses.

The Finns are, indeed, a very friendly bunch. The receptionist at my hotel in Tampere congratulated me on my Finnish this morning; 'you speak Finnish very well' she said in perfect English - but I'd rehearsed by gambit for twenty minutes in front of the bathroom mirror. And when I climbed into an oversize taxi last night, the driver exclaimed, 'ah, an Englishman - I have been wanting to practise my English for some time now', before launching into a journey-long conversation.