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FESTIVO – 100 Years of Finland & Japan Relationship

A celebration of the music of Jean Sibelius, brought together a very diverse palette of people.

Tokyo, Japan – In 2019, Finland celebrates a 100 Years of Finnish-Japanese Friendship. It seemed fitting for a Finnish speaker company to record a Finnish suite by a Finnish composer and invite Finnish diplomats to commemorate this cultural milestone in Japan. ‘FESTIVO’ – A celebration of the music of Jean Sibelius, brought together a very diverse palette of people – from artists, producers, and sound engineers to state officials and diplomats. Performed by the musicians of Tokyo Sinfonia under the baton of Maestro Robert Ryker, the music of Johan Sibelius’ “Festivo” was recorded to a specially-invited group of government officials, engineers, producers, and industry partners at the prestigious “Studio B” at Sound Inn Studios in central Tokyo.

Sound Inn Studios is located within the Nippon Television building in central Tokyo. Their beautiful live room “Studio B” was a perfect fit for the 19 member string orchestra Tokyo Sinfonia. What a way to showcase how Amphions work in the recording of classical music – in this case “Festivo” by Jean Sibelius.

The objective was to present the qualities of Amphion studio monitors while conveying the spirit of their country of origin through its music. And the work of Finland’s most lauded composer was undoubtedly the most appropriate choice. The session was hosted by Amphion’s Founder and Managing Director Anssi Hyvonen, and attended by Finland Government’s State Secretary Ms Paula Lehtomaki as well as H.E. Ambassador Pekka Orpana from the Embassy of Finland, Tokyo. Amphion’s Japan home-audio distributor Wefield (Mr Masayasu Higuchi and Mr Shoji Nara) and pro-audio distributor (Mix Wave Inc.) also supported the event.

Finland Government’s State Secretary Ms Paula Lehtomaki is addressing the orchestra while Finland’s Ambassador to Japan Mr Pekka Orpana and Amphion’s Founder Anssi Hyvonen have put the (same) game face on.

“The live session delivered excitement and admiration to all guests and participants,” says Anssi Hyvonen. “Seeing the reaction of all the people in the control room, and Maestro Ryker himself, motivates us further in developing ways to transfer emotion present in the studio all the way to the home of the end listener,” adds Hyvonen.

“Recording orchestral strings is a good test of the resolution qualities, imaging capabilities, and tone of the loudspeaker – whether for studio or home. In this studio-session, the performance of Amphion Two18s was outstanding,” says Maestro Robert Ryker.

Tokyo Sinfonia’s Maestro Robert Ryker checking out the recording process and playback of the session. This world renowned conductor, with many thousands of performances and studio-hours under his belt, is also highly respected in Japan.

“Bringing all these different people together and watching them appreciating this fine piece of art was a very rewarding experience,” says Michael Di Stasio, Amphion’s Asia-Pacific Representative. “I particularly liked the reaction of the Finnish state officials, who seemed to really enjoy their first contact with Amphion,” adds Di Stasio.

Amphion offers products to make music as well as to enjoy it. The goal is always to open a large window into music and allow the users to experience music in all its glory. Ability to compare the live sound in the live room to the recorded one in the control room is not only a great test for a speaker but also a great way for a company to connect with its customers. Since 2016, Amphion, through its Asia-Pacific Representative, has produced multiple high-level music events including Smooth Jazz/Soul evenings “Club Amphion” in 5-Star hotels, “Kawaguchi International Jazz Festival” in magnificent concert halls, and produced the recording of a chart-topping single “Up On The Roof” in Japan – with the latest production being a very fine workshop, product demonstration, and recording at an outstanding studio in Tokyo.

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Amphion expresses its great thanks to those working behind the scenes, and whose creative efforts can be heard and seen on our YouTube channel: Sound Factory – Mr Nick Clegg (Engineering & Videography), Ms Miho Abe (Interpreter and Liaison); and last but not least, Mr Wataru Shigyo (Recording Engineer).

The Project:
Amphion Loudspeakers – Recording Session | Product Demonstration | Seminar.
19-piece string orchestra “Tokyo Sinfonia” – conducted by Maestro Robert Ryker.
Recorded at “Sound Inn Studios” – Recording engineer Wataru Shigyo.

Supported by:
Amphion’s Japan Distributors – Wefield (Home Audio) & MixWave Inc (Pro-Audio)
MASI Wines – Giuseppina Squarzon (JET Co. Ltd)

There was plenty of media-coverage present, including Soundstage! Network reporter Peter Katsoolis in this stylish headgear (front/centre) who travelled all the way from SoundStage! Australia to attend the event.

Recording Data:
Scenes Historique No.1. Opus 25. Movement III “Festivo”.
First Performance: Helsinki, FINLAND (1911)
Composer: Johan (Jean) Sibelius (b. DEC 8, 1865., d. SEP 20, 1957)
Period | Style: Early 20th Century – Romantic
Recorded Performance: Tokyo, JAPAN (NOV 12, 2018)
Duration: 08:11. Format: 24bit/96k
Studio Spec: OverQuality Console, Amphion Two18 Studio Monitors, Amp500
Orchestra: Tokyo Sinfonia
Special Arrangement: Maestro Robert Ryker (Cond.)
Recording Studio: Sound Inn Studios, Kojimachi, Tokyo, JAPAN
Recording Engineer: Wataru Shigyo (Sound Inn Studios)
Mix/Mastering Engineer: Nick Clegg (Sound Factory)
Videography: Nick Clegg (Sound Factory)
Host: Anssi Hyvonen
Recording Producer: Michael Di Stasio