Kaj Chydenius was a familiar sight at the Kom theater. There, his musical legacy will live on in the future.
“Chydenius the Kom theater’s handprint can be seen in the theater’s musical heritage,” says the executive director of the Kom theater Lotta Vaulo.
Composer Kaj Chydenius artistic production and influence on the field of Finnish culture is significant. He composed hundreds of works for the Kom theater.
Chydenius died at the age of 84 at his home on Saturday.
Chydenius was a common sight at the Kom Theater. He held concerts in the theater lobby and went to see performances. At the theater, Chydenius also taught and worked with young people.
According to Vaulo, the composer with his spouse, and often also his sons, went to see every play either at the premiere or later. Always, of course, as invited guests.
In November 2022, Chydenius participated in the 50th anniversary concert organized at the Kulttuuritalo of the Kom theater. Numerous songs by the composer were performed there. According to Vaulo, the composer himself could no longer go on stage at that time, but watched the evening from the stands as a guest of honor.
The last time Chydenius was seen in the stands was at the beginning of April. At that time, he went to see a show Falling birds.
Chydenius and theater director Pekka Milonoff were founding the Kom Theater in the early 1970s.
According to Milonoff, Chydenius brought music to the theater.
“Or of course there were musicals, but not like in Komi. And it was thanks to Kaj. He really put himself into the music, and it worked as a dramaturgical element in a way that hadn’t been used before,” Milonoff said. for HS on Saturday.
News Chydenius’ death came half an hour before Saturday night’s theater performance. Therefore, according to Vaulo, there was no time to react to the news in connection with that presentation.
However, shortly after the news, the artist’s relatives and the theater audience remembered the founder of the Kom Theater by bringing candles to the steps of the theater.
Kom theater plans to honor Chydenius’ memory with some kind of event.
“What and what that is, we haven’t decided yet. We will start dealing with the matter right away next week.”
“Some kind of concert immediately sounds natural, but it can be something else.”