Events > 2010 > Demonstration in South Sweden, - August 29, 2010

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Protest concert

Castle and Music Centre are threatened by wind turbines

World famous Hilliard Ensemble on guest performance at the music centre in South Sweden.
Would not be possible with wind turbines nearby.

Plans for wind turbines can destroy the area around the historic Knutstorps Castle in Southern Sweden, where the famous astronomer Tycho Brahe was born in 1546, and the well known conductor Mats Rondin's music centre in a quiet and peaceful environment. Mats Rondin conducted the wedding concert for crown princess Victoria of Sweden.

By Peter Skeel Hjorth, journalist.
July 31, 2010.

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The feel of history permeates the place when the music starts at Knutstorps Castle in Southern Sweden Sunday 29th August at 3pm as a protest against inappropriately placed wind power that harms people, cultural landscapes and environment. The top of Swedish cultural life will be represented at the concert that will send a clear signal to the top of Swedish politics.

The pianist Hans Pålsson and Mats Rondin at the stage in the music centre.
Together they recorded sonatas for cello by Brahms and Beethoven in the sound studio at the centre.
Would not be possible with wind turbines nearby.

Among the invited guests are Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt, Minster for the Environment Andreas Carlgren, Minister of Enterprise, Energy and Communication Maud Olofsson, Minister for Elderly Care and Public Health Maria Larsson, Minister of Culture Lena Adelsohn and representatives for all the political parties in the Swedish government as well as local politicians from all of Southern Sweden.

In Sweden people, landscapes and the natural environment are more and more influenced by wind turbines that today reach a height of 150-200 meters. Tens of thousands of people in the countryside will be directly influenced around the clock by sound, shadows and blinking red or white light. The wind power industry exploits the options to the absolute limits. Local protests and objections are ignored by the authorities and the politicians.

This is the background for the concert which is organised by three protest groups from Southern Sweden in cooperation with landowner Henrik Wachtmeister on whose estate the concert will take place, and conductor Mats Rondin who in the classical music world is known worldwide.

Mats Rondin conducted the wedding concert on the evening before the royal wedding of crown princess Victoria and Prince Daniel on June 19th in Stockholm.

A number of Sweden's best known musicians participate at the concert at Knutstorps Castle. They perform for free to support the protest and help make the concert a voice that cannot be ignored. All man power in connection with the arrangement is likewise voluntary.

Castle threatened by wind turbines

The history of Knutstorps Castle dates back to year 1300. Southern Sweden was then a part of the kingdom of Denmark; originally the castle was known as Knudstrup. Not much is known about it until the end of the Middle Ages when it was taken over by the powerful and influential noble family Brahe.

On an islet in a damned lake the nobleman Otto Brahe in 1551 built a fortress in Nordic renaissance style. At the time he had a 5 year old son who later became a world renowned astronomer. Tycho Brahe (1546-1601) was born at Knutstorp. At the castle today there is a bust of the man who with his observations of the starry sky completely changed the picture of the world.

The castle has since 1771 belonged to the noble family Wachtmeister. Today only the main building remains after several serious fires. This is the backdrop for the concert dedicated to people, landscapes and the natural environment involving some of Sweden's best artists.

The present owner Henrik Wachtmeister is himself in the middle of a controversy regarding a number of wind turbines that neighbours want to erect on fields not far from Knudstorps Borg. They will create huge disturbances in the beautiful environment around the castle. Henrik Wachtmeister incidentally does not believe that industrial wind power is the way forward.

Musical Centre threatened by wind turbines

Further east in the village Huaröd in another beautiful serene area of Southern Sweden Mats Rondin has a music centre where every summer over a period of ten years until 2007 he organised a daylong music festival that always attracted many visitors. He has also got a sound studio here where classical music of a high quality is recorded on CD.

The world's most well-known jazz guitarist Mike Stern (who have played with Miles Davis among others) practice at the music centre.
Would not be possible with wind turbines nearby.

Sweden's most well-known jazz and pop singer Lisa Nilsson on a guest performance.
Would not be possible with wind turbines nearby.

Mats Rondin has played the cello since the age of seven, studied at some of the world's foremost cellist such as Ralph Kirschbaum and Mstislav Rostropovich. Mats Rondin was as the only cellist from Scandinavia that was invited to Rostropovich's Cello Festival in Riga. During the last couple of years Mats Rondin has devoted much of his time to conducting. He is also a professor of music.

In his sound studio Mats Rondin has together with the internationally known Swedish pianist Hans Pålsson recorded cello sonatas by Johannes Brahms and sonatas for cello and piano from 1815 by Ludwig van Beethoven among other recordings.

Listen to the 1. movement of Sonata No 1 in F major, Opus 5 No 1

These recordings took place in Mats Rondin's music centre whose future is threatened by wind turbines from just about every angle. The nearest one may be placed one kilometre away. An independent acoustics company has calculated the sound and states that the activities at the music centre as they are today most likely will be made impossible if a planned wind turbine park nearby goes ahead.

“When you record classical music you also record the silence between the notes. We came to Huaröd especially to achieve peace and quiet, but after working for 14 years to build up our company we will now be forced to move away if wind turbines are built”, says Mats Rondin.

psh 31.7.2010

From one of the festivals "Isidors kulle". At most it had an audience of 2500 persons outdoor. Would not be possible with wind turbines nearby.