Performance Interpretation

Ann-Charlotte from Ave Produktion recently finished chatting with me about her work on Melodifestivalen. Her company has been working with Melodifestivalen for four years now, including this year. They also work with Swedish TV broadcaster SVT on other projects, such as the yearly TV Christmas Calendar.

She explained the process of turning the songs into something that can be understood by someone with hearing difficulties. The interpretation artists working at Ave begin by transforming each song into an entirely new performance, while still keeping close to the original meaning of the song. Metaphors are difficult to translate, Ann-Charlotte noted, so the artists transform the meaning instead of translating them. In Sweden, there are about 10,000 people who require sign language but 100,000 who tune into the work Ave Produktion is involved with on a daily basis. Performance interpretation work for Melodifestivalen begins in early summer and lasts until the final show in March.

Ann-Charlotte also mentioned the popularity of Ave's performance interpretations with the hearing community. She explained that Ave's interpretation work provides a third dimension for the hearing community. The general public can hear and see the songs, but Ave's work allows them to experience the songs as well.  Last year, the company received larger recognition within the press when their work was uploaded online. Clips on YouTube helped introduce the concept of performance interpretation to the general public.

Their interpretation work is shown side by side with each Melodifestival broadcast and can be accessed online via SVT Play while the show is underway.

Take a look at some of their work from last year:

Solna, Friends Arena, and Stockholm

I've made it to the place just outside Stockholm called Solna. It's where Friends Arena is located, which is where Melodifestivalen will be held this year. The arena opened just last year and can seat 65,000 people, although there won't be that many there for the practice round tonight or the final show tomorrow.

A few artists will show up for an appearance at the Solna shopping mall in a few hours. Some teens are already camping out. Reminds me of myself at fifteen. The city's main library is located within the shopping mall too. It's a convenient and handy place to hang out in between artist appearances.

Before that, I will go to Friends Arena to meet with a representative from Ave Produktion, a company who interprets TV shows, such as Melodifestivalen, for the deaf and hard of hearing. How do you interpret music and sound into sign language? Ann-Charlotte Sparby from Ave Produktion will fill in the details.

The practice for the final round is tonight at 7 PM. I'll be there to chat with people, see the show before it airs tomorrow, and report back on the event before it airs live on TV.

I'll end up in the Old Town of Stockholm tonight where a club called Torget is holding a Melodifestival theme from 10 PM to 1 AM. The event is sponsored by a British website called Scandipop. They are known for its in-depth reporting on Scandinavian pop music. I'll find some faces in the crowd and ask them what they think about this year's show.

I will try to get in as many blog entries as possible, although there may be some gaps between posting. Keep an eye out for the updates.