13.1. at 20:00 Helsinki Music Centre

Hannu Lintu conductor Olli Mustonen Lotta Emanuelsson presenter

Paul Hindemith: Theme and Variations “The Four Temperaments” 1. Theme 1 2. Melancholic 3. Sanguinic 4. Phlegmatic 5. Choleric

Franz Schubert: Symphony No. 1 in D 1. Adagio – Allegro vivace 2. Andante 3. Minuet (Allegretto) – Trio 4. Allegro vivace

Paul Hindemith: Theme and Variations “The Four Temperaments”

Forced to leave his native Germany in 1934, as if Hindemith wants to say that all four after being accused of composing deca- temperaments have the same basic ingre- dent, “degenerate” music by the Reich dients, but that their emotional and hence Minister of Propaganda Joseph Goebbels, their dramatic impact differs. Paul Hindemith (1895–1963) sought re- The individual variations bring out the fuge across the Atlantic in the United unique nature and dynamics of each char- States. Before setting sail, he spent some acter type. The first theme of the open- time in Paris, where Léonide Massine the ing Melancholic is a slow one for solo vio- choreographer drew his attention to the lin and piano, the second a quick, ghostly paintings by Pieter Breughel depicting the dance for strings. The piano starts off a four ‘temperaments’. Hindemith later ar- funeral march version of the third theme, ranged the music inspired by these ‘hu- and the overall impression is contempla- mours’ as a set of variations for piano and tive but erratic. strings. Sanguinic mixes the themes in a showy The personality traits or ‘temperaments’ waltz. Its joie de vivre has a superficial- derive from the Hippocratic doctrine of ly brilliant side on which Hindemith af- 2 four basic human types: Melancholic, fords an ironic perspective in the man- Sanguinic, Phlegmatic and Choleric. ner of Shostakovich. Phlegmatic keeps According to this, the dominant bodily more faithfully to the themes. It is indeci- fluid of the vivacious Sanguinic is blood, sive and cannot seem to settle, but the pi- whereas the actions of those of a calm, ano is sometimes hyper-active. There are phlegmatic disposition are guided by leak- several misunderstandings, but the move- ing brain fluid. The sensitive Melancholic ment ends on an amicable note. is governed by the black bile generated by The Choleric variation is a stormy one. It the spleen, and the impetuous Choleric by has a liking for the monumental, the sen- the yellow bile produced by the liver. timental and the abrupt time shifts evoc- Hindemith begins by introducing ative of Beethoven. three variation themes: a graceful one The piano and seem to be on for strings, a dialogue for piano and or- different wave lengths in the final vari- chestra, and a Siciliano dance featuring ation but ultimately coincide. The work a solo . These three themes are al- ends with a build-up to C major and peace ways presented in the same order. It is of mind. Franz Schubert: Symphony No. 1 in D

The young Franz Schubert (1797–1828) Schubert is at his most Schubertian in had tried his hand at writing a symphony the slightly restrained slow movement. back in 1811, but another two years would The beautiful melody acquires almost pass before he put the finishing touches tragic overtones – in his treatment of light to that in D major. His handling of both and shade, Schubert was a true follower the orchestra and the form is the work of of Mozart. The Minuet has some fine pas- a sure-handed master. sages for winds, and the middle section A solemn introduction and massive has the lilting grace of a Tyrolean Ländler. chords lead smoothly into the cheerful The influence of Gioacchino Rossini, main section. There are some nice novel whose operas sent even Vienna wild, may touches in the development, and a return be detected in the brisk finale. to the slow introduction theme at the end. Programme notes by Antti Häyrynen It is often difficult to see inside the head translated (abridged) by Susan Sinisalo of a 16-year-old teenager, but the music here sounds frank and fresh.

3 HANNU LINTU OLLI MUSTONEN Hannu Lintu has been Chief Conductor Olli Mustonen is a man of many musi- of the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra cal talents: , conductor and com- since autumn 2013. He takes over as Chief poser. Artistic Director of the Conductor of the Finnish National Opera Philharmonic Orchestra for a three-year and Ballet in January 2022. period beginning this year, he was awar- During the 2020/2021 season, Maestro ded the Hindemith Prize of that compo- Lintu will, pandemic permitting, make his ser’s home city, Hanau, in 2019. debut with the New York Philharmonic After studying with Ralf Gothóni and and Tokyo NHK Symphony Orchestra and Eero Heinonen in , Olli Mustonen make return appearances with the London made his London debut in 1986 and has Philharmonic Orchestra, the Netherlands since been the soloist with many of the Radio Philharmonic, and the Symphony most celebrated – among them Orchestras of Baltimore, Detroit and the Berlin and , Chicago. Recent highlights have includ- the Amsterdam Concertgebouw and Paris ed debuts with the Montreal and Chicago Orchestra, the big London orchestras and Symphony Orchestras and the Hungarian the Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra in St. National Philharmonic, and concerts with Petersburg. In spring 2021, Mustonen 4 the Boston and St. Louis Symphonies, the features as “In Focus” musician with the New Japan Philharmonic, the Singapore Tonhalle Orchestra in Zurich. Symphony and the NDR Elbphilharmonie. Mustonen has released dozens of re- Hannu Lintu first studied the and cordings on various labels. That of Preludes piano at the , and lat- by Shostakovich and Alkan (1991) won er orchestral in the class of both Edison and Gramophone awards. . He participated in master- In the role of solo pianist, he has record- classes with Myung-Whun Chung at the ed music by Mussorgsky, Tchaikovsky, L’Accademia Musicale Chigiana in Siena, Sibelius, Prokofiev and others. He has re- Italy, and took first prize at the Nordic corded the five Beethoven piano concer- Conducting Competition in Bergen in tos as both soloist and conductor with the 1994. He has recorded on the , BIS, Tapiola Sinfonietta, and the Prokofiev pi- Hyperion and other labels. ano concertos with the FRSO conducted by Hannu Lintu. Since making his conducting debut in 1991, Olli Mustonen has conducted or- chestras the world over. He has taken and conducted the Helsinki Festival Orchestra founded by him on tours of Central Europe, Japan and China. The works by Mustonen the are mainly for chamber ensemble or or- chestra. The Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra The Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra The FRSO has recorded works by (FRSO) is the orchestra of the Finnish Mahler, Bartók, Sibelius, Hakola, Lindberg, Broadcasting Company (Yle). Its mission Saariaho, Sallinen, Kaipainen, Kokkonen is to produce and promote Finnish musical and others. It has twice won a Gramophone culture and its Chief Conductor as of au- Award: for its disc of Lindberg’s tumn 2013 has been Hannu Lintu. Concerto in 2006 and of Bartók Violin The Radio Orchestra of ten players Concertos in 2018. Other distinctions have founded in 1927 grew to symphony or- included BBC Music Magazine, Académie chestra proportions in the 1960s. Its Chief Charles Cros, MIDEM Classical awards Conductors have been Toivo Haapanen, and Grammy nominations in 2020 and Nils-Eric Fougstedt, , 2021. Its disc of tone poems and songs , Leif Segerstam, Jukka-Pekka by Sibelius won an International Classical Saraste and , and taking Music Award (ICMA) in 2018, and it has over from Hannu Lintu in 2021 will be been the recipient of a Finnish EMMA Nicholas Collon. award in 2016 and 2019. In addition to the great Classical- The FRSO concerts are broadcast live Romantic masterpieces, the latest con- on the Yle Areena and Radio 1 channels 5 temporary music is a major item in the and are recorded and shown later on Yle repertoire of the FRSO, which each year Teema and TV 1. premieres a number of Yle commissions. Another of the orchestra’s tasks is to re- cord all Finnish orchestral music for the Yle archive.