27.1. FRIDAY SERIES 8 Helsinki Music Centre at 19.00

Jukka-Pekka Saraste, conductor Patricia Kopatchinskaja, violin

Ludwig van Beethoven: Leonore I, Overture, Op. 138 10 min

György Ligeti: Violin Concerto 28 min I Praeludium II Aria – Hoquetus – Chorale III Intermezzo IV Passacaglia V Appassionato

INTERVAL 20 min

Ludwig van Beethoven: Symphony No. 7 in A, Op. 92 36 min I Poco sostenuto – Vivace II Allegretto III Scherzo (Presto) IV Allegro con brio

Interval at about 20.00 The concert ends at about 21.10. Broadcast live on Yle Teema, Yle Radio 1 and online at yle.fi/rso. LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN (1770–1827): LEONORE I, OVERTURE

Opera composing did not come natu- The Leonore Overture known as No. 1 rally to Ludwig van Beethoven, but he was composed in 1808 for a perfor- was happy to dramatize the idea of mance in Prague that never came off. freedom. Jean Nicolas Bouilly wrote his In it, Beethoven took a practical view story about a woman, Leonore, who sets of his topic, recalling that the opera out to rescue her husband, in the late begins with the gaoler chatting to his 1790s at Tours in France, where he was family. Leonore I is briefer than its pre- working as a lawyer. decessors and avoids monumental ges- Beethoven made many attempts at tures. writing an overture for his only opera, The music of this overture express- Fidelio: the one known as Leonore II for es sadness rather than deep tragedy, its premiere at the Kärntnertor Theatre looking ahead to the Allegro theme in in 1805 and Leonore III for a that precedes the rescue. The ‘Leonore’ performance the following year. Both motif familiar from the earlier over- are orchestral epics spanning the whole tures does not appear until the latter drama from beginning to end. The last half, on the oboe. Beethoven also gives of the Fidelio overtures was designed the final build-up some gently humor- for the revised version of 1815. ous tones.

GYÖRGY LIGETI (1923–2006): VIOLIN CONCERTO

Ligeti wrote his Violin Concerto in 1990 tration has many special features, such for Saschko Gawriloff. It was in three mo- as the unusual tuning of the violin and vements, and it was performed at the viola (scordatura) that expands and 1991 Helsinki Biennale by Gawriloff and confuses the harmony. the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra Also confusing the harmony are the conducted by Esa-Pekka Salonen. Ligeti French horns, which play natural notes, then revised the first movement and ad- and the four ocarinas emitting only ap- ded two more to make the final five-mo- proximate pitches. Further seasoned vement version premiered in 1993. with two recorders and a broad selec- The Violin Concerto is basically a lyr- tion of percussions, the ensemble is ical work. The first three movements able to produce an intimate world of follow one another without a break, like sound evocative of chamber music yet a reminder of the original three-move- one that is highly volatile. ment format (the second movement of The opening movement is, as its which was the Passacaglia). The orches- name indicates, a prelude (Praeludium)

2 to what follows: shifting textures and the orchestra and harmonic diversion- embroidery sizzling and fracturing in ary tricks from the ocarinas reinforced the upper register. The music has a by the recorders. The relentless drive glass-like, shimmering effect. severely taxes the solo violin, until the The gossamer patterns of the solo vi- music climaxes on a dissonant shriek. olin and chamber orchestra pile up into The finale is in many senses the con- polyphonic drifts which, as they swell, certo’s most traditional movement. spill out mechanical rhythms such as Ligeti shows how the various materi- are typical of Ligeti. At the end, the als in the previous movements can be music takes a downward turn and is woven together by means of new ele- swallowed up by the rumbling percus- ments in a single tour de force. sions. The movement culminates is a solo The second movement begins with cadenza and a final vigorous statement a beautiful, folk-like tune on the solo from the orchestra. The printed edition violin lifted by Ligeti from his Musica of the concerto includes the caden- ricercata (1953) or the Bagatelle for za created by Saschko Gawriloff from wind quintet arranged from this. The material discarded by Ligeti, but oth- other melodic lines, joining with the vi- ers have also been composed, by John olin, construct a kind of archaic polyph- Zorn, Thomas Adès and others. The ca- ony using the medieval ‘hoquetus’ or denza to be heard in this performance ‘hiccup’ technique. The natural French is by Patricia Kopatchinskaja and incor- horn notes, percussion slide whistles porates vocal elements. and four-ocarina chorale transport the music to an even stranger time and place. The third movement is a short, quick Intermezzo in which the floating, flit- LUDWIG VAN ting solo violin is surrounded by or- chestral organ points and scales de- BEETHOVEN: scending like clouds of mist. Unlike SYMPHONY NO. 7 the ‘luminous’, radiant first movement, the music is now ‘fluid’. The orchestra’s Ludwig van Beethoven composed his tumbling scales now take over com- seventh and eight symphonies side by pletely and finally submerge everything side in 1812, and they are sister works in their deluge. in the way that the fifth and sixth were The Passacaglia is the concerto’s oth- four years earlier. er slow movement, its bass figure be- The symphony begins with a big ginning in the clarinets and slowly ris- bang that catapults the embryo ele- ing through the orchestra’s registers. ments into musical space. In the slow The solo violin hovers in long notes in introduction, this material gradually its own lofty spheres. The delicate bal- goes into tonal orbit. Having arrived ance provokes violent outbursts from at the main key (A major), it sets in

3 motion a jubilant main section that er into escapades in which Beethoven gallops along in dactylic rhythms. has fun leading the listener astray. Thematic development takes sec- The growing virtuosity and trium- ond place as the rhythmic motifs, phant fanfares predict certain victory, guided by natural forces, wander fur- but right at the end the stubborn, rum- ther and further into more distant bling pedal point reappears in the bass keys. There is not much conflict to and the repeat goes into feverish over- speak of between the main and sec- drive, but everything works out in the ond themes, since the former simply end on an fff (forte fortissimo) rare for steamrolls its way ahead, flattening Beethoven. anything in its way. The final recapit- The dominant rhythms and hammer- ulation collects itself over a rumbling ing ostinatos of this symphony have bass pedal point from which the main tempted analysts to visualise Dionysian theme once again triumphantly reas- scenes. Beethoven’s friend Wieck serts itself. claimed that the seventh symphony The slow movement is marked was not only a tribute to Bacchus but Allegretto, though Beethoven later also composed when its composer was changed it to Andante. The dactyl- seriously ‘under the influence’, as sug- ic rhythm of the first movement still gested by the red wine-glass rings on hovers in the background in the mo- the manuscript. For others, Wagner’s tifs accompanying a Slav folk tune. characterisation as “the apotheosis of To counteract the elegiac mood, the dance” may be sufficient: “Dance Beethoven conjures forth a romantic in its highest aspect, the loftiest deed second theme beautifully announced of bodily motion, incorporated into an by a solo clarinet. ideal mould of tone.” The Scherzo dashes madly along in F major before unavoidably confront- Programme notes by Antti Häyrynen ing a peaceful Trio. In order to empha- translated (abridged) by Susan Sinisalo sise the tension between the sections, Beethoven wrote out the repeat of the Trio and misleads the listener at the end of the movement: the woodwinds make to play the Trio theme yet again JUKKA-PEKKA before being cut short by the impa- tient final chords. SARASTE F major is a long way from A ma- jor, but the beginning of the fina- Jukka-Pekka Saraste has served as Chief le, barging in with ruthless primitive Conductor of the WDR Symphony force, sweeps all before it. Everything Orchestra, Cologne since 2010. He is is on the biggest possible scale: the Artistic Advisor of the Finnish Chamber main theme is whipped along by giant Orchestra and Artistic Director of the hands, being plunged faster and fast- Tammisaari Festival. From 2006 to

4 2013 he was Music Director and Chief the WDR Symphony Orchestra, Cologne. Conductor of the Oslo Philharmonic With the WDR SO he has also released Orchestra and from 1994 to 2001 Music critically-acclaimed discs of Schönberg’s Director of the Toronto Symphony Pelleas and Melisande, Stravinsky’s Orchestra. Principal Guest Conductor Firebird and the Brahms symphonies. A of the BBC Symphony Orchestra CD of Bruckner’s Symphony No. 8 with 2002–2005, he has also been Principal the Cologne orchestra was released in Conductor of the Scottish Chamber September 2016. Orchestra and Artistic Advisor of the Jukka-Pekka Saraste has been award- Lahti Symphony. ed the Finnish State Prize for Music, Following his term as Chief Conductor the Pro Finlandia Prize and the Sibelius of the Finnish Radio Symphony Medal, an honorary doctorate from Orchestra 1987–2001, Jukka-Pekka York University, Toronto and an hon- Saraste was named its Conductor orary doctorate from the Sibelius Laureate. Under him, the Orchestra Academy, Helsinki. made many tours in Europe, two to the Far East and its debut in the United States. In recent years Saraste has, among others, conducted the New York PATRICIA and Los Angeles Philharmonics, the Chicago and Boston Symphonies, the KOPATCHINSKAJA London and Munich Philharmonics, the London Philharmonia, the Patricia Kopatchinskaja is at home in Amsterdam Concertgebouw Orchestra, music of the Baroque just as much the Vienna Symphony, the Leipzig as the latest contemporary repertoire. Gewandhaus Orchestra and the The present season includes appearan- Dresden Staatskapelle. ces with the Rotterdam Philharmonic Saraste’s repertoire includes both and Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, the great Romantic masterpieces and and with the London Philharmonic in contemporary works. He recently con- London and New York. She will also be ducted the premiere of the Triple playing the Ligeti Concerto with the Concerto by Wolfgang Rihm at the Berlin Philharmonic and the Orchestra Berlin Philharmonie and of Cerha’s Drei of La Scala, Milan. Orchesterstücke and Dusapin’s Violin This season, Patricia Kopatchinskaja is Concerto in Cologne. Artist in Residence of the Konzerthaus With the FRSO Jukka-Pekka Saraste Berlin, of the Wigmore Hall in London has recorded the complete Sibelius and and at the Kissinger Sommer festival. Nielsen symphonies. He has record- She is also touring Europe with the ed music by Bartók and Dutilleux with Luxembourg Philharmonic and the the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and Vienna Symphony. Her regular part- Mahler with the Oslo Philharmonic and ners in chamber music include Markus

5 Hinterhäusen, Anu Komsi, Polina In addition to the great Classical- Leschenko and Anthony Romaniuk, Romantic masterpieces, the latest con- and she is an Artistic Partner of the temporary music is a major item in the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra. repertoire of the FRSO, which each year Patricia Kopatchinskaja’s most premieres a number of Yle commis- recent recordings include a disc sions. Another of the orchestra’s tasks is of music by Kancheli, made with to record all Finnish orchestral music for , Schumann’s Violin the Yle archive. Concerto and Fantasia with the WDR uring the 2016/2017 season the FRSO Symphony Orchestra, Cologne, and will premiere five Finnish works com- the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto with missioned by Yle and feature such pi- Musica Aeterna. Her disc of concer- oneers of Finnish Modernism as Väinö tos by Ligeti, Bartók and Eötvös won Raitio and Uuno Klami. The programme a Gramophone Award in 2013 and an will also include orchestral works by ECHO Klassik in 2014. It was also nom- Stravinsky, symphonies by Mahler and inated for a Grammy. Bruckner, Haydn’s The Seasons oratorio and concertos by contemporary com- posers. Among its guest artists will be soprano Karita Mattila and mezzo-so- prano Michelle DeYoung, conductors THE FINNISH Esa-Pekka Salonen, and Gustavo Gimeno, and pianist Daniil RADIO SYMPHONY Trifonov. ORCHESTRA The FRSO has recorded works by Mahler, Ligeti, Sibelius, Hakola, The Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra Lindberg, Saariaho, Sallinen, Kaipainen, (FRSO) is the orchestra of the Finnish Kokkonen and others, and the debut Broadcasting Company (Yle). Its mis- disc of the opera Aslak Hetta by Armas sion is to produce and promote Finnish Launis. Its discs have reaped some pres- musical culture and its Chief Conductor tigious distinctions, such as the BBC as of autumn 2013 has been Hannu Music Magazine Award, the Académie Lintu. The FRSO has two Honorary Charles Cros Award and a MIDEM Conductors: Jukka-Pekka Saraste and Classical Award. The disc of Sibelius’s Sakari Oramo. Lemminkäinen and Pohjola’s Daughter The Radio Orchestra of ten play- was Gramophone magazine’s Critic’s ers founded in 1927 grew to sympho- Choice in December 2015 and brought ny orchestra strength in the 1960s. the FRSO and Hannu Lintu a Finnish Hannu Lintu was preceded as Chief Emma award in the Classical Album Conductor by Toivo Haapanen, Nils- category. Music by Sibelius, Prokofiev Eric Fougstedt, Paavo Berglund, Okko and Fagerlund will be among the rep- Kamu, Leif Segerstam, Jukka-Pekka ertoire recorded during the 2016/2017 Saraste and Sakari Oramo. season.

6 The FRSO regularly tours to all parts of the world. During the 2016/2017 season its schedule will include a tour in Finland, taking in concerts conduct- ed by Hannu Lintu in Suomussalmi, Kajaani, Mikkeli and Kuopio. The home channel of the FRSO is Yle Radio 1, which broadcasts all its con- certs, usually live, both in Finland and abroad. Its concerts can also be heard and watched with excellent live stream quality on the FRSO website (www.yle.fi/ rso), and the majority of them are tele- vised live on the Yle Teema channel.

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