WEDNESDAY SERIES 10 Sir Roger Norrington, Conductor Tiina-Maija

24.1. WEDNESDAY SERIES 10 Helsinki Music Centre at 19:00

Sir Roger Norrington, conductor Tiina-Maija Koskela, soprano Niina Keitel, mezzo-soprano Markus Nykänen, tenor Kristian Lindroos, baritone Helsinki Music Centre Choir, coach Jani Sivén

Magnus Lindberg: Two Episodes 15 min

Ludwig van Beethoven: Symphony No. 9 65 min I Allegro ma non troppo, un poco maestoso II Molto vivace III Adagio molto e cantabile IV Presto O Freunde, nicht diese Töne – Allegro assai – Alla Marcia (Allegro vivace assai) – Andante maestoso – Adagio non troppo, ma divoto – Allegro energico, sempre ben marcato – Allegro ma non tanto

No interval. The concert will end at about 20:35. Broadcast live on Yle Radio 1 and streamed at yle.fi/areena.

1 MAGNUS LINDBERG : LUDWIG VAN TWO EPISODES BEETHOVEN: SYMPHONY NO. 9 IN D Two Episodes by Magnus Lindberg (b. MINOR, OP. 125 1958) was greatly influenced by the fact that it was to be premiered at the BBC Proms in London on July 24, 2016, The Ninth Symphony marked the cul- coupled with Beethoven’s giant mas- mination of the works in this genre by terpiece, his Symphony No. 9. Lindberg Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827). therefore scored his piece for a similar He did jot down some ideas for a tenth orchestra, omitting the tuba, harp, pi- symphony, but only a few isolated ano and big percussion section that of- sketches remain, and it is difficult to ten feature in his works. He also decid- imagine what his next step might have ed to make his work end on the same been. interval of a fifth, A–E, with which The Ninth is also something of a syn- Beethoven’s Ninth begins. It could thus thesis of Beethoven’s entire output, for run straight into the Beethoven with- he had been sowing its seeds through- out a break. Two Episodes is neverthe- out his career. Even as a young man, less intended as an independent work in 1792–1793, he had entertained the that can be performed on its own. idea of setting to music a poem he lat- As its name suggests, Two Episodes is er used for the choral section of his in two sections. These could in princi- symphony – the Ode to Joy (1785) by ple be performed without a break, but Schiller fired by Enlightenment ideal- the fermata pause creates a quiet rest ism. It also features in his sketchbooks between the two. The first Episode is for 1798–1799 and 1811–1812, though the more expectant and unhurried of at that time he still thought of making the two, the second more active and it an independent work. dynamic. The piece begins with a sig- Never before had a work gradually nal-like trumpet motif that will later re- emerged out of silence as it does at turn and act as a fixed point in the rich the beginning of the Ninth Symphony. orchestral texture and even as a sort of A bare, static interval of a fifth on A main gesture. The most obvious link and E first defines the contours of the with Beethoven is the recurring refer- vast void. Across it Beethoven soon ence to the dotted falling motif at the traces a few groping, rhythmic motifs, beginning of the Ninth. Despite the but the harmony remains the same recognisable nods to Beethoven, they until the great D-minor outburst, and nevertheless merge to become with only then does the theme proper ac- Lindberg’s music, drawing on radiant quire a more definite shape. The open- orchestral timbres evocative of, say, ing already indicates that this is to be Ravel and Debussy. a work of mammoth dimensions. It is not just long; it breathes in a totally

2 new way. But despite its monumental “Seid umschlungen” and Joy unite in proportions, the first movement is ac- the mighty fugue. tually shorter than that of the Eroica, and simpler in construction. Programme notes by Kimmo Breaking with the contemporary con- Korhonen translated (abridged) by vention, Beethoven makes the Scherzo Susan Sinisalo his second movement, and the slow one his third. The Scherzo is much big- ger and more complex than in his ear- SIR ROGER lier symphonies. The slow movement NORRINGTON draws on two broad themes, both with variations. In placing the slow movement third, Beethoven creates a mo- For nearly 50 years, Sir Roger ment of calm before the huge finale. Norrington has been the resolute The last movement is a synthesis of champion of authentic performance. various forms. Some may see it as sym- He has also had an impressive all- phonic form in miniature, consisting of round history with, among others, his an introduction and an opening move- own London Classical Players back in ment (exposition of the Joy theme, for the 1980s and in recent years with the example), a Scherzo (a military march Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra and double fugue), a slow movement and the Camerata Salzburg. (“Seid umschlungen…”) and a finale. As a young man, Norrington played The last movement could also be seen the violin and sang, turning to conduct- as a sort of Rondo marked off by the ing while a student at the University of recurring Joy theme – or as a set of var- Cambridge. He then studied conduct- iations; if regarded as a development ing under Sir Adrian Boult at the Royal section, the double fugue would in turn College of Music, and it was at around point to sonata form. this time that he formed the Heinrich The Scherzo section of the finale Schütz Choir, one of his many ensem- really goes into action after the intro- bles dedicated to the performance of duction of the Joy theme. The sympho- early music. Ten years later, he found- ny’s world-embracing spirit is manifest ed the London Classical Players now in the juxtaposition of mundane and renowned worldwide for its impres- sublime, as the tenor’s military march, sive recordings of Beethoven’s Ninth which here sounds quite down-to- Symphony. These would later be fol- earth, erupts in a double fugue. A ver- lowed by discs of music by Mozart, sion of the Joy theme adapted to fit its Schumann, Brahms, Bruckner and oth- Scherzo surroundings then leads to a ers that conclusively confirmed him as completely different world, the heav- a key figure on the early-music scene. enly visions of the “Seid umschlungen” In 1996, Sir Roger Norrington was evoked by the male voices. The end is appointed Music Director of the new- like a mighty, ecstatic summing up as ly-founded Kent Opera. He was, at the

3 time, already expressing his innovative was the turn of Gutrune in a concert ideas on orchestra size, style and tem- performance of Götterdämmerung in po, especially in early repertoire. He Odense, and in April of this year she conducted hundreds of performanc- will sing Senta in The Flying Dutchman es at Kent before going on to Covent at the Nederlandse Reisopera. She Garden, English National Opera and was assigned the part of Maija in The the Vienna State Opera. Ostrobothnians at Tampere Opera in Sir Roger Norrington has been con- 2017 and has sung a number of leading ducting ‘ordinary’ orchestras more roles in works by contemporary Finnish and more in recent years, in repertoire composers (such as Ilkka Kuusisto, that also takes in music by Bruckner, Uljas Pulkkis and Aulis Sallinen). She Mahler and 20th-century composers. can also be heard frequently on the He has served as Principal Conductor concert platform, in both orchestral of the Zurich Chamber Orchestra and Lied repertoire. and Principal Guest Conductor of the Orchestre de Paris and the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie. He is also a reg- NIINA KEITEL ular guest with such orchestras as the Berlin and Vienna Philharmonics. One of the most successful mezzos of her generation, Niina Keitel is a widely sought-after singer of operatic, concert TIINA-MAIJA KOSKELA and Lied repertoire. After graduating from the Sibelius in Helsinki, she took Tiina-Maija Koskela has built up an in- up her first international appointment ternational career in opera and con- at Darmstadt in Germany, where her nu- cert repertoire, spurred on by victo- merous roles included Hansel (Hansel ries in competitions, the brightest and Gretel), Maddalena (Rigoletto), being the first prize for women in the Magdalene (The Mastersingers) and Lappeenranta Singing Competition in Zyphyrus (Apollo and Hyacinthus). From 2008 and in the international Lauritz Darmstadt she went to Mannheim, Melchior Competition in Denmark in and among the characters she sang 2014. there were Mercédès (Carmen), Lola Tiina-Maija Koskela made her debut (Cavalleria Rusticana) and Olga (Eugene at the Finnish National Opera in autumn Onegin). Between 2011 and 2014 she ap- 2008, at the Savonlinna Opera Festival peared at the Finnish National Opera as, in summer 2009 and at Tampere Opera for example, Judith in Bluebeard’s Castle, in spring 2013. In March 2015, she sang Octavian in Der Rosenkavalier, Marina Eva in the Finnish National Opera pro- in Boris Godunov and the title role in duction of Die Meistersinger, and in Carmen. June 2015 made a highly-acclaimed de- Guest engagements have taken Niina but as Elsa in Wagner’s Lohengrin at Keitel to many opera houses: Frankfurt, Pforzheim in Germany. In May 2017, it Heidelberg, Lucerne and others. Her var-

4 ied concert repertoire includes music KRISTIAN LINDROOS by Bach, Beethoven, Wagner, Sibelius and Berg, and she has premiered many works, most recently Paavo Heininen’s Kristian Lindroos became known to Black Lullaby. the public at large on winning the first Niina Keitel has been the soloist with prize for men in the 2016 Lappeenranta many orchestras in Finland, Sweden, Singing Competition. He has studied France and Germany. She is Artistic at the Sibelius Academy, since 2012 as Director of the Lemi Music Festival in a student of Sherman Lowe in Venice, Finland. and further at the Accademia del bel canto “Rodolfo Celletti” in Martina Franca in summer 2015. Kristian comes MARKUS NYKÄNEN from a family of singers, for his father is Petri Lindroos (bass) and his grand- Markus Nykänen has been making a father Peter Lindroos (tenor). career in Basel and Germany in the Winner of the special prize in the past few years, winning critical acclaim Toti dal Monte competition in Treviso for his performances of many of the in June 2015, Kristian Lindroos has great tenor roles. He made his Finnish appeared in many operatic roles in National Opera debut in 2016 as Daniel, Italy. In July 2015, he sang Mercurio the leading male role in Indigo, and in in Monteverdi’s L’incoronazione de late 2017-early 2018 sang Alfredo there Poppea at the Valle d’Itria Festival, in in La traviata. autumn of the same year Giovane Markus Nykänen made his operatic Henrik in Marco Tutino’s opera Le debut in 2011, as Azaël in the “scène lyr- Braci (The Embers) in Florence, and in ique” L’enfant prodigue (The Prodigal October Belcore in L’elisir d’amore at Son) by Debussy. In summer 2012, he the Teatro Nuovo, Milan. sang in the premiere of the opera Nûr In concert repertoire, Kristian Lind by Marco Taralli at the Valle d’Itria fes- roos has premiered a song cycle for bar- tival at Martina Franca. itone and chamber orchestra by Lars From 2012 to 2014, Markus Nykänen Karlsson in 2013, been the soloist with took part in the “OperAvenir” young art- the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra in ists’ programme at Basel Theatre, be- 2014 and the bass soloist in the Lahti ing assigned several tenor roles. He has Symphony Orchestra’s performance of guested at Basel Theatre since 2015, as Handel’s Messiah in 2016. He has also Cassio in Otello, Tybalt in Romeo and given numerous Lieder recitals in vari- Juliet and Malcolm in Macbeth. His ous parts of Finland. Hamburg Opera debut followed in autumn 2015, as Iopas in The Trojans, and he has since sung Cassio, Remendado in Carmen and the Hunchback in Die Frau ohne Schatten.

5 THE HELSINKI MUSIC in Helsinki. It began giving public concerts a few years later and grew to sym- CENTRE CHOIR phony orchestra strength in the 1960s, during Paavo Berglund’s term as Chief The Helsinki Music Centre Choir is a Conductor. band of some 90 experienced singers In addition to the great Classical- all passionate about their art that can Romantic masterpieces, the latest con- if required regroup as a male or female temporary music is a major item in the choir. Founded in autumn 2011 on the repertoire of the FRSO, which each initiative of Hannu Lintu, Jukka-Pekka year premieres a number of Yle com- Saraste and John Storgårds, it works in missions. Another of the orchestra’s close partnership with the main Helsinki tasks is to record all Finnish orchestral Music Centre occupants: the Finnish music for the Yle archive. During the Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Helsinki 2017/2018 season, the FRSO will pre- Philharmonic Orchestra and the Sibelius miere six Finnish works commissioned Academy. Its Artistic Director from 2011 by Yle. The programme will also include to 2016 was Tapani Länsiö, who was concert performances of three operas, succeeded by Nils Schweckendiek. The the FRSO’s first festival of its own and chorus master is Jani Sivén. major 20th-century violin concertos. The FRSO has recorded works by Mahler, Ligeti, Sibelius, Hakola, Lindberg, Saariaho, Sallinen, Kaipainen, THE FINNISH Kokkonen and others, and the debut RADIO SYMPHONY disc of the opera Aslak Hetta by Armas ORCHESTRA Launis. Its discs have reaped some pres- tigious distinctions, such as the BBC The Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra Music Magazine Award, the Académie (FRSO) is the orchestra of the Finnish Charles Cros Award and a MIDEM Broadcasting Company (Yle). Its mis- Classical Award. Its disc of Sibelius’s sion is to produce and promote Lemminkäinen and Pohjola’s Daughter Finnish musical culture and its Chief was Gramophone magazine’s Critic’s Conductor as of autumn 2013 has been Choice in December 2015 and brought Hannu Lintu. His predecessors as Chief the FRSO and Hannu Lintu a Finnish Conductor were Toivo Haapanen, Nils- Emma award in the Classical Album Eric Fougstedt, Paavo Berglund, Okko category. Music by Sibelius, Prokofiev, Kamu, Leif Segerstam, Jukka-Pekka Lindberg, Bartók and others will be re- Saraste and Sakari Oramo. corded during the 2017/2018 season. The FRSO celebrates its 90th anni- The FRSO regularly tours to all parts of versary in the 2017/2018 season, for the the world. During the 2017/2018 season Radio Orchestra of ten players made its schedule will include a European tour its first appearance on September 1, under Hannu Lintu. The home channel 1927, at the Aleksanterinkatu 46 studio of the FRSO is Yle Radio 1, which broad-

6 casts all the FRSO concerts, usually live, both in Finland and abroad. Its concerts can also be heard and watched with ex- cellent live stream quality in the web (yle.fi/areena).