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Home , Carl Nielsen, Edward Elgar, Turku Music Festival

THE JOY OF LOVE

Eero Lehtimäki, Olli Leppäniemi, conductor clarinet

www.joensuu.fi/kaupunginorkesteri THU 20TH OF FEBRUARY 2020 AT 19, CARELIA HALL THE JOY OF LOVE Eero Lehtimäki, conductor Olli Leppäniemi, clarinet

Giuseppe Verdi

Overture from La Traviata Salut d’amour op. 12

Outi Tarkiainen

Joye no 40 G minor KV550 Molto allegro Andante Uljas Pulkkis Menuetto Allegro assai Tales of Joy, Passion and Love Tales of Joy Tales of Passion Tales of Love

INTERMISSION Duration of the concert is about 2 tuntia ARTISTS soloist and musician with various and groups. In addition Eero Lehtimäki | conductor to his acknowledgements as a musician, Lehtimäki has also graduated as a Master of Eero Lehtimäki (s. 1989) teki läpimurtonsa Science (Technology) in acoustics at the Aalto Eero Lehtimäki (b. 1989) made his University. He admires versatile sophistication breakthrough by the Mariinsky and makes music to take people to places they Theatre in concert on extremely could not even imagine. short notice at Music Festival in 2016. Since then, he has performed with almost all of the Finnish professional symphony Olli Leppäniemi | clarinet orchestras. He started as the artistic director Olli Leppäniemi is one of the leading and chief conductor of Joensuu City Orchestra clarinetists of our time. His international in 2019, and has been the artistic director soloist career was launched winning of the Brinkhall Music Festival since 2018. the 1st Prize in the 2009 Clarinet In 2020, Lehtimäki will start as the artistic Competition in . Leppäniemi is director of the Joensuu Winter Music Festival. also considered one of the finest and most established orchestral clarinetists of his Eero started his conducting studies in generation, having held three principal Jorma Panula’s class for young conductors clarinet positions by the age of 29. He is a in 2010 and finished his conducting studies great favourite with the audiences. at the Sibelius Academy in spring 2016. He has also studied orchestral and opera Leppäniemi studied clarinet with Yehuda conducting in Vienna with Johannes Wildner, Gilad in Los Angeles, Hans-Christian Bræin in Simeon Pironkoff and Konrad Leitner. Eero Oslo, and with Reijo Koskinen in the Sibelius- has attended master classes of Jorma Panula Academy. He also gives big importance in and and studied privately with his first teacher, Jorma Lautanen in the Hannu Lintu. Lappeenranta Music Institute, . Before starting his conducting studies, Leppäniemi works as Principal Clarinetist Lehtimäki graduated from the Helsinki in the Danish National Symphony Orchestra. Conservatory of Music with clarinet and bass Previously he has held Principal Clarinet clarinet as main instruments, and he has also positions both in Bergen Philharmonic studied the historical clarinets in Austria and Orchestra in Norway and in Lahti Symphony Germany. He has been the artist in residence Orchestra in Finland. He has also been a clarinetist at Iitti Music Festival annually since member of the Oulu Symphony Orchestra 2013 and he is still irregularly performing as where he held the principal e-flat clarinet position. Leppäniemi has appeared as a guest important chamber music festivals, including principal clarinet in the Chicago Symphony the Risør Kammermusik, Lyckeby Festival, Orchestra, in London, Chamber Music in Lake Tuusula, Oulu Music Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Oslo Festival, Murten Classics and Philharmonic, Norwegian National Opera Chamber Music Festival as well as the Crusell and Finnish National Opera among others. - Festival. He frequently plays chamber music with musicians such as Francoix Leleux, In 2009 Leppäniemi was the first Finnish Jaques Zoon, Janne Saksala, Ilya Gringolts, musician ever to have won the first prize in Tatyana Masurenko, Severin von Eckardstein, the prestigious Carl Nielsen International Laurent Lefèvre, Trio Con Brio Copenhagen, Clarinet Competition. He also received two Faure Quartet and the Danish . special awards in the competition; the best interpretation of Danish music, and the As a keen interpreter of contemporary Symphony Orchestra prize. In addition music Leppäniemi has premiered to the Nielsen competition Leppäniemi has and other works works by Kimmo Hakola, Olli been a prize winner in the international Kortekangas, Sampo Haapamäki and Aki Yli- Prague Spring - clarinet competition, in the Salomäki. international Verdi Note - competition in Italy, as well as the Lahti National wind instrument In addition to being one of the prominent competition in Finland.Leppäniemi is also clarinet performers of our time, Leppäniemi recipient to several award prizes, such as the has made a long term commitment to music 2010 Danish Music Critics Artist of The Year education as well. He currently serves as Award and the most recently awarded Finnish clarinet techer in Malmö, Sweden, as well as States Artist Grant for the year 2014. in Sibelius-Academy in Finland. Previously Leppäniemi has served in the faculty of the Recently Leppäniemi has appeared with Grieg Academy in Bergen, Norway. He has critical acclaim as soloist with the BBC Scottish been invited to give masterclasses in the Symphony Orchestra, Tapiola Sinfonietta, Crusell Festival in Finland, Vitoria Festival Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, Bergen in Spain, Raudaskylä Woodwind and Brass Philharmonic Orchestra, Copenhagen Festival in Finland, the Royal Danish Music Symphony Orchestra and Danish National Academy, the Sibelius-Academy, University of Symphony Orchestra, including the Danish Southern California and Nurmes Music Festival Premiere of John Coriglianos Clarinet in Finland. . Most recently Leppäniemi has served Leppäniemi is devoted to playing chamber in the jury for the Carl Nielsen Clarinet music and has appeared in several of the most Competition in 2013, one of the biggest music competitions for clarinet worldwide, love of an young gentleman and terminally ill alongside with Yehuda Gilad, Sabine Meyer courtesan. A short starts by a cautious and Philippe Berrod. and tentative section of strings where music moves to a melancholy swinging dance. Any Olli Leppäniemi is a Buffet Crampon artist, big drama is not heard yet. A beautiful and and Rico Reeds Artist. tender introduction creates expecting mood for opening the curtain.

INTRODUCTION TO MUSIC Outi Tarkiainen: Joye : Overture Finnish Outi Tarkiainen (1985–) is a young from La Traviata generation who moves naturally in The music of Italian opera master Giuseppe Verdi the field of classical and jazz music. Several of (1813–1901) is familiar to everyone at some level. her works have influences from both genres His works have hade a strong impact on popular and which are having an intuitive and creative culture and the arias have been used as movie conversation with each other. Tarkiainen’s output music and in the commercials. However, Verdi’s consist of vocal and chamber music, works for operas have earned their popularity by musical soloist and orchestra and compositions for values and they are still the most performed jazz orchestra. Tarkiainen got her composition operas around the world. Verdi composed almost diploma from Sibelius Academy and has also 30 operas like Nabucco, Macbeth, Rigoletto, Il studied composition in United States and trovatore, La Traviata, Un ballo in maschera, Aida, London. and . For this concert has been chosen a miniature The precursors of Verdi were , work Joye from year 2017. The title of the work and whose refers to the ancient French words ’bliss’ and works have also left a footprint in the history ’fortune’. Tarkiainen tells that her idea was upload of music. In the , Italy was a real to the work all that boisterousness and euphoria superpower of opera. The strenght of Verdi which captures a human being at the moment was a fine sense of drama, practical of intensive happiness. and the mastery of unforgettable melodies. Today we hear an overture from the opera La Uljas Pulkkis: Tales of Joy, Traviata (The Fallen Woman) which is based to the novel La Dame aux Camélias by Alexandre Passion and Love Dumas jr. The premiere of the opera was in 1853 Also a composer of younger generation, in Venice. The story tells about the disastrous Finnish Uljas Pulkkis (1975–) gained reputation suddenly we have a septet playing inside of an at an early age by winning several composing orchestra. competitions like Queen Elisabeth competition 1999 and Unesco’s Rostrum competition in 2001. Pulkkis studied first mathematics at the Edward Elgar: University of Helsinki but swiched to musicology Salut d’amour and finally as a composition student in Sibelius Academy. The career of British Edward Elgar (1857–1934) is a bit exceptional. He got attention first time as a The composition style of Pulkkis is a mixture composer when he was in his 40s and composed of numerous influences. The prolific composer his most famous works during next 20 years. prefers everything from renaissance polyphony Elgar is one of the best known British to . In his compositions, Pulkkis with his romantic style output and his Land of has also used a big orchestra and its possibilities Glory and Hope song has been considered as a but also later created also spectral music. second national .

Olli Leppäniemi interprets Pulkkis’ Clarinet Today we hear a short but charming piece Concerto Tales of Joy, Passion and Love from Salut d’amour which was originally composed 2005. The work stems form Pulkkis’ love to opera for violin and piano. The history of the piece music: The clarinet soloist is like a star tenor goes to year 1888 when Elgar got a new private middle of dramatic events. The concerto consists student, Caroline Roberts who was eight years of three movements but they are played without his senior. The pair fell in love and year later they a break. The first movement, Tales of Joy, begins got married despite the Caroline wealthy family’s moderately with short motives but soon the horror. Elgar gave Salut d’amour to his upcoming music becomes faster and starts to ressemble wife as an engagement present and made of it minimalism. Above this, the clarinet flies and a version for orchestra too. The piece consists twitters as it likes. After some time, the music of relatively simple material but it is a delicate is interrupted by a clarinet’s high note where and balanced. starts a calmer section. The atmosphere is still tense and dramatic like in an opera. W. A. Mozart: Symphony no The second movement, Tales of Passion, begins 40 G minor KV550 surprisely: the orchestra’s clarinetists leave their Mozart’s (1756–1791) three last symphones, own place and join the soloist at the stage. The nos 39, 40 and 41, were born only within two trio starts to play introverted, almost meditative months in summer 1788. The creation of these music. The trio is joined by a string quartet so has been romanticized: Mozart knew that his time was running out and he Fastly ticking music creates a real challenge to composed these work driven by an internal the orchestra too. So, the secret of the work? fervor. In reality, this was againts of his way Mozart’s symphony no 40 combines almost of working because he composed almost perfectly the exemplary structure and regular everything as commissioned work or for his phrases to strong emotions, drama and timeless upcoming concert tours. We don’t know whether appeal. Mozart heard these three last symphonies been played during his lifetime. Written by Outi Mustonen Symphony no 40 in G minor is one of the most famous and popular works of . Why it is so popular? First of all, it is one of the few symphonies in minor mode among Mozart’s works which goes mainly in major. The sadness, passion and occasional tragicality allows the listener immerse oneself deeper in the music and reflect one’s own experiences to it. The symphony inspired several of the next generation composers like Beethoven and Schubert. The symphony starts without a proper introduction by the main theme which is etched in everybody’s mind. The theme’s downward semitones have been heard as sighing or sobbing.

The second movement Andante is a combination of poignancy and tenderness. Mozart uses there a more polyphonic writing which refers to older music. Menuet movement is far from a dance music. The going is robust and full of pathos but a change happens in the trio section which is lighter and in major mode. The finale movement’s music is almost explosive with the standards of classicism. Big and surprising changes in dynamics keep the listener awake. Eero Lehtimäki, artistic director Konstantin Mishukov, Mariko Matsumoto, concert master Claire Lacey, cello Viacheslav Grikurov, alt. concert master Heikki Helske, contrabass sd Paweł Domański, II concert master Kari Räsänen, contrabass Juha Ikonen, I violin sd Alexander Viazovtsev, flute sd Heli Untamala, I violin Alice Thompson, flute Anton Solonen, I violin Joona Parkkinen, Ilona Piirainen, II violin sd Petri Vallius, clarinet sd Elina Jalas, II violin Elina Pyykönen clarinet Merja Riihola, II violin Lauri Mykrä, sd Grażyna Wendland-Górzyńska, II violin Hannu Vähäkainu, bassoon Alina Hiltunen, II violin Jonathan Nikkinen, horn sd Sławomir Górzyński, sd Hannu Korkalainen, horn Ulla-Riikka Karvinen, viola Kyösti Varis, trumpet sd Boris Popov, viola Matti Raijas, trumpet Katri Hänninen, viola Ari Varpula, tuba sd Erkki Hirvikangas, solo celloist Hannu Porkka, percussion sd Piotr Sobczak, cello sd

IN ADDITION IN THE ORCHESTRA THIS WEEK WILL PLAY: Kaisli Kaivola, II violin | Luis Miguel Mendoza, oboe

IN COOPERATION: