18.9. at 20:00 Music Centre

Esa-Pekka Salonen conductor Paavali Jumppanen Lotta Emanuelsson announcer

Robert Schumann: Piano Concerto in A Minor, Op. 54 1. Allegro affettuoso 2. Intermezzo (Andantino grazioso) 3. Allegro vivace 1

Paavali Jumppanen will talk to Lotta Emanuelsson on the platform.

John Adams: Chamber Symphony 1. Mongrel Airs 2. Aria with Walking Bass 3. Roadrunner

No interval. The concert will end at about 21:15. Broadcast live on Yle Teema, Yle Radio 1 and Yle Areena. Robert Schumann: Piano Concerto in A Minor, Op. 54

The Piano Concerto in A Minor by Robert crop up throughout the concerto, and Schumann (1810–1856) began life as a also in the background to the first move- one-movement fantasia in 1841. His pub- ment’s second theme. The original fanta- lisher refused to accept it, however, so sia still hovers in the dreamy Andante es- Schumann revised it and in 1845 filled it pressivo section – as a sort of encore of out to make a concerto in three move- the main theme – before the traditional ments with the original fantasia as the development. A cadenza leads to a quick first. He wrote it for his wife Clara, one of coda that draws together all the threads the finest pianists of her day. Though the of the movement. technical demands of the solo part are un- The second movement is a delicate deniably great, they are more a means to Intermezzo bearing echoes of the core an end than an end in themselves. motif and has a romantically melodic In many of his works, Schumann exper- middle section. The finale follows with- imented with the use of material shared out a break, and the opening theme is by the various movements. In the Piano once again a variation of the core motif. Concerto, the woodwinds’ gentle main Playful rhythms such as were typical of 2 theme after the torrential opening chords Schumann add a richness of their own to turns out to be the core motif that will the finale. John Adams: Chamber Symphony The model for his Chamber Symphony Says Adams: “Despite all the good hu- of 1992 was, says American John mour, my Chamber Symphony turned Adams (b. 1947), the Chamber Symphony out to be shockingly difficult to play.” by Arnold Schönberg. This may at first Each player’s part in itself requires con- seem a surprising source of inspiration for certo-standard proficiency, and fitting the a composer who had begun his career in parts together is often made all the more the 1970s with a musical language akin tricky by the multi-level polyrhythms. to minimalism. But the Schönberg sym- Each movement has its own basic beat, phony provided a key to unlock the door, and the overall rhythmic ambiance is a said Adams, and it did so by suggesting complex, unpredictable interplay of the a format in which the weight and mass different rhythmic figures. of a symphonic work could be married to The first movement, Mongrel Airs, is the transparency and mobility of a cham- an ironic nod to a British critic who com- ber work. Adams’ harmonies had, howev- plained that Adams’ music lacked breed- er, gradually expanded and are distinct- ing. The calmer Aria with Walking Bass ly chromatic in the Chamber Symphony. has the characteristic walking-bass jazz Like Schönberg, Adams scored his sym- beat beneath floating melodies. The clos- phony for 15 players, including a synthe- ing movement, Roadrunner, alludes to siser, percussion (a trap set), trumpet and 1950s cartoons and hikes the rhythmic trombone. punch up to the limit. Esa-Pekka ious distinctions (such as the UNESCO Rostrum Prize in 1992, the Grawemeyer Salonen Award in 2012 and the Nemmers Prize A member of the world’s conductor eli- in Music Composition in 2014). He was te, Esa-Pekka Salonen has been Music Composer-in-Residence of the New York Director of the San Francisco Symphony Philharmonic Orchestra from 2015 to Orchestra as of this autumn. His term as 2019 and has been the Artistic Director of Principal Conductor & Artistic Advisor for many music festivals. London’s begin- ning in 2008 continues until spring 2021, Paavali after which he will be the orchestra’s Conductor Emeritus and an honorary Jumppanen member. In 2016, he was appointed Artist “A rare wedding of intellectual penetra- in Association of the Finnish National tion, coloristic imagination, and sheer vir- Opera, where his productions include a tuoso firepower,” wrote the Boston Globe new Ring cycle. of Paavali Jumppanen. A leading Finnish Salonen made a name for himself at pianist, he has appeared across the world an early age as a member of the Korvat with orchestras, in chamber ensembles auki (Ears Open) society promoting con- and solo recitals. temporary music and, with Jukka-Pekka Jumppanen commands a varied reper- 3 Saraste, as a founding member of the toire ranging from Bach to the music Avanti! Chamber Orchestra. He was later of today. After studying at the Sibelius Principal Guest Conductor of the London Academy and in Switzerland with Krystian Philharmonia 1984–1994, Chief Conductor Zimerman, he spent the 2011/12 season as of the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra a visiting scholar in Harvard University’s 1985–1995 and Principal Guest Conductor Music Department to deepen his immer- of the Oslo Philharmonic 1985–1989. He sion in Viennese Classical music. has so far spent the longest period in The first Finnish pianist to record the his career as Music Director of the Los complete Beethoven piano sonatas, and Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra (1992– to critical acclaim, Jumppanen record- 2009), and thereafter as the orchestra’s ed the complete Beethoven violin sona- first Conductor Laureate. tas with Canadian Corey Cerovsek; this Salonen has guest conducted all the cycle received the Midem Prize for the world’s greatest orchestras and released best chamber music disc of 2008. The a large number of discs with, among two have also recorded the Brahms violin others, the Berlin Philharmonic, London sonatas together. Jumppanen’s most re- Sinfonietta and Finnish Radio Symphony cent release is of the complete Debussy Orchestra. He is particularly well known as Preludes. a conductor of 20th century and contem- Jumppanen has given numerous pre- porary music and has given an exception- miere performances. Those with whom ally large number of premieres. he has collaborated include Boulez, Also renowned as a composer, Salonen Dutilleux, Murail and Penderecki, and has been the recipient of many prestig- many Finnish . In 2005, he re- Paavali Jumppanen has also taught and corded (for Deutsche Grammophon) the has been Artistic Director of the interna- three piano sonatas by Pierre Boulez at tional PianoEspoo Festival since 2015. the composer’s request – a release that won both a Diapason d’Or and a Deutsche Schallplattenkritik award.

The Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra

The Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra The FRSO has recorded works (FRSO) is the orchestra of the Finnish by Mahler, Bartók, Sibelius, Hakola, Broadcasting Company (Yle). Its mission Lindberg, Saariaho, Sallinen, Kaipainen, is to produce and promote Finnish musical Kokkonen and others. It has twice won culture and its Chief Conductor as of au- a Gramophone Award: for its disc of tumn 2013 has been Hannu Lintu. Lindberg’s Clarinet Concerto in 2006 The Radio Orchestra of ten players and of Bartók Violin Concertos in 2018. founded in 1927 grew to symphony or- Other distinctions have included BBC 4 chestra proportions in the 1960s. Its Chief Music Magazine, Académie Charles Cros Conductors have been Toivo Haapanen, and MIDEM Classical awards. Its disc of Nils-Eric Fougstedt, Paavo Berglund, tone poems and songs by Sibelius won , Leif Segerstam, Jukka-Pekka an International Classical Music Award Saraste and Sakari Oramo, and taking (ICMA) in 2018, and it has been the re- over from Hannu Lintu in 2021 will be cipient of a Finnish EMMA award in 2016 Nicholas Collon. and 2019. In addition to the great Classical- The FRSO regularly tours to all parts of Romantic masterpieces, the latest con- the world. During the 2020/2021 season temporary music is a major item in the its schedule will include a tour to Spain un- repertoire of the FRSO, which each year der Hannu Lintu. premieres a number of Yle commissions. The FRSO concerts are broadcast live Another of the orchestra’s tasks is to re- on the Yle Areena and Radio 1 channels cord all Finnish orchestral music for the and are recorded and shown later on Yle Yle archive. Teema and TV 1.