15.3. WEDNESDAY SERIES 11 Helsinki Music Centre at 19.00 Hannu Lintu, conductor Olli Mustonen, piano Joonas Kokkonen: Symphony No. 4 21 min I Moderato II Allegro III Adagio Sergei Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No. 2 31 min in G Minor, Op. 16 I Andantino (here: Andantino – Allegretto) II Scherzo (Vivace) III Intermezzo (Allegro moderato) IV Allegro tempestoso INTERVAL 20 min Bohuslav Martinů: Symphony No. 4 33 min I Poco moderato – Poco allegro – Allegro II Scherzo (Allegro vivo – Moderato – Allegro vivo) III Largo IV Poco allegro Interval at about 20.05. The concert ends at about 21.15. 1 JOONAS KOKKONEN are tied inseparably together as the movement sinks back into its mood of (1921–1996): anticipation at the end. SYMPHONY NO. 4 The middle movement is Kokkonen at his liveliest, a man with an urban The first performance of the fourth swing. To start with, it has features of symphony by Joonas Kokkonen coin- a mysterious, demonic scherzo as the cided with the 50th-birthday concert sizzling strings, the rattling percussions planned for him by the Finnish Radio and the dancing snatches of theme Symphony Orchestra and for which build up macho momentum. At the the FRSO had requested a new work. end, everything culminates in a cho- In retrospect, it marked the end of a rale-like swell nailed home with a final stylistic line that had begun with post- hammer blow. war Modernism and ended with dode- Kokkonen had ended his first and caphony, the atonality of the fourth third symphonies with a slow move- symphony and the opera The Last ment but this time decided to let his Temptations (1975). organic symphonic treatment have its All the elements in the fourth sym- head. The third movement is slower phony are harnessed in the organ- than the first, growing and patiently ic service of a communal aim – call it working up to a crisis using materials the consensus-Finland ideal. The idea that have been heard before. Finally, works well and all is bound seamlessly the music is compressed into harsh, together, an example being the func- dissonant sounds before gently resolv- tional orchestration, which cannot be ing on an optimistic major chord. separated from the thematic thinking. Kokkonen’s fourth was at some point described as “Neoromantic”, but de- spite its harmonious attributes, it could SERGEI PROKOFIEV more accurately be described by what (1891–1953): PIANO Paavo Heininen called “objectivising expressionism”. CONCERTO NO. 2 The first movement begins with a prophetic clang before introducing its Up to the 1930s, Prokofiev the compos- main materials, above all the three- er-pianist toured the world, and his pi- note motif C–E–A flat. For a long time ano concertos were his bravura calling the movement seems to be waiting cards and blatant manifestations of his for something, until the strings come public image. The second concerto got along with a rhythmic theme. As it lost in the maelstrom of the Revolution grows into a march fortified with brass, and in 1924 Prokofiev rewrote it from the motif reveals its militant character, memory while staying in Paris. to which the strings add a devout and The first movement begins with a wistful dimension. These characters lyrical, nostalgic narrante (narrating) 2 theme stated by the piano, to which BOHUSLAV MARTINŮ the orchestra adds ethereal strains. The second, leaping, quirky theme is (1890–1959): a more typical concerto one and this SYMPHONY NO. 4 time draws resolute comments from the orchestra. The development sec- Martinů’s six symphonies were all writ- tion is devoted entirely to the first ten and premiered in the USA, the theme and the solo instrument, gen- fourth in 1945 as a commission from erating one of the most monumental the Philadelphia Orchestra and Eugene cadenzas in modern piano literature Ormandy just as the war in Europe was and exploiting the piano’s sonority to ending. It has no programme, yet the its extremes. The recapitulation is con- world events at the time seem to have densed and ends exhausted. influenced the generally optimistic The Scherzo is a model example of mood. Prokofiev’s toccata style, a perpetuum Many aspects of the symphony mobile ticking away with mechanical give the impression of being instinc- precision and a brilliant tour de force. In tive or obvious, such as the classi- the second intermezzo the orchestra cal four-movement format and an or- marches along with all the grumpiness chestra seasoned with a piano and of a gang of prehistoric foot soldiers, percussions. The music sounds sponta- to which the piano adds sarcastic com- neous; Martinů had learnt to compose ments. Soon the piano joins the pro- everything in his mind before putting cession of cudgel wielders before they pen to paper. vanish from sight. The first movement contrasts lyrical The finale is full of boundless, caus- and rhythmic ideas, letting the ener- tic energy. The sonata form follows gy generated by the tension between the traditional scheme and the second them flow. The warm key (B-flat major) theme is simple, like a folk song. The and clever motif work carry the music development once again rests on this from wistful to jubilant and mysteri- slower theme and things seem almost ous moods, with two great crescendos to come to a halt in the visionary ca- serving as reminders of the undercur- denza before picking up speed again rents of life. and building up to thundering stacks The Scherzo begins with a nervous of energy. bassoon theme that soon marches along like a mighty army. Martinů was particularly fond of the simple, Czech- sounding Moderato theme first heard on the strings and taken up by the woodwinds. On its return, the Allegro vivo gives the movement a percussive veneer. The slow movement begins like the 3 first with a watery vignette that this Staatsorchester Stuttgart, Radio- time opens out into a brooding me- Symphonieorchester Wien, Luzerner lodic seascape dotted with string trio Sinfonieorchester and Orquesta details. Weaving its way through the Sinfónica de Galicia, and in North movement is a heart-rending hymn America with the St Louis Symphony theme, its mystery and painfulness en- and the Toronto Symphony, Baltimore hanced by the chromatics. It steadily Symphony and Detroit Symphony builds up to a solemn climax, but most orchestras. Recent engagements beautiful of all is perhaps the tranquil have included the The Cleveland and conclusion offering glimpses of hope. Gulbenkian orchestras, the Orchestre The finale sounds gloomy at first, de Chambre de Lausanne, Orchestra but the rhythmic drive of the first and Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi, and second movements then takes over as the BBC Scottish Symphony, Iceland a symbol of irrepressible vigour. The Symphony and Seoul Philharmonic mood of the second movement returns orchestras. In 2015 he conducted in the hymn-like string theme drawn a complete cycle of Sibelius’ sym- relentlessly onwards. The symphony phonies in Tokyo with the Finnish was clearly Martinů’s way of saying that Radio Symphony Orchestra and the movement is unavoidable, and whatev- New Japan Philharmonic, and toured er the obstacles placed in its path, it Austria in January 2016 with violinist will ultimately be capped by a resound- Leila Josefowicz and the Finnish Radio ing C major. Symphony Orchestra. Lintu returns to Savonlinna Opera Programme notes by Antti Häyrynen Festival in July 2017 to conduct Aulis translated (abridged) by Susan Sinisalo Sallinen’s Kullervo, and in May 2017 he conducts Sibelius’ Kullervo in a special project with Finnish National Opera and HANNU LINTU Ballet with director and choreographer Tero Saarinen. Previous productions Chief Conductor of the Finnish Radio with Finnish National Opera have in- Symphony Orchestra since August cluded Parsifal, Carmen, Sallinen’s King 2013, Hannu Lintu previously held Lear, and Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde in the positions of Artistic Director and spring 2016. Lintu has also worked with Chief Conductor of the Tampere Tampere Opera and Estonian National Philharmonic Orchestra, Principal Opera. Guest Conductor with the RTÉ National Hannu Lintu has made several re-cor- Symphony Orchestra and Artistic dings for Ondine, Naxos, Avie and Director of the Helsingborg Symphony Hyperion. His recording of Prokofiev and Turku Philharmonic orchestras. Piano Concertos with Olli Mustonen Highlights of Lintu’s 2016/17 sea- and the Finnish Radio Symphony son include appearances with the Orchestra was released in September Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, 2016, while other recent releases inclu- 4 de recordings of Mahler’s Symphony Olli Mustonen has been the soloist No. 1, a selection of works by Magnus with such orchestras as the London Lindberg, and Messiaen’s Turangalîla Symphony, the Mariinsky Theatre Symphony with Angela Hewitt and Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic Valerie Hartmann-Claverie. Lintu has and the Frankfurt Radio Symphony. received several accolades for his re- In addition to orchestras in his native cordings, including a 2011 Grammy Finland, he has conducted the Jerusalem nomination for Best Opera CD plus Symphony, the Orchestra della Toscana Gramophone Award nominations for in Florence, the Genoa Opera Orchestra, his recordings of Enescu’s Symphony the WDR Cologne, the Melbourne No.2 with the Tampere Philharmonic Symphony, the Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra and the Violin Concertos in Moscow, the Northern Sinfonia, the of Sibelius and Thomas Adès with NHK Symphony Orchestra in Japan, Augustin Hadelich and the Royal the Estonian National Symphony, the Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra. Weimar Staatskapelle and others. With Hannu Lintu studied cello and piano the Helsinki Festival Orchestra found- at the Sibelius Academy, where he later ed by him he has toured to Central studied conducting with Jorma Panula. Europe, Japan and China. He participated in masterclasses with Works for orchestra have occupied Myung-Whun Chung at the Accademia a prominent place in Mustonen’s own Chigiana in Siena, Italy, and took recent compositions.