BRIGHTNESS AND GENTLENESS Juha Kangas, John Storgårds, conductor violin www.joensuu.fi/orkesteri THU 24TH OCTOBER 2019 AT 7 PM | CARELIA HALL BRIGHTNESS AND GENTLENESS Juha Kangas, conductor John Storgårds, violin Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Juha Kangas | conductor Prelude to the opera La clemenza di Tito KV 621 The Finnish conductor and violist, Ju- ha Kangas, was born in the Ostrobothnian Pehr Henrik Nordgren: region of Kaustinen, the centre of a strong tradition of Finnish folk musicians. At the age of Violin Concerto No. 4, Op. 90 thirteen, this son of a local organist decided he would learn the violin. From then on, not a day INTERVAL went by when he could not be found playing it. He studied with the composer Erik Fordell. But it was Pēteris Vasks: the traditional music of the itinerant players which captivated him. Along with his brothers Olli and Musica Serena Timo, he started to perform as a young boy. Later on Juha Kangas studied in Helsinki at the Sibelius Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Academy with well established composers such as Symphony No.39 in E-flat major, K.543 Rautavaara, Heininen and Sallinen. But it was the Adagio - Allegro legendary Professor of Violin Onni Suhonen who became his mentor. Andante con moto It was not only his ability as a violin teacher Menuetto (Allegretto) which most impressed Kangas: his experiences Finale (Allegro) as a member of Suhonen’s string quartet class were to remain with him for the rest of his life. From 1966 to 1971 Kangas played viola in the The duration of the concert is approx two hours. Helsinki Philharmonic. He accepted a post as teacher of violin at the Ostrobothnian supported the acclaim that has greeted the Conservatory in Kokkola, a small town on the (…) Finnish conductor at every step of his rapid Bothnian coast with 36,000 inhabitants and just podium ascent worldwide.” Chicago Tribune 50 kilometres away from his birthplace. Chief Guest Conductor of the BBC In 1972 Juha Kangas founded a chamber Philharmonic Orchestra and Principal Guest orchestra whose members, aged between Conductor of Canada’s National Arts Centre 10 and 11, were all students at the Kokkola Orchestra Ottawa, John Storgårds Conservatory. Over the years this ensemble grew has a dual career as a conductor and into a student orchestra proper, and thence into a violin virtuoso and is widely recognised for his semi-professional orchestra. In 1989 the Keski- creative flair for programming as well as his Pohjanmaan Kamariorkesteri (Ostrobothnian rousing yet refined performances. As Artistic Chamber Orchestra) turned professional. And Director of the Lapland Chamber Orchestra, a in 1993 it received the Nordic Council Music title he has held for nearly 25 years, Storgårds Prize, the most prestigious musical award of the earned global critical acclaim for the ensemble’s Nordic countries. adventurous performances and award-winning Juha Kangas never actually wanted to recordings. become a conductor. He had always thought Storgårds appears with such orchestras as WDR of himself as a musician first. As he points Sinfonieorchester Köln, Gewandhausorchester out, "I really don’t have a philosophy of Leipzig, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio conducting. I just try to give my best." For a France, Orchestre National de France, Orchestra long time, and as a matter of principle, he Sinfonica Nazionale della RAI, BBC Symphony declined offers to appear as guest Orchestra, London Philharmonic as well as all conductor of other orchestras. The on- major Nordic orchestras including Helsinki *Philharmonic Orchestra. Further afield, he appears ly thing that mattered to him was the good with the Sydney, Melbourne and NHK Symphony quality music that moved him personally. Orchestras as well as the Cleveland Orchestra and This, of course, turned out to be music of the the New York Philharmonic. Nordic countries. Kangas helped establish Highlights of his 2019/20 season include many Nordic and Baltic composers: Pehr Storgårds’ return to the BBC Proms with the BBC Henrik Nordgren, Anders Eliasson, Per Nørgård, Philharmonic Orchestra with whom he will Peteris Vasks, Erkki Salmenhaara, Kalevi Aho, embark on a major European tour this autumn. Einojuhani Rautavaara, Usko Meriläinen, Lepo Storgårds studied violin with Chaim Taub and Sumera, Erkki-Sven Tüür, Onute Narbutaite, subsequently became concert master of the Ketil Hvoslef and Karin Rehnqvist. Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra under Esa- Pekka Salonen. He received the Finnish State Prize John Storgårds | violin for Music in 2002 and the Pro Finlandia Prize 2012. “Indeed, the impressive musical results TEOSESITTELYT of the work. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Pehr Henrik Nordgren: Prelude to the opera La Konsertto nro 4 viululle ja clemenza di Tito KV 621 jousiorkesterille op. 90 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's (1756-1791) Pehr Henrik Nordgren's (1944-2008) concertos opera "La clemenza di Tito", "The Clemen- are mostly dramatic, not athletic. Virtuosity, cy of Titus", was commissioned by Bohemian however, is needed in musical confrontations nobility to emperor Leopold II's crowning king between solos and a threatening, indifferent of Bohemia in 1791. The task was originally or sympathetic orchestra. assigned to court court job for Salieri. The fourth and last of Nordgren's violin The order for Mozart in the early summer concertos was completed in 1994 for the of 1791 meant a great deal of extra effort, Wegelius Chamber Orchestra, with John recovering from the heavy workload of the autumn Storgårds as soloist and conductor in the composition work. The opera, which premiere. The concerto is also dedicated to Storgårds. premiered in Prague in August, did not prove to be a Nordgren is in his fourth violin concert, op. 90 success during his lifetime. It was a serious concentrated his ideas on the most essential. opera of the time, an opera seria, which The half-hour piece is one-piece and the so- symbolically praises the morality and justice lo violin is at the center and plays almost all of its new monarch, as an example of ancient the time. The solo violin is also an experienced mythology. character of music, who seems to accept his Consciously composed in an old style, the part in the long but refining process. overture elevates the state ceremony to the The beginning of the concerto introduces expectations - a majestic visual artwork. Perhaps the characters of the drama, the expressively Mozart, who was a loyal supporter of Joseph II, flaming solo violin and the turbulent string did not greet his successor with all his heart. orchestra in the background. The intensely However, the stark drama reflects Mozart's fluttering nature of the violin section seems interest in historical compositional techniques. to have grown directly from John Storgårds' As usual, the magnificent orchestral chords artistic personality. The string portion seems produce a dark theme. The opposite side topic more observant at first, but also predominant. is the meager dialogue of woodwinds. Mozart The early part of the concerto is mostly slow uses a counterpoint in the development and music where the violin seems to be finding its returns to the opening theme only at the end way in difficult or distressing situations. The roles that Nordgren has created for his compositional techniques. Vasks' works have a music are not unambiguous. The violin melody full of hope, like "distant light," as in his solo can be considered as an alter ego of the violin concerto of the same name. composer, which hangs from his inner sen- Musica Serena (Serena = "serene", "peaceful", ses. It is not difficult to think that Nordgren's "bright") was Vasks birthday present in 2015 music is excited by the fear of death or the state for conductor Juha Kanka, who is seventy yea- of the world, but it must also be borne in mind rs old. Kangas has conducted many premieres that it is an abstract work whose references are of Vasks' works. Musica Serena was also named purely musical. The strings also have as a documentary film for the 70th anniversary independent cycles and during the piece it of Vasks (2016), which describes the birth of a seems that the orchestra is guiding the violin composition and its premiere in Kokkola with solo in many ways. the Central Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra. Shortly before the midpoint of the work, The work grows from the glittering flute-like the string orchestra is activated and the sounds of the beginning (Andante cantabile) music begins to move more purposefully, into a relaxed but also melancholic melody. Vasks sometimes with some consensus and gives the melody an epic breadth and eleva- sometimes as a struggle. Towards the end, tes it to a sublime (Maestoso), perhaps a bit of the music slows down again and is flooded Sibelius anthem. Going back to the starting point with beautiful and elegant themes. The whole as a controlled way, respectful and acceptable work can be visualized as a concert poem or an of the inevitable flow of life. orchestra-guided monologue seeking a solution or balance. With the last diminishing and pace, one may wonder whether Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart reconciliation has been achieved or hope has (1756-1791): Sinfonia nro been given up? 39 Es-duuri KV 543 Pēteris Vasks: Musica Serena Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's last three symphonies were born in the summer of 1788, Peteris Vasks (b. 1946) from Latvia is one of the and it is not known in what context they were most faithful and long-time partners of the intended to be performed. Central Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra, Mozart plunged into financial difficulties in the conductor Juha Kangas. Vasks' music is often late 1780s and lost popularity with Viennese linked to the history of his country and the audiences with piano concertos and operas. It problems of the modern world, drawing on is possible that Mozart was planning his own both Latvian folk music and postmodern concert to showcase his new types of symphonies.